Modeling Separation Systems with Aspen Plus

Introduction
Some of the first things one is taught in a mass transfer course are the derivation of the Kremser equations and
the McCabe-Thiele method. Especially in the McCabe-Thiele method, the emphasis is on determining the sie
of a mass transfer device to perform a given tas!. The boundary conditions of the problem are given, and the
engineer determines the internal structure needed to satisfy these conditions. " binary separation problem can
be described quite accurately by the McCabe-Thiele procedures. #o$ever, many assumptions have to be made
if the problem involves more than t$o components. %hen the sta!es $ere high enough, companies $ere
$illing to have many engineers $or! on a team to manually solve the more rigorous tray-to-tray,
multicomponent problem.
%ith the invention and implementation of the digital computer, an early problem that $as tried $as the
distillation column. These successes led to attempts to solve multiple columns and eventually entire flo$sheets
in a single program. The end result $as the sequential-modular simulator. The name comes from the solving
modules, $hich represent unit operation steps, in a sequential manner. &n the '()*+s, several companies brought
commercial versions of these programs to the mar!et. &n addition, the ma,or chemical and petroleum
companies had in-house versions of simulators.
-y the mid-'((*+s, the "spen .lus simulator had evolved as the ultimate survivor. The original version $as run
on a mainframe computer as a batch ,ob. The most li!ely input form $as punched cards and the output $as a
large line printer stac! of paper in $hich everything $as printed since once the ,ob $as finished, all traces $ere
removed from the computer to ma!e room for the ne/t ,ob.
The input-output today for "spen .lus is much changed. &t no$ uses a 01& that follo$s the Microsoft
guidelines for a %indo$s environment. "ll the familiar menu functions are there and all do about the same ,ob
as a Microsoft 2ffice program such as %ord or E/cel. 3et underneath all of this is the '()*+s simulation engine
and batch file thin!ing. The 01& actually communicates $ith the "spen .lus simulator by creating an input file
similar to the old punch card file and then submitting this to the processor for calculation. The results are then
sent bac! to the 01&. The user can then display the results in tables or graphs, e/port selected values to
programs such as E/cel or %ord, ma!e changes for ne$ runs, or print out the results file in a form much li!e the
line printer days.
4ote that the illustrations are for "spen .lus 5ersion '*.6. The current version being used at the 1niversity of
7ela$are is '6.'. The ma,or differences bet$een the versions is in the solution methods, not the user interface.
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Modeling Concepts in Aspen Plus
The "spen .lus simulator is based on the concept that the feed to each module is defined and that the outputs
from each module $ill be calculated. The user is e/pected to provide sufficient detail for each module so that
the calculations can be performed. This is a !ey concept in properly using the program. &t does not mean that
every input stream must be e/plicitly specified. 8or e/ample if an input to a module is the output of a fully
specified module, then the input to the second module is fully specified. &f one dra$s a control line around the
flo$sheet, then only those streams that are flo$ing through the control line into the flo$sheet need to be
specified. 7on+t forget that there is a flo$ of both energy and mass in the flo$sheet.
The four simplest modules are the .ump, Compressor, 5alve, and #eater. The .ump and Compressor increase
the pressure of the feed stream based on one of the follo$ing9
1. Specify the outlet pressure and calculate the needed po$er.
2. Specify the po$er input and calculate the outlet pressure.
The 5alve calculates the ne$ thermodynamic properties of the stream follo$ing a given adiabatic pressure
decrease. The heater changes the discharge temperature of the module based on either9
1. The specified outlet temperature and the calculated the enthalpy flo$, or
2. The specified enthalpy flo$ and calculated the outlet temperature.
So $e see that "spen .lus has fle/ibility in the specification of the modules. 1nderstanding the degrees of
freedom of a specific module is !ey to understanding ho$ to implement a calculation. The "spen .lus program
has already $or!ed out $hat most of these degrees of freedom are and have imbedded this !no$ledge in the
:4e/t+ command. &nvo!ing this command causes the 01& program to go to the ne/t place in input is needed in
order for the program to be properly specified. The :4e/t+ command is invo!ed by either pressing the ;8<= !ey
on the !eyboard or pressing the ne/t icon button located in the middle of the "spen .lus main toolbar. &f you
are not sure of the ne/t step, invo!e the :4e/t+ command. Even if you are positive about the ne/t step, invo!e
the :4e/t+ command. &t gets you there faster and sometimes you may be surprised about $hat "spen thin!s is
the ne/t most important thing for you to enter.
