Automatic Mode vs Manual Mode in the DAIER Tower Packing Engineering Assistant
The DAIER Tower Packing Engineering Assistant supports two different types of preliminary packing evaluation:
Automatic Mode
and
Manual Mode
They are designed for different stages of a tower packing project.
Automatic Mode is intended to screen the preliminary material-family and packing-structure direction.
Manual Mode is intended to compare products within the same published catalog series.
Neither mode is intended to replace final hydraulic or process engineering.
[Use the DAIER Tower Packing Engineering Assistant → https://www.pxdaier.com/tower-packing-engineering-assistant.html]
Quick Answer: Which Mode Should I Use?
Use Automatic Mode when:
you have tower and project information;
the packing direction is not yet fixed;
you are still screening material family;
you are still screening random vs structured packing direction;
you want an initial engineering direction before selecting a catalog model.
Use Manual Mode when:
the packing family has already been narrowed down;
you want to review specific catalog products;
the products belong to the same published catalog series;
you want a controlled comparison without pretending unlike catalog data are directly equivalent.
A practical workflow is often:
Project Data → Automatic Screening → Narrow the Direction → Manual Catalog Comparison → Engineering Review / RFQ
1. What Does Automatic Mode Do?
Automatic Mode is the early-stage screening mode.
Its purpose is not to calculate one guaranteed “best packing.”
Instead, it helps establish a preliminary direction using the available project information.
The current DAIER tool defines Automatic Mode as screening the material-family and packing-structure direction, rather than claiming an exact hydraulic optimum.
This distinction matters.
An early-stage project may not yet know whether it should evaluate:
plastic packing;
metal packing;
ceramic packing;
random packing;
structured packing;
a more open packing direction for fouling service.
Automatic Mode helps organize that first decision.
2. When Is Automatic Mode Most Useful?
Automatic Mode is useful when a project begins with process conditions rather than a fixed packing specification.
For example:
Tower ID: 1,800 mmApplication: wet gas scrubberOperating temperature: 60°CFouling tendency: moderatePacking type: not yet selected
At this stage, the useful question is not:
Which exact catalog model should I order?
The useful question is:
Which packing direction deserves further evaluation?
That is the role of Automatic Mode.
3. What Information Should Be Entered First?
The tool currently organizes project information including items such as:
project/application;
operating mode;
gas/liquid system;
tower inside diameter;
packing bed height;
number of beds;
operating temperature;
operating pressure;
material family;
corrosion severity;
fouling/solids tendency;
project priority.
The more accurate the project inputs are, the more useful the preliminary screening becomes.
Do not enter guessed data simply to force a result.
If information is unavailable, it is better to identify it as missing and continue the project review later.
4. What Does an Automatic Result Mean?
An Automatic Mode result should be read as:
“This is a reasonable direction for further evaluation.”
It should not automatically be read as:
“This exact packing is hydraulically guaranteed for the tower.”
That difference is fundamental.
The DAIER tool itself states that final material grade, size, pressure drop, capacity, efficiency, flooding margin, liquid distribution and mechanical arrangement still require complete process data and engineering confirmation.
For result interpretation, see:
[How to Interpret Results from the DAIER Tower Packing Engineering Assistant → https://www.pxdaier.com/tower-packing-solutions/how-to-interpret-tower-packing-engineering-assistant-results]
5. What Is Manual Mode?
Manual Mode begins at a later stage.
Instead of asking:
What packing direction should I consider?
the user is now asking:
Which catalog option within this known product series should I review?
The DAIER tool limits Manual Mode comparison to products within the same published catalog series.
This creates a more controlled comparison basis.
6. Example of a Manual Mode Comparison
Assume the project has already established:
Material: PP
Packing family: Pall Ring
Tower ID: confirmed
Application: confirmed
Fouling condition: confirmed
The next decision may involve comparing two available sizes or models from the same approved catalog series.
For example:
Option A
Smaller nominal size
Option B
Larger nominal size
The tower and process conditions remain unchanged.
Only the catalog option changes.
This makes the comparison much more meaningful than changing the process conditions and packing model at the same time.
7. Why Does Manual Mode Stay Within One Catalog Series?
Published tower packing data are not always generated on a common normalized basis.
Different product families may use different:
geometry;
materials;
manufacturing construction;
reference sources;
testing conditions;
catalog methods.
The DAIER tool therefore explicitly states that published values are not normalized across different series, materials or test methods.
This means a single catalog number should not automatically be used to rank completely different packing families.
8. Example of an Incorrect Comparison
Suppose:
Packing A
has a higher published specific surface area.
Packing B
has a lower published specific surface area.
It would be incorrect to conclude automatically:
Packing A must provide better tower performance.
Why?
Because actual tower suitability may also depend on:
packing geometry;
pressure drop;
gas and liquid loading;
fouling;
tower diameter;
wetting;
operating pressure;
process objective.
And if the published values come from different catalog series or test bases, the numbers may not be directly normalized.
Manual Mode is therefore intended for controlled catalog review—not universal performance ranking.
9. Automatic Mode vs Manual Mode
Question
Automatic Mode
Manual Mode
Packing direction already known?
