VaporLiquidEquilibriumCalculationsUsingKValues

ThevaporliquidequilibriumconstantordistributioncoefficientforcomponentA
isdefinedas
y
KA=xA
A
(31)
where yA=molefractionofAinthevaporphaseandx A=molefractionofAin
theliquidphase
For light hydrocarbon systems (methane to decane), the K values have been
determinedsemiempericallyandcanbeevaluatedfromtheequationsgiveninTable
3.13.Ingeneral,Kisafunctionoftemperature,pressure,andcomposition.
Table3.1.EquilibriumKvaluesforlighthydrocarbonsystems
=============================================================
(1)lnK=A/T2+BCln(P)+D/P2
(2)lnK=A/T2+BCln(P)+D/P
(3)lnK=A/T+BCln(P),wherePisinpsia,TisinoR
compound
A
B
C
D
Form
=============================================================
Methane
292860
8.2445
.8951
59.8465
(1)
Ethylene
600076.9
7.90595
.84677
42.94594
(1)
Ethane
687248.2
7.90694
.866
49.02654
(1)
Propylene
923484.7
7.71725
.87871
47.67624
(1)
Propane
970688.6
7.15059
.76984
6.90224
(2)
iButane
1166846
7.72668
.92213
0
(1)
nButane
1280557
7.94986
.96455
0
(1)
iPentane
1481583
7.58071
.93159
0
(1)
nPentane
1524891
7.33129
.89143
0
(1)
nHexane
1778901
6.96783
.84634
0
(1)
nHeptane
2013803
6.52914
.79543
0
(1)
nOctane
7646.816
12.48457
.73152
(3)
nNonane
2551040
5.69313
.67818
0
(1)
nDecane
9760.457
13.80354
.7147
(3)
=============================================================
The relative volatility i for each individual component in a multicomponent
mixtureisdefinedwithrespecttoareferencecomponentC.
y /x
i = i i = Ki
yC/xC KC
(32)
Thevaluesof i willbelessdependentontemperaturethanthevaluesofK i
sincetheKiallincreasewithtemperatureinasimilarmanner.
Boiling(Bubble)pointcalculationusingKvalues

Theliquidcompositionxi ofamixtureisgivenataspecifiedpressureP,the
temperatureTandcompositionyi ofthevaporinequilibriumwiththeliquidcanbe
calculatedwiththefollowingprocedure:
ChooseacomponentCtobethereference(base)component.
AssumeatemperatureT(T=xi Tbi )
Tbi=BoilingpointofpurecomponentiatpressureP.IfanequationforK
isgivenasfunctionoftemperatureandpressure,thistemperaturecanbeobtainedby
settingK=1.
Iterationsteps:
1.LetTsave=T.DetermineKi(Fromtable7.1).yi=Kixi
2.EvaluateSumy=yi
3.LetKC=KC/Sumy
4.DetermineTfromKCandP

5.Ifabs(TTsave)>1oRgotostep1elseyi=yi/Sumy
DewpointcalculationusingKvalues
Thevaporcompositionyi ofamixture isgivenataspecifiedpressureP,the
temperatureTandcompositionxi oftheliquidinequilibriumwiththevaporcanbe
calculatedwiththefollowingprocedure:
ChooseacomponentCtobethereference(base)component.
AssumeatemperatureT(T=yi Tbi )
Tbi=BoilingpointofpurecomponentiatpressureP.IfanequationforK
isgivenasfunctionoftemperatureandpressure,thistemperaturecanbeobtainedby
settingK=1.
Iterationsteps:
1.LetTsave=T.DetermineKi(Fromtable7.1).xi=yi/Ki
2.EvaluateSumx=xi
3.LetKC=KCSumx
4.DetermineTfromKCandP

5.Ifabs(TTsave)>1oRgotostep1elsexi=xi/Sumy
Example 3.1
A mixture contains 35 mole % isobutane, 35 mole % isopentane, and 30 mole
% n-hexane is at 30 psia. The K values for these co mpoundcanbeobtainedfrom
ln K = A/T2 + B + C ln P where T is in oR and P is in psia
Compound
Isobutane
Isopentane
n-hexane