6
Distillation Modeling in Aspen Plus for Beginners
The !ey points are understanding the results of a degrees of freedom analysis >78? on a simple column and ho$
this e/tends to more complicated columns. My definition of a simple column is one $ith a single feed and a
single distillate and tail stream. "lso, the simple column only has energy transfer due to the streams and a
single condenser and reboiler. Simple does not mean easy. 8or e/ample, an aeotropic distillation column
$here the thermodynamics are very difficult $ill be classified as simple if there is a single feed, distillate, and
tails. This is because the comple/ity of the thermodynamics has not changed the 78 of $hat needs to be
specified in order for the column to be modeled.
"s $e add e/tra feed streams or connect e/tra product streams to the column, the more the 78 are needed and
the column no$ becomes a :comple/+ column. This $ill be discussed later in this paper. "n e/cellent reference
on this sub,ect of degrees of freedom in countercurrent cascades is found in Seader and #enley, Chapter @.
8or the simple column, the total 78 for a simple column is
78 A 4 B C B (
"ll these can be satisfied by specifying the complete feed conditions, column operating pressure, column
pressure drop, the number of stages, the feed stage location, the reflu/ ratio, and the distillate rate. .lease note a
ma,or difference bet$een my analysis and Seader and #enley+s is that & have e/cluded e/ternal heat transfer on
each stage. This reduces the 78 by 4.
Thus before $e attempt to model a column in "spen .lus, $e need to be sure that
'. The feed is either fully specified or $ill be properly calculated by an upstream module.
6. The operating pressure of the column is !no$n.
C. The pressure drop in the column can be specified.
<. The number of stages is specified.
@. The feed location is specified
D. %e can specify the column energy balance. This is usually done by specifying the reflu/ ratio.
). %e can specify the column mass balance. This is usually done by specifying the distillate rate.
.lease note that "spen allo$s many $ays to satisfy each of the above items. 8or e/ample, it may be more
convenient to specify the tails rate rather than the distillate rate. 2r the engineer has determined that direct
specification of a heating rate is preferred.

C
unning Aspen Plus for the first time
Eet+s model the follo$ing distillation operation
8eed9 @**** pph
@*F >molar? Methanol
@*F >molar? %ater
G* degrees 8
6* psig
.roperties .ac!age9 4HTE $ith "spen parameters
Column performance
Methanol stream purity9 ((F Methanol
Methanol recovery9 ((.@F
2ther information includes
"vailable steam for reboiler9 6@ psig and '** psig
Cooling $ater9 C* C
7elta temperature approach bet$een process and utility9 =6*C, ;(*C
The first thing to do is start "spen .lus. This is done by left clic!ing on the ;Start= button, then clic!ing on
;.rograms=, then holding the cursor over the line ;"spenTech=, then over ;"spen Engineering Suite=, then
over ;"spen ''.'= and finally clic!ing on ;"spen .lus 1ser &nterface=. "t this point your screen should loo!
li!e this
<
Single left clic! on the command ;"spen .lus 1ser &nterface= and the "spen .lus front end program $ill load.
The first screen should loo! li!e the follo$ing
&f this is your first simulation of a ne$ system, then you $ant to select ;-lan! Simulation= and clic! ;2K=.
@
3ou may have to log in to the "spen license manager. Iust follo$ the on-screen instructions. 2nce everything
is successfully done, the screen $ill loo! li!e the follo$ing picture. The blan! space in the middle is $here the
flo$sheet is constructed. The ;4e/t= button is the button $ith the :4+ in the middle of the upper toolbar. The
toolbar at the bottom of the "spen $indo$ is the place $here the icons to represent the unit operations are
located.
Eet us begin by defining the flo$sheet. " flo$sheet must be constructed even for a simple system such as a
single heater or distillation column. The minimum flo$sheet is a single operation step, a feed stream and a
product stream.
