Custom Engineered Packages
Adsorption systems engineered from the process data sheet when the inlet chemistry, outlet specification, site constraint, or contaminant combination falls outside the standard system envelope.
Adsorption systems engineered from the process data sheet when the inlet chemistry, outlet specification, site constraint, or contaminant combination falls outside the standard system envelope.
The decision to engineer a custom package rather than apply a standard system follows a specific review. SorbiTech assesses the process data sheet against the design envelope of the closest standard system. If the inlet flow rate, composition, outlet specification, and operating conditions all fall within the standard design parameters, the standard system is recommended. If two or more parameters fall outside the envelope simultaneously, or if the combination of constraints cannot be addressed by adapting a single standard system, a custom package is required. The review takes one to two weeks from receipt of complete inlet data.
Common custom duties include combined dehydration and acid gas removal in a single vessel where placing two standard systems in series would exceed the footprint limit or the project budget for a small throughput application. Layered adsorbent beds are designed where the inlet gas or liquid contains two or more species that each require a different adsorbent at the same contact time. Horizontal vessel configurations replace the standard vertical orientation where available headroom prevents a vertical installation without a costly structural modification.
Custom packages also address integration requirements that standard systems do not accommodate: connection to an existing PLC architecture using a specific communication protocol, a duty that must share a common manifold with an existing vessel, or a cycle design that must synchronise with the output variation of an upstream process. In each case the custom design starts from the engineering problem, not from an adaptation of a catalogue item.
The physics of adsorption is the same in a custom package as in a standard system. The engineering decisions that differ are the adsorbent combination, the layer sequence and proportions, the cycle parameters, and the vessel orientation and geometry. All of these are calculated simultaneously against the specific process conditions, not carried over from a standard design.
Simultaneous Optimisation of Adsorbent, Bed Geometry, and Cycle
A layered bed custom package addresses the case where two adsorbents are needed in the same vessel. An example is a gas stream containing both water and H2S that must be removed without a separate H2S guard vessel. An activated alumina layer at the inlet protects the molecular sieve downstream from water overloading while the molecular sieve layer at the outlet performs deep drying. The alumina layer proportion is calculated from the inlet water concentration and the alumina equilibrium capacity. The sieve layer proportion is calculated from the outlet dew point specification and the mass transfer zone depth. The two calculations are coupled through the shared bed volume and are solved simultaneously.
A horizontal vessel custom package for a TSA dehydration duty requires a different internal design compared with the standard vertical configuration. The flow distribution header in a vertical vessel uses a top distributor that relies on gravity to produce a uniform downward velocity across the bed cross section. In a horizontal vessel, flow enters from one end and must be distributed across the circular cross section by a perforated plate or a header and lateral system designed for that geometry. The support structure for the adsorbent must prevent bed settling along the vessel axis under gravity without creating a preferred flow channel at the top or bottom of the vessel.
One Engineer Accountable from Process Data Sheet to Performance Guarantee
Custom engineered packages are fabricated to the same code standards as standard product: ASME Section VIII Division 1 for North America and export duty, PED 2014/68/EU for European registration, NACE MR0175 for sour service. Third party inspection is appointed for all pressure vessel fabrication. The as-built data book contains the engineering calculation with the full adsorption model, the sensitivity analysis on inlet composition variation, the material certificates, the weld records, the inspection reports, and the pressure test certificate.
SorbiTech manages the complete scope for custom packages: process engineering, detailed mechanical design, procurement, fabrication supervision, third party inspection, factory acceptance testing, site commissioning, and lifecycle service. The project engineer who approves the process design and issues the performance guarantee is the same engineer who leads the factory acceptance test and supervises the site commissioning. Engineering continuity is maintained from the process data sheet to the commissioned plant.
Systems in this category
Each system page carries the duty specification, the media grade, the vessel configuration, and the engineering selection guidance for that equipment type.
Systems in this category are being added. Contact us for availability.
One accountable supplier for media, vessel, and performance
When the adsorbent specification and the vessel design come from different suppliers, the performance guarantee has a gap between them. SorbiTech closes that gap by calculating both in one engineering record.
Adsorbent and vessel calculated together
The adsorbent grade, the bed volume, the vessel wall thickness, and the cycle parameters are solved in one engineering calculation. The media specification is not issued separately from the equipment specification. There is one calculation record and one performance guarantee.
Performance guarantee covers the contracted outlet specification
The contracted outlet condition, whether a dew point in degrees C, an oil concentration in mg per litre, or a product purity in percent, is the guarantee. SorbiTech measures the outlet at commissioning against the stated inlet conditions and issues the guarantee against the measurement.
ASME VIII or PED fabrication with third party inspection
All pressure vessels are fabricated to a named pressure vessel code. Third party inspection is appointed for all vessels regardless of pressure class. NACE MR0175 materials and post weld heat treatment are applied to sour service duty without a separate qualification process.
Lifecycle service under the original engineering record
Scheduled media sampling and laboratory activity testing track bed performance against the design specification. When the bed reaches the end of its service life, the reload is carried out under the original process calculation. The performance guarantee restarts after reload.
Duty to recommended system
Starting point for the engineering conversation. The final specification closes after SorbiTech receives the inlet composition, the operating window, and the target outlet condition.
Common Questions on Custom Engineered Packages
How does SorbiTech decide whether a duty needs a custom package or a standard system?
By reviewing the process data sheet against the design envelope of the closest standard system. If the inlet flow rate, composition, outlet specification, and operating conditions all fall within the standard design parameters, the standard system is recommended. If two or more parameters fall outside the envelope simultaneously, or if the combination of constraints cannot be addressed by adapting a single standard system without compromising the performance guarantee, a custom package is required.
Is a custom package significantly more expensive than the nearest standard system?
The engineering cost per unit is higher because it is not shared across a product range. Fabrication cost is comparable to standard product at the same vessel size and material grade. For large throughput duties, or for a programme of identical custom units across a site expansion, the per-unit engineering cost distributes and the total cost approaches the standard system level. The comparison must also account for the cost and delay of commissioning a standard system that does not meet the specification.
What process data is required to begin the engineering?
Inlet flow rate at minimum, normal, and maximum conditions. Operating pressure and temperature at each condition. Full inlet composition including all trace species. Required outlet specification for each controlled component. Site ambient conditions. Available utilities. Weight and footprint limits. Integration requirements with existing control architecture. A complete data sheet with these fields allows SorbiTech to issue a preliminary design basis and performance guarantee commitment within four weeks.
What is the delivery schedule from order to commissioned plant?
Eighteen to twenty-eight weeks for a single skid of standard complexity. The engineering phase takes four to six weeks. Procurement of the pressure vessel and the adsorbent charge, the two typical long lead items, runs in parallel with detailed mechanical design. Fabrication takes six to twelve weeks. Factory acceptance testing adds two to four weeks. Site commissioning takes one to three weeks depending on utility readiness and site access. A complex multi-vessel configuration or a novel adsorbent combination adds four to eight weeks to the fabrication phase.
Discuss Your Engineering Requirements
Provide your duty conditions and our team will recommend the right system configuration, media grade, and delivery scope.