The present paper delineates the characteristics of a new efficient low pressure drop distillation packing which is made from protruded thin metal ribbon. Test data are given on the packing in 100 millimeter diameter column by distillation of mixtures of methylcyclohexane and toluene

ethyl alcohol and water under atmospheric condition. Because of the capillary nature of the metallic barrier surface on which liquid hydrocarbon or aqueous alcohol can be automatically spread

the packing is readily wetted

and greatly aids the attainment of equilibrium thereby. Consequently

considerable time is saved in getting the distilling operation started. Since the packing is made from thin flat metal

a relatively inexpensive starting material

it is less expensive than packings made from wire gauze. Experimental results have shown that among the advantages of this packing as mentioned above

it features a H.E.T.P. of 111 to 172mm

and a pressure drop of 2.7 to 3 mm of water per theoretical plate

depending upon the gas load F-factor varying in the range of 1.22 to 2.25. Thus it would appear that the packing is also a promising low pressure drop packing suitable for vacuum distillation.