8or our problem, $e need to define a distillation column and the appropriate streams. &f $e clic! on the
;Columns= tab, the toolbar $ill sho$ all the types of column modules available. 8or our case, $e $ant the
:Had8rac+ module. This is the rigorous stage-to-stage equilibrium model for distillation. %hen $e clic! on
:Had8rac+, a $indo$ opens sho$ing all the display icons available for this module. The icon does not imply
$hat type of operation is being modeled - that is done in the input forms. Hather, the icon is a visual
D
1nit 2. Toolbar
representation of an operation in the flo$sheet. The ne/t t$o figures sho$ the Had8rac choices and the icon
placed in the flo$sheet $indo$. 4ote that the cursor changes from an arro$ to a cross $hen the operation is
placement of operation icons. To return to the arro$ cursor, clic! on the arro$ in the lo$er left of the "spen
$indo$. The module is named $hen it is placed in the flo$sheet $indo$.
)
G
2nce the module is placed on the flo$sheet, the streams are added. This is done by clic!ing on the bottom
toolbar in the section named :STHE"MS+. The available stream connections on the icon are displayed. The
required streams are sho$n in red. The optional streams are in blue. #old the cursor over the stream you $ant
to connect. " message bo/ $ill open naming the type of stream. Clic! once then drag the cursor to the point
$here you $ant the stream to terminate and clic! once. " message bo/ $ill no$ open as!ing you to name the
stream.

(
%hen you are finished, the screen should loo! li!e the follo$ing. Clic! on the arro$ button to return to the
arro$ cursor.
4ote the message bo/ in the lo$er right corner of the "spen $indo$. &t is in red letters and says :Hequired
input incomplete+. This is one of many signals that more input is needed before the flo$sheet can be solved.
Clic!ing on the ;4e/t= button $ill ta!e the user to the ne/t set of input data needed. " message bo/ $ill
inform the user that the flo$sheet connection part is complete.
The first form to be completed is the :Setup+ form. This is the point $here the problem statement is entered
along $ith selection of the units for the simulation, report formats, accounting information, etc. The purpose of
this entire section is ma!ing the simulation report loo! nice. 8or e/ample, the accounting tab is $here the user
enters hisJher name. This is an optional step but highly recommended. & suggest the user e/plore the various
tabs since all are self-e/planatory.
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"rro$ -utton
This $indo$ is called the 7ata -ro$ser. The left $indo$ in the 7ata -ro$ser sho$s the status of the input
items. The half-red circle indicates that required input is needed for that section. The ;4e/t= !ey ta!es the
user to those sections in the order sho$n on the 7ata -ro$ser.

''
-efore pressing the :4e/t+ !ey, it is highly recommended that the :Heport 2ptions+ under the :Setup+ 8older be
opened. The forms $e $ant to modify are the 0eneral, -loc!, and Streams. These tabs control optional
information in the output file. &n the 0eneral form, $e $ant to select the chec!bo/ :Summary of user input K
system defaults+. This is the only $ay to get a hard copy of the actual simulation you performed in your output
file. &n the -loc! form, select :-egin each bloc! report on a ne$ page+. This is very important once you have
several bloc!s in the flo$sheet. 8inally, in the Stream form, the choices are made of ho$ to display the stream
flo$ and composition results.

'6
The ;4e/t= !ey is pressed and the Components Section is displayed. This is $here the components to be used
in the simulation are entered.
There are many methods of entering the component data. &t is important to understand that the column labeled
:Component &7+ is the name that the simulation $ill use to identify the compound to the user. The column
:8ormula+ and :Component name+ are the actual names used by the simulation to get the data from the various
databan!s. The connection bet$een the name the user $ants to use and the databan! is made on this form. The
:Component &7+ name can be changed $ithout affecting the actual compound being used. Changing the
:Component name+ or :8ormula+ $ill change the compound.
The recommended method to identify a compound is to enter the name to be used in the simulation in the
:Component &7+ bo/. &f this e/actly matches a name in the databases, "spen fills in the rest of the information.
8or e/ample, enter :$ater+ in the &7 bo/ and press the ;Enter= !ey. The rest of the bo/es are filled in as sho$n
in the ne/t figure.
'C
&f $e $ere to type in :methanol+, "spen $ould identify this compound and $e $ould be done $ith the
component input for this problem. #o$ever, it is usually more complicated for most simulations. Eet us say
that $e $ant to identify the methanol as Me2#. &f $e type that into the :Component &7+ bo/ and press
;Enter=, the rest of the bo/es are not filled. This means that "spen cannot connect the compound to something
in its databases. %hat $e need to do is get the correct information in either the :Component name+ or
:8ormula+ bo/. &f the information entered in either bo/ e/actly matches a database entry, then "spen fills in the
rest. &f a match cannot be made, then "spen opens a $indo$ to the database that allo$s one to search for the
compound. 2ne can get directly to the database search screen by clic!ing on the :8ind+ button on the
component $indo$. %hen the database search $indo$ opens, either the actual name or formula can be entered
and "spen $ill display all matches. &n this case, & $as not sure if methanol $as stored as methanol or methyl
alcohol so & typed in MET#. Everything in the database $ith the character sting :MET#+ is displayed. "t this
point, one can manually scroll through or try another entry in the find $indo$. &t turns out that methanol is the
6D
th
entry in the list so a manual search $ould not be too difficult. #o$ever & have found it better to use the
formula as the search item.
