MOHAMMED ALSHAYJI, ABDULAZIZ ALOTAIB, and MOHAMMED ALQATTAN

IV. Methodology
The calculations of distillation column are based on multi linear equations to
estimate the required number of stages at a given composition in the top and
bottom. There are two main methods to solve linear system of equation either by
using direct or iterative. In this project the direct method is used to solve the
linear system of equations in the project. The direct method gives exact solutions
for linear system of equation in many steps. The gaussian elimination is the
famous procedure to solve a system of linear equations that has this form:

𝐴𝑥 = 𝑏

a) Performing gaussian elimination method

1. Starting with system of equation of this form:

𝑎 𝑎 ⋯ 𝑎 𝑥 𝑏
𝑎 𝑎 ⋯ 𝑎 𝑥 𝑏
⋮ ⋮ ⋱ ⋮ ⋮ = ⋮
𝑎 𝑎 ⋯ 𝑎
𝑥 𝑏

2. Constructing the augmented matrix:

𝑎 𝑎 ⋯ 𝑎 𝑏
𝑥
𝑎 𝑎 ⋯ 𝑎 𝑏 𝑥
⋮ ⋮ ⋱ ⋮ ⋮ ⋮
𝑎 𝑎 ⋯ 𝑎 𝑏 𝑥
3. Perform row operations to put the augmented matrix into the upper
triangular form:
𝑎 𝑎 ⋯ 𝑎 𝑏
0 𝑎 ⋯ 𝑎 𝑏
⋮ ⋱ ⋱ ⋮ ⋮
0 … 0 𝑎 𝑏

The new linear system is triangular

a 11 x1 + a12 x2 + ……… +a1k xk = b1
a22 x2 + ……… + a2k xk = b2

akk xk = bk
MOHAMMED ALSHAYJI, ABDULAZIZ ALOTAIB, and MOHAMMED ALQATTAN

b) Equations used to solve the problem

Four envelopes were used to do material balance around total distillation

column, enriching section (top section of the column), stripping section
(bottom section of the column) and feed stage section.
 Total distillation column equations:
1- F = D + B
2- F z = D xD + B xB

In which,
F=feed flow rate
D = distillate flow rate, B= bottom flow rate
XD= mole fraction of more volatile component in distillate stream.
XB= mole fraction of more volatile component in bottom stream.

 Top operating line equation:

Overall balance:

V j 1  L j  D  D  V j 1  L j
Thus, equation of the top operating line which represents enriching section is:
L  L 
y j1  x j  1  x D
V  V 
 Bottom operating line equation:
Overall balance:

L k 1  V k  B  B  L k 1  V k

Thus, equation of bottom operating line which represents stripping section

is:

L  L 
y k  x k 1   1   x
 B
V  V 
 Feed line equation:
LF F
y   x  z
VF VF
Note: Intersection of top operating line and bottom operating line will provide
one of the points to draw feed line which extends from feed composition at line y
= x = z till intersection of the top and bottom operating line.