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Flash distillation
Martha Isabel Cobo Angel
Separation processes and NT
Chemical Engineering
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9DPmWSchC8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgLOU4EwC0o

Chapter 2 Wankat
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Flash distillation system

• To solve the system is required to know:

▫ Pressure and temperature of the flash drum
▫ The drum size
▫ The liquid and vapor compositions and flow rates
▫ The pressure, temperature, and flow rate of the feed entering the drum
▫ How much the original feed has to be pressurized and heated
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Variables of the system

• The designer has six degrees of freedom to work with for a
binary separation. Usually, the original feed specifications take
up four of these degrees of freedom:
▫ Feed flow rate, F
▫ Feed composition, z
▫ Temperature, T1
▫ Pressure, p1

• Of the remaining, the designer will usually select first:

▫ Drum pressure, pdrum

• A number of other variables are available to fulfill the last

degree of freedom.
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Resolving balances…

• Overall mass balance

• Component balance for the more volatile component
• Energy balance
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Enthalpies calculation
• In general form:

• For ideal mixtures:

• For binary systems: enthalpy composition diagram

such as Figure 2-4.
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Sequential solution procedure

• Mass balance and equilibrium relationships.
• Energy balance and enthalpy equations.
• The sequential solution procedure is applicable when the
last degree of freedom is used to specify a variable that
relates to the conditions in the flash drum. Possible
choices are:
▫ x or y
▫ Fraction feed vaporized, f=V/F
▫ Fraction feed remaining liquid, q=L/F
▫ Temperature of flash drum, Tdrum
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Sequential solution procedure

• If f of q is defined, the following expressions can be used:
▫ Solve the mass balance of the more volatile compound for y: Operatin
equation. Using f or q:

▫ We will use whichever operating equation is most convenient.

▫ These equations represent a single straight line, called the operating line,
on a graph of y vs. x. This straight line will have:
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McCabe-Thiele diagram
• Ethanol-water equilibrium
at Pdrum.
• Three operating lines with
L/V varying from 0 to 1.0,
including 2/3 (c).
• The diagram usually
include the x=y line.
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Example 2-1. Flash separator for

ethanol and water
A flash distillation chamber operating at 101.3 kPa is
separating an ethanol-water mixture. The feed mixture is
40 mol% ethanol and F = 100 kmol/h.
(a) What is the maximum vapor composition and
(b) What is the minimum liquid composition that can be
obtained if V/F is allowed to vary?
(c) If V/F =2/3, what are the liquid and vapor
compositions?
(d) Repeat step c, given that F is specified as 1000 kmol/h.
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Simultaneous solution
• If data do not include x, y, p, q or Tdrum, but TF, the mass and energy
balances and the equilibrium equations must be solved
simultaneously.
• The iterative calculation procedure is:
1. Calculate hF(TF, z)
2. Guess the value of Tdrum
3. Calculate x and y from the equilibrium equations or graphically (Txy)
4. Find L and V by solving the mass balance equations (2-5) and (2-6), or
find L/V from Figure 2-8 and use the overall mass balance, Eq. (2-5).
5. Calculate hL (Tdrum, x) and Hv (Tdrum, y) from Eqs. (2-8) or (2-9a)
and (2-10) or from the enthalpy composition diagram.
6. Check: Is the energy balance equation (2-7) satisfied? If it is satisfied,
we are finished. Otherwise, return to step 2.