No / partly
Usually yes
Material family screening
Yes
Not the main purpose
Random vs structured direction
Yes
Not the main purpose
Specific catalog comparison
No
Yes
Compare same catalog series
Not required
Yes
Final hydraulic design
No
No
Useful before RFQ
Yes
Yes
The two modes therefore complement each other.
They are not competing calculation methods.
10. When Should You Move from Automatic to Manual Mode?
Move toward Manual Mode when the broad direction is already reasonably clear.
For example:
Stage 1
Project conditions indicate that plastic random packing deserves further evaluation.
Stage 2
The packing family is narrowed to a specific DAIER catalog series.
Stage 3
Several sizes or models within that series are available.
Stage 4
Manual Mode is used to review those alternatives on a consistent basis.
This creates a logical narrowing process:
Broad project conditions
↓
Packing direction
↓
Product family
↓
Catalog options
↓
Engineering confirmation
11. When Should You Stay in Automatic Mode?
Do not move into product-level comparison too early.
Remain at the screening level when important questions are still unresolved, such as:
Is the process strongly corrosive?
Is there severe fouling?
Is operating temperature compatible with the material?
Is very low pressure drop required?
Is the project random packing or structured packing service?
Is the packing being installed in a new or existing tower?
Choosing a catalog model before answering the larger engineering questions can create false precision.
12. Existing Tower Replacement Example
Consider an existing scrubber with:
known tower diameter;
known packing height;
existing PP random packing;
rising pressure drop;
visible fouling.
Automatic Mode can first help organize the project direction.
But the next question should be:
Is the current problem caused by packing geometry, packing size, fouling, liquid distribution or another tower-internal issue?
Only after that problem is understood should specific replacement products be compared.
For replacement projects:
[How to Use the DAIER Tower Packing Engineering Assistant for an Existing Tower Replacement → https://www.pxdaier.com/tower-packing-solutions/how-to-use-engineering-assistant-for-tower-packing-replacement]
13. New Tower Example
For a new packed tower, the project may begin with:
application;
tower dimensions;
temperature;
pressure;
gas/liquid system;
corrosion condition;
fouling tendency.
If no packing has been specified, Automatic Mode is the logical starting point.
Once the preliminary material and packing structure have been narrowed down, catalog-level evaluation can begin.
This avoids jumping directly from process conditions to one exact product model.
14. Manual Mode Does Not Mean Final Selection
This is another important distinction.
Selecting a catalog product in Manual Mode does not automatically mean:
Approved for purchase.
The tool is designed for preliminary project evaluation.
Final confirmation may still depend on:
actual gas flow;
actual liquid flow;
allowable pressure drop;
fluid properties;
required separation performance;
flooding margin;
distributor design;
tower support arrangement;
mechanical requirements.
The current DAIER tool explicitly reserves these final engineering decisions for complete process-data review.
15. When Should the Tool Comparison Stop?
Stop preliminary tool comparison and move to engineering review when the decision depends on exact project performance.
Examples include:
guaranteed pressure drop;
maximum hydraulic capacity;
flooding margin;
removal efficiency;
HETP;
HTU/NTU;
final liquid-distributor design;
final tower internals;
mechanical support design.
At that point, the project requires more than catalog screening.
16. How This Helps Prepare a Better RFQ
Automatic and Manual Mode results can also clarify what should be included in an inquiry.
For example:
After Automatic Mode
The RFQ may say:
Preliminary screening indicates PP random packing should be evaluated. Please review the attached operating conditions and recommend an appropriate model.
After Manual Mode
The RFQ may say:
We are comparing Model A and Model B within the same packing series. Please review both options against the attached project conditions and confirm the recommended quotation basis.
This gives the supplier a much clearer technical question.
For RFQ preparation:
[How to Prepare a Tower Packing RFQ with the DAIER Engineering Assistant → https://www.pxdaier.com/tower-packing-solutions/how-to-prepare-tower-packing-rfq-with-engineering-assistant]
17. A Practical DAIER Tool Workflow
For many projects, the Engineering Assistant can be used in this order:
Step 1 — Enter the Project Information
Define the application and basic operating conditions.
Step 2 — Enter Tower Data
Confirm tower ID, packing height and number of beds.
Step 3 — Use Automatic Screening
Establish the preliminary material and packing-structure direction.
Step 4 — Review the Result
Identify what is known and what still requires confirmation.
Step 5 — Narrow the Packing Family
Move from broad direction to a specific catalog series.
Step 6 — Use Manual Comparison
Compare appropriate models within that series.
Step 7 — Identify Engineering Limits
Determine whether more process or hydraulic data are required.
Step 8 — Prepare the RFQ
Send the project data, preliminary result and comparison basis for supplier review.
Automatic or Manual: The Simple Rule
If your question is:
“What direction should I start with?”
Use Automatic Mode.
If your question is:
“Which option within this known catalog series should I compare?”
Use Manual Mode.
If your question is:
“What exact packing guarantees my required pressure drop, flooding margin or separation performance?”
The project has moved beyond preliminary tool screening and requires detailed engineering review.
The [DAIER Tower Packing Engineering Assistant → https://www.pxdaier.com/tower-packing-engineering-assistant.html] is designed to make that boundary clear rather than hide it.
Specs and test data available upon request.