'<
"spen names organic compounds in the order of C, #, 2, and the other elements. So if you !no$ the number
of carbon, hydrogen, and o/ygen atoms, then type these into the :8ormula+ bo/ and the search is usually
narro$ed very quic!ly to a reasonable number of possibilities. The e/ample of the search for methanol is
sho$n in the ne/t screen.
'@
"t this point, double clic! on :MET#"42E+ to add it to the list and clic! on the :Close+ button to close the
$indo$. %e can then add ethanol to the list in a similar manner.
'D
Clic!ing on the :4e/t+ !ey ta!es us to the :.roperties+ section. &n a normal industrial simulation, this section
can be the most difficult to complete correctly. 8or this class, $e $ill assume the problem statement contains
all the needed information. 8or the e/ample problem, press the :-ase method+ drop do$n arro$ and select
:4HTE+. The press the :4e/t+ !ey t$ice, then :2K+ on the $indo$ to go to the ne/t step.
%e are ta!en to the $indo$ for entering the feed stream information. 8illing out this form is fairly
straightfor$ard and $ill not be discussed further. Some things to note are that one can change the units on an
input such as temperature or pressure but that the input value $ill not change. 8or e/ample, if $e $ant to enter
6@ Celsius as the stream temperature but 8ahrenheit is the default unit, enter 6@ in the number bo/ and change
the unit bo/ to C. &f you change the unit bo/ to another unit li!e Kelvin, the numerical value stays at 6@. %hen
$e press the :4e/t+ !ey, $e are no$ ta!en to the first unit operation module. &n this case it is the distillation
column $hich is being modeled by the H"78H"C module.
')
There are essentially three situations engineers may find themselves in $hen filling out the form for a
distillation column9
'. There is considerable prior !no$ledge of the system. &n this case, a good starting point is to repeat
the previous model.
6. The column is ne$ but similar to other columns. &n this case, simple reasoning by analogy is
sufficient to specify the starting conditions.
C. The engineer has no prior !no$ledge of the system and is modeling a column that doesn+t e/ist.
This is the case $e $ill address in this discussion
Situation ! Coo"#oo"
Stages$ Condenser$ e#oiler
"spen has already presented you $ith some default conditions and suggestions for starting conditions. My
recommendation is to specify 6* stages as the number of stages. The condenser should be a total condenser
unless you !no$ that some other choice is preferred. The most common ne/t choice is a partial condenser
$here the product stream is $ithdra$n as a vapor and the liquid stream is the reflu/. 1se the default choices
for reboiler, phases, and convergence unless you !no$ of better choices. 4ote that even if the reboiler $ill
eventually not be a !ettle, the design data for the reboiler can be derived from the !ettle reboiler output.
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Mass and %nergy Balances
The most difficult initial specifications to set are the ones associated $ith the column mass balance and the
energy balance. The defaults suggested by "spen are the distillate rate and the reflu/ ratio. These are e/cellent
choices provided the feed doesn+t change. My recommendation is to change the distillate specification to a
:7istillate to 8eed ratio+ specification. 4o$ you can more easily base the initial specification on the feed
composition.
The initial guess of the reflu/ ratio should be such that the ratio of the reflu/ to the feed is one. " fe$ lines of
simple math and hand calculations $ill give you the value of the reflu/ ratio. 7etermining the proper choice of
specification and setting the numerical value can be the most difficult specifications to ma!e. %e $ill come
bac! to this section $hen $e discuss Column 7esign Specs.
Stream Specifications
%hen you push the :4e/t+ !ey, the screen for locating the streams is displayed. 4ote that the distillation and
tails streams are already specified. The only user entry needed on this form is the stage location of the feed
stream. My recommendation is the middle of the column unless you !no$ it should be more to the top or
bottom of the column. "n :eyeball+ McCabe-Thiele diagram is helpful in the initial selection but $e $ill learn
of a method that more accurately determines the feed stage. %e $ill come bac! to this form $hen $e add
sidedra$ streams to the column.
Column Pressure
The ne/t screen is the column pressure. This is not a number to be set casually since there are many economic
consequences of your selection. The numbers that can be set in "spen are the column top pressure and the
column pressure drop. 2ne has to be concerned about both the minimum and ma/imum operating pressures.
%e usually $ant the pressure to be as close to atmospheric pressure as possible. The reason is that the higher the
pressure of the column, the costlier the column+s shell. " column rated for a pressure of full vacuum to @* psig
is the nominal minimum cost unit. The cost penalty brea! points are @* to '@* psig, '@* to C** psig and C** to
D** psig. 7esigns of over D** psig should be considered special units that require e/tra engineering e/pertise
to design properly.
"nother reason for staying as close to atmospheric pressure as possible is that the relative volatility bet$een
ad,acent boiling point compounds tends to be larger at lo$er pressures.
#o$ever, there are also temperature considerations. 8or e/ample, $e normally need at least a '* to '@ C
difference bet$een the cooling utility and the process condensation temperature in order to !eep the condenser a
reasonable sie. Thus the column that is removing lo$ boiling compounds may often be at a pressure such that
the reflu/ temperature is '@ C higher than the cooling utility inlet temperature.
The other situation is the ma/imum allo$able temperature for the higher boiling components to minimie
thermal degradation. #ere one needs to be concerned about the column pressure drop in addition to column top
pressure. " good first guess in this case is 6 inches of $ater drop per theoretical stage.
Ma"ing a un
"t this point, the specifications needed to ma!e a run are complete. -ut first L
SA&% '() *(+ ,,,
Hunning the simulation means telling the 01& is prepare an input file, then issue the commands to run the
simulation engine. &f your simulation is going to crash, this is the most li!ely time. &f it crashes, there is a
@*J@* chance that all your $or! $ill be lost. "spen does not use the file you created to save your input in any
calculations. %hen everything is completed successfully and you press the :4e/t+ !ey, a message bo/ opens to
'(
state that you can no$ ma!e a run and as!s for permission to proceed. .ress cancel, save your $or!, then press
the :4e/t+ !ey and no$ ans$er :2K+ in the message bo/.
The form that no$ opens is the Control .anel. &t sho$s you all the run time messages that are generated by the
simulation. The Control panel also allo$s you to do other things li!e stop a run before it reaches a normal
finish and reset the starting variables.
%-amining esults
The :Control .anel+ prints any error messages plus the progress the simulation is ma!ing to a converged
solution. 8or e/ample, $ith a distillation column, an iteration-by-iteration table is generated of the iteration
steps to$ards solution. 2nce the simulation is completed, the simulation engine passes the results to the 01&.
&n addition, all the temporary files are deleted. This cleanup occurs if the simulation ends in a regular fashion,
regardless of $hether the simulation converges. &f the simulation crashes, then not only must the user restart
"spen .lus, but there $ill also be all the temporary files to manually delete from the computer hard drive.
These files don+t cause problems for the future simulations but ,ust ta!e up space and ma!e the directory messy.
Hegardless of ho$ the simulation finishes, a good place to begin e/amining results is the results of the :Stream
Hesults+.
6*
The upper drop do$n bo/ sho$s that :"ll+ information is to be displayed. This is a good choice since it means
that $e don+t have to be s$itching bet$een input and result screens. The other thing to note is the streams are
usually displayed in alphabetical order. This can be modified by renaming the column headings in the drop
do$n bo/es above each column of stream results. 8rom these results $e can see that $e have a feasible
solution but not $e have a correct solution based on the problem statement. The product stream purity and
Methanol recovery is not large enough to meet the problem specifications.
4o$ $e $ill turn to optimiing the solution including finding the best pressure, reflu/ ratio, distillate flo$ rate,
feed stage location, and total number of stages in the column.
.inding the Best Pressure
.ressure is usually the best control variable to control both the operating temperatures of a column and the
driving force for efficient flo$ of material through a separation system. &n a typical situation, there is a
minimum and ma/imum acceptable temperature. Most of the time, these limits are set by the available heating
and cooling utility temperatures. " typical situation is to state these as steam pressure and cooling $ater
temperature. The process temperatures should be at least '*C colderJ$armer than the heatingJcooling supply
temperatures. " combination of vapor pressure charts, appropriate T-/y diagrams, and some scouting
simulation runs is usually sufficient to firm up the pressure settings.
.inding the optimum reflu- ratio
The optimum reflu/ ratio is not a true global optimum in the sense that all aspects of the column have been
optimied. Hather, it is the optimum reflu/ ratio for the current column simulation model. &t is usually tied to a
product stream purity but could also be tied to other results of the simulation such as the column temperature
profile, etc. The main idea is that the reflu/ ratio is being ad,usted to !eep a specific column result constant.
The :7esign Spec+ L :5ary+ options in the column input forms are used. This discussion also assumes that the
column is able to meet its performance ob,ectives. 8irst, define a specification that needs to be met. " common
ob,ective is the purity of an output stream such as the distillate. &t is often best to thin! in terms of impurity
rather than purity. The reason is the default convergence limit in "spen is '*
-<
of the specification requirement.
-y converging on an impurity specification, one can pic! up a one to t$o order of magnitude improvement in
the convergence tolerance of the column. This can be important if the column is later used in a large flo$sheet
or if the column is inside of a recycle loop.
Say $e $ant the distillate to have a purity of ((.@F >molar? of the light !ey. This means the impurity level is
*.@F or *.**@ fraction of all the other species in the feed stream. Select :7esign Spec+ for the column. "ccept
the "spen name for the spec. "t the top drop do$n select :Molar .urity+, then put in the value of .**@. .ress
the :4e/t+ !ey and then select the components to be included in the specification. 8inally select the stream to
$hich this specification is to be applied.
4e/t $e need to specify $hat $ill be varied to satisfy the specification. The number of varied items must
al$ays be less than or equal to the number of specifications. 8or this case, $e $ant to specify the reflu/ ratio.
Select the reflu/ ratio from the drop-do$n list of vary candidates. 2ne inputs that have been specified for the
column can be used. &f all other items in the column have been specified correctly, then "spen $ill run and
converge on an ans$er. To see the result either select the :5ary+ item and select :Hesults+ or select the :Hesults
Summary+. 2n the screen for the :Top of ColumnJCondenser+, the reflu/ ratio is given. This ratio is the
minimum ratio needed to meet the 7esign Specification.
2ne last point before $e move on to finding the feed stage location is that sometimes once the reflu/ ratio has
been found, the desired recovery specification is not met. &n this case, define another 7esign-Spec. 1se the
6'
other column specification as the second 5ary variable. This may be the 798 ratio or the distillate rate. This
second step is only necessary if all the column performance criteria cannot be met by ,ust ad,usting the reflu/
ratio.
Determining the #est feed stage
There are t$o methods of doing this tas!. 8or each case, it is necessary to be sure that that the column
performance criteria are being met. The t$o methods are the constant reflu/ method and the constant
performance method. The ma,or difference bet$een the methods is that $ith the constant reflu/ method, the
reflu/ is held constant and the feed stage is varied. The feed stage that gives the best performance is selected as
the feed stage. &n the constant performance method, the 7esign-Specs are used to hold the column performance
constant. The reflu/ >and perhaps some other variables such as the 798 ratio? is varied to maintain the constant
performance. The feed stage $ith the minimum reflu/ ratio or the lo$est energy requirement is selected as the
best feed location. "n e/ample of the results from a constant performance study is sho$n belo$. Stage '@ is
the best choice for the feed.
66
Sensitivity S-1 Summary
VARY 1 COLMN FEED FEEDS STAGE
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%stimating the Correct /um#er of 0heoretical Stages
The last thing that needs to be done is to estimate the number theoretical stages. The method is based on the
discussion by Iobson, [Link]., on the affect that the vapor load has on the optimum design of equilibrium stages.
The basic proposal is that the total annual cost of constructing and operating the column is a strong function of
the product of the number of stages multiplied by the reflu/ ratio. The method is to perform a series of case
studies $here the total number of stages is varied but the ratio of the feed stage to the total number of stages is
!ept constant. The reflu/ ratio is allo$ed to vary as discussed above in the section on maintaining constant
column performance. 8or each run, the number of stages and the reflu/ ratio is recorded and the product of the
t$o values is calculated. The number of stages that causes the product to be a minimum is the optimum number
of stages. 1sually, about @ case studies are sufficient to find the optimum number.
6C