CHEMICAL ENGG GROUP

PACKED BED DISTILLATION

PACKED BED DISTILLATION

 CHEMICAL ENGG GROUP

PACKED BED DISTILLATION

AIM:
To determine the number of theoretical plates equivalent to packed column height
(HETP) using Fenske’s equation.

THEORY:
Packed bed columns are often used for distillation, liquid-liquid extraction and
humidification, as well as for gas absorption. For distillation, the gas phase is continuous
and the liquid phase flows in rivulets over the packing. A packed tower can be used as a
fractionating column for either continuous or batch distillation. The column height is
usually based on the number of theoretical plates and the height equivalent to a
theoretical plate (HETP). In most cases the upper operating line is slightly steeper than
the equilibrium line and the reverse is for the lower operating line. The pressure drop per
equivalent theoretical plate is generally less that that for a sieve or bubble cap tray, which
is an important advantage for vacuum operation. The smaller packing has lower values of
HETP but they also have lower capacity and are not likely to be used in large columns
Packed distillation towers can often be operated over a moderate range of flow
rate at nearly constant separation efficiency. As the capacity parameter increases both the
liquid rate and vapor rate increase because of which HETP is nearly constant. The HETP
decreases in the loading region because of the more rapid increases in liquid hold up and
wetted area, but it then decreases sharply as flooding is approached. With this high
capacity packing, the rise in HETP is believed to be due to the entrainment of the liquid.
Structured sheet metal packing give slightly better separation than dumped packing and
the HETP values are nearly constant over a three to four fold range of flow rates. The
more efficient are the gauze type packing. The gauze is completely wetted even at low
flow rates and then HETP can be predicted from fundamental equations of mass transfer
in wetted channels. Low surface tension tends to increase the wetted area but too low
values may lead to foaming which increases HETP.

PACKED BED DISTILLATION

 CHEMICAL ENGG GROUP

PROCEDURE:
Preparing calibration chart:
1. Mix known volume of cyclohexane-toluene (1:0, 1:10, 2:10, 3:10, 4:10, 5:10,
6:10, 7:10, 10:12, 10:10, 10:8, 10:6, 10:4, 10:2, 10:1, and 0:1 ml)
2. Determine refractive index (RI) of the mixture by using refractometer.
3. Determine RI of pure cyclohexane and toluene at room temperature.
4. Convert the volume fractions to mole fractions of cyclohexane (more volatile
components).
5. A plot of RI (Y axis) versus mole fraction of cyclohexane (X axis) is the required
calibration curve.
If RI is known, mole can be obtained from the calibration chart.
Experiments:
1. Feed the SS steal tank with 150 ml cyclohexane and 150 ml of toluene.
2. Allow water to pass through the condenser.
3. Switch on the heater and heat the mixture.
4. Operate the packed bed at total reflux till steady temperature is achieved.
5. Collect the top product from the distillate tank and the bottom product from the
residue tank.
6. Switch off the heater and cool the apparatus.
7. Determine the density/refractive index of both residue and distillate.

OBSERVATIONS AND CALCULATIONS:

Room temperature = ……………. 0C
Observation Table:
Temperature of Distillate Temperature of Residue
S. No. Time (min)
(oC) (oC)

At steady state,

PACKED BED DISTILLATION

 CHEMICAL ENGG GROUP

Refractive index of cyclohexane = μc = ………….

Refractive index of toluene = μt= ………….

Moles of feed, F 
V A *  m   V *   
 B w
 M A  Cyclohexane  M B  Toluene
MA= Molecular weight= 84.16 g/mol
MB = Molecular weight= 92.14 g/mol
Density of Cyclohexane= 0.779 g/cc
Density of Toluene = 0.867 g/cc

 V A *  m  
 M A  Cyclohexane
Mole fraction of cyclohexane, xF 
V A *  m   V *   
 B w
 M A  Cyclohexane  M B  Toluene

PACKED BED DISTILLATION

 CHEMICAL ENGG GROUP

Mole fraction of cyclohexane in distillate, xD = …………….. (from calibration chart)

Mole fraction of cyclohexane in residue, xR = …………….. (from calibration chart)

Cyclohexane
Molecular weight: 84.16 g/mol
log PmmHg = 6.8413 – [1201.53/(222.65+T)] where, T is in 0C

Toluene:
Molecular weight: 92.14 g/mol
log PmmHg = 6.95464 – [1344.8/(219.482+T)] where T is in 0C

PACKED BED DISTILLATION

 CHEMICAL ENGG GROUP

Determination of number of theoretical plates:

1) Fenske’s equation

x D (1  x R )
log
(1  x D ) x R
Nm 1 
log  avg

yD= (PA * xD )/ PT1

PT1 = xd*PA1+PB1*(1-xd)

where A1= cyclohexane in the distillate

B1 = toluene in the distillate

yR= (PA * xR )/ PT2

PT2 = xr*PA2+PB2*(1-xr)

where A2= cyclohexane in the residue

B2 = toluene in the residue

y D (1  x D )
Relative volatility of distillate  D 
x D (1  y D )

y R (1  x R )
Relative volatility of residue  R 
x R (1  y R )

Average volatility   ang    D R 

Calculate Nm+1=……..

Height of packed bed, Z = 60 cm

HETP × Nm = Z

PACKED BED DISTILLATION

 CHEMICAL ENGG GROUP

HETP = Z/Nm = ………cm

Conclusions:
The number of theoretical plates required at total reflux = ................
The Height equivalent to theoretical plate (HETP) is ................cm.

PACKED BED DISTILLATION