Metal Super Raschig Ring (Intalox Saddle): Capacity, Efficiency and Sizing Guide

Engineer's Brief: The metal Super Raschig Ring (often called Intalox-style saddle) is a second-generation random packing that replaced the cylindrical Raschig ring. The saddle shape prevents parallel alignment, increases gas-liquid contact, and cuts pressure drop by 20–40% at the same throughput. It sits between ceramic Raschig rings (cheap, brittle) and wire mesh structured packing (high efficiency, high cost). FXSINO stamps Super Raschig rings from SS304/316L/410S/Ti in #25–#80 sizes, with wall thickness tuned to corrosion allowance and mechanical strength.

• • No parallel stacking — saddle curvature forces random orientation; each piece blocks the channel of its neighbor.
• • Larger open area per piece — the central "window" (punched or stamped) increases internal surface area without adding drag.
• • Self-distribution — liquid spreads along the saddle curve, reducing wall-flow tendency.
• • Mechanical strength — stamped from strip metal; no welding, uniform wall, handles thermal cycling better than ceramic.

• • Carbon steel (Q235/A36): Clean non-corrosive hydrocarbons, amine treating (low temp). Cheapest option.
• • SS304/304L: General service, mild aqueous, organics. Most common economy alloy.
• • SS316L: Chloride trace, weak acid, sour water strippers. Default for refinery/chemical.
• • 410S / 430: High temperature, oxidation resistance, no chlorides.
• • Duplex 2205: High chloride + mechanical stress, seawater stripping.
• • Titanium Gr.2: Wet Cl₂, hot brine, severe chloride corrosion. Premium.

• • Tower diameter vs. size: Minimum packing size ≥ D_tower / 30. For DN1200 tower → minimum #38 (1.5"). Using #25 in a large tower causes wall-channeling and poor distribution.
• • Liquid load: Super Raschig handles 5–80 m³/m²·h comfortably. Below 5 → consider wire mesh structured; above 80 → verify flood margin.
• • Fouling tendency: For dirty service, go one size up (#50 instead of #38) to reduce blockage risk.
• • Bed height: Single bed ≤6m for random packing; above that, add a redistributor every 5–6m.
• • Support grid: Opening size < packing nominal size; free area > packing void fraction. See camel-hump support grid.

Q: Super Raschig Ring vs. Pall Ring — which is better?

A: Pall rings have more uniform gas-liquid distribution at very low liquid loads. Super Raschig rings typically give 10–15% higher capacity (flood point) and slightly lower ΔP. For most absorption/stripping services, Super Raschig is the better all-around choice unless liquid load is extremely low (<3 m³/m²·h).

Q: Can I use metal Super Raschig in hot concentrated acid?

A: Metal will fail in hot H₂SO₄ >70% or hot HNO₃ regardless of alloy grade. For those services, switch to ceramic Raschig rings or ceramic structured packing.

Q: Wall thickness — thin or thick?

A: Thinner wall = more pieces per m³ = higher surface area = better efficiency, but less corrosion allowance. For clean service, 0.4–0.5mm (SS) is standard. For corrosive/erosive service, specify 0.6–0.8mm or step up to 410S/316L thick-gauge.

Specify Metal Super Raschig Rings for Your Column

FXSINO manufactures metal Super Raschig rings (Intalox-style saddle) in SS304/316L/410S/Duplex/Ti, sizes #25–#80. We supply matched support grids, distributors, bed limiters and redistributors. Send tower ID, service fluid, temperature, pressure and target capacity — we return size recommendation, bed height and hydraulic check.

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