A
-1,166,846
-1,481,583
-1,778,901

B
7.72668
7.58071
6.96783

C
-.92213
-.93159
-.84634

The boiling point of (pure) n-hexane at 30 psia is 659.6 oR

This mixture is flashed at 582.74 oR where 60 % of the feed is evaporated and at this
conditions KiC4 = 3.1718, KiC5 = 1.051, KnC6 = 0.3169
Let isopentane be the reference compound and T = 582.74 oR be a guessed
value for the bubble point calculation (for the above mixture), the next calculated
temperature Tcal can be determined from

yi = 0.66814

KiC5 (at Tcal) = KiC5 (at 582.74oR) /

Let isopentane be the reference compound and T = 582.74 oR be a guessed

value for the dew point calculation (for the above mixture), the next calculated
temperature Tcal can be determined from

xi = 1.4609

KiC5 (at Tcal) = KiC5 (at 582.74oR) *

FlashdistillationofmulticomponentmixtureusingKvalues
A liquid mixture is partially vaporized and the vapor is allowed to come to
equilibriumwiththeliquid.TheprocessflowdiagramisshowninFig.3.1.Thevapor
andliquidphasesarethenseparated.
V,yi

F,xiF

L,xi
Fig. 3.1 Flash distillation.

Makingacomponentibalance,
FxiF=Vyi+Lxi=Vyi+(FV)xi
Definingf=V/F,eq.(7.3)becomes
xiF=fyi+(1f)xi
Theaboveequationcanbesolvedforyi,
yi =Ki xi =f1 xi +xiF
f
f
orforxi,
xiF
xi =
f Ki 1 +1

(33)
(34)
(35)
(36)

ThefeedcompositionxiF andthefractionfofthefeedvaporizedaregivenata
specified separator pressure P, the temperature T and compositions x i and yi can be
calculatedwiththefollowingprocedure:
AssumeatemperatureT=fTd+(1f)Tb
Tb,Td=BubblepointanddewpointofmixtureatpressureP.
xiF

LetT1=TandSumx1= f Ki (T1 ,P)1 +1

xiF

f
K
(T
,P)1
+1
i 2
LetT2=T1 Sumx1andSumx2=
Iterationsteps:
1.T=(T1T2T1 Sumx2+T2 Sumx1)/(Sumx1Sumx2)
2.EvaluateSumx=xi atT,P
3.LetT1=T2,T2=T,Sumx1=Sumx2,andSumx2=Sumx

4.Ifabs(Sumx1)>.001

thengotostep1

elseT=(T1T2T1 Sumx2+T2 Sumx1)/(Sumx1Sumx2)

EndIf
xi =

xiF
f Ki 1 +1 andyi =Ki xi

IfthefeedcompositionxiF,temperatureTandpressurePofseparatoraregiven,
thenthefractionofthefeedvaporizedV/Fandcompositionsx iandyicanbecalculated.
Eqs.(35)and(36)canbearrangedsothatf=V/Fistheonlyunknown.
yixi=0
(37)
Ki xiF
xiF
f Ki1 +1 f Ki1 +1 =0
(38)
Ki 1 xiF
=0

F= f Ki 1 +1
(39)
Equation(39),whichisknownastheRachfordRiceequation,hasexcellentconvergent
propertiesandcanbesolvedbyNewtonsmethod.TakethederivativeofthefunctionF
withrespecttoV/F(orf),
2
dF = Ki 1 xiF
df
f Ki 1 +1 2

ThefollowingprocedurecanbeusedtosolveforV/F:
ChecktoseeifTisbetweenTbandTd.
f=(TTb)/(TdTb)
Iterationsteps:

Ki 1 xiF

f
Ki 1 +1
1.EvaluateF=

2
dF = Ki 1 xiF
f Ki 1 +1 2
2.Evaluate df
dF
3.LetER=F/ df .f=fER
4.Ifabs(ER)>.001gotostep1

xi =

xiF
f Ki 1 +1 andyi =Ki xi

(310)