A distillation column separates ethanol and water. The feed is 30 wt% ethanol at 10,000 kg/h and 40°C. The column operates at 1 kg/cm2 with a reflux ratio of 3.0. The problem involves calculating properties of the distillate and bottoms streams.
A distillation column separates ethanol and water. The feed is 30 wt% ethanol at 10,000 kg/h and 40°C. The column operates at 1 kg/cm2 with a reflux ratio of 3.0. The problem involves calculating properties of the distillate and bottoms streams.
Cascade of flash chambers Variable pressures • The cascading procedure can be extended into a process that produces one pure vapor and one pure liquid product • First, the vapor streams can be sent to additional flash chambers at increasing pressures and the liquid streams to flash chambers with decreasing pressures • One difficulty with this cascade is that the intermediate product streams, L1, L2, V4, and V5, are of intermediate concentration and need further separation.
Cascade of flash chambers Countercurrent cascade of flash chambers with reflux and boilup • The previous cascade has a decreasing vapor flow rate as we go from the feed stage to the top stage and a decreasing liquid flow rate as we go from the feed stage to the bottom stage. Operation and design will be easier if part of the top vapor stream V1 is condensed and returned to stage 1 and if part of the bottom liquid stream L5 is vaporized and returned to stage 5, as illustrated in Figure 3-4. This allows us to control the internal liquid and vapor flow rates at any desired level. Stream D is the distillate product, while B is the bottom product. Stream L0 is called the reflux while V6 is the boilup.
Column Notation • As the top product (distillate) is highly concentrated in the more volatile component. The section of the column above the feed stage is known as the enriching or rectifying section • The bottom product (bottoms) is highly concentrated in the less volatile component, since the more volatile component has been stripped out by the rising vapors. This section is called the stripping section.
Specifications Usual specified variables for binary distillation • Column pressure (which sets the equilibrium data) • Feed composition • Flow rate • Feed temperature or feed enthalpy or feed quality • Temperature or enthalpy of the reflux liquid(usually saturated liquid)
Design Problems ❑ In design problems, the desired separation is set, and a column is designed that will achieve this separation. Mole fraction of the more volatile component in the distillate and bottoms products. the external reflux ratio, L0/D are usually specified ❑ The designer’s job is to calculate distillate and bottoms flow rates, the heating and cooling requirements in the reboiler and condenser, the number of stages required and the optimum feed stage location, and finally the required column diameter.
External Column Balances: Overall From the balances around the entire column, we wish to calculate distillate and bottoms flow rates, D and B, and the heat loads in the condenser and reboiler, Qc and QR.
The overall mass balance:
F=B+D More volatile component mass balance: Fz = BxB + DxD z − xB D= xD − xB xD − z B=F−D= F xD − xB For the energy balance we will use the convention that all heat loads will be treated as inputs. If energy is removed, then the numerical value of the heat load will be negative. The steady-state energy balance around the entire column is FhF + QC + QR = DhD + BhB The column is assumed to be well insulated and adiabatic. QR will be positive and Qc negative. The enthalpies can all be determined from an enthalpy-composition diagram or from the heat capacities and latent heats of vaporization. In general, hF = hF (z, TF , p), hD = hD xD , Treflux , p , hB = hB (xB , saturated liquid, p)
External Column Balances: Condenser The total condenser changes the phase of the entering vapor stream but does not affect the composition. Thus, 𝑦1 = 𝑥𝐷 = 𝑥0
The condenser mass balance is
𝑉1 = 𝐿0 + 𝐷 Since the external reflux ratio, L0/D, is specified, we can substitute its value , 𝐿0 𝐿0 𝑉1 = 𝐷+𝐷 = 1+ 𝐷 𝐷 𝐷 The condenser energy balance is
Problem A steady-state, countercurrent, staged distillation column is to be used to separate ethanol from water. The feed is a 30 wt % ethanol, 70 wt % water mixture at 40°C. Flow rate of feed is 10,000 kg/h. The column operates at a pressure of 1 kg/cm2. The reflux is returned as a saturated liquid. A reflux ratio of L/D = 3.0 is being used. We desire a bottoms composition of xB = 0.05 (weight fraction ethanol) and a distillate composition of xD = 0.80 (weight fraction ethanol). The system has a total condenser and a partial reboiler. Find D, B, Qc, and QR.