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National University of Science and Technology
National University of Science and Technology
Handout Six
BATCH DISTILLATION
BATCH DISTILLATION
OBJECTIVES
After completing this chapter, you should be able to:
Introduction
In the previous sections conditions have been considered in which there has
been a continuous feed to the still and a continuous withdrawal of products
from the top and bottom. In many instances processes are carried out in
batches, and it is more convenient to distil each batch separately. In these
cases the whole of a batch is run into the boiler of the still and, on heating,
the vapour is passed into a fractionation column. As with continuous
distillation, the composition of the top product depends on the still
composition, the number of plates in the column and on the reflux ratio
used. When the still is operating, since the top product will be relatively rich
in the more volatile component, the liquid remaining in the still will become
steadily weaker in this component. As a result, the purity of the top product
will steadily fall.
Although batch distillations are generally more costly than their continuous
counterparts, there are certain applications in which batch distillation is the
method of choice. Batch distillation is typically chosen when it is not possible
to run a continuous process due to limiting process constraints, the need to
distill other process streams, or because the low frequency use of distillation
does not warrant a unit devoted solely to a specific product. A relatively
efficient separation of two or more components may be accomplished
through batch distillation in a pot or tank. Although the purity of the distilled
Total and component material balances around a batch distillation unit are
shown below:
F =W +D
Fx F = WxW + Dx D
A convenient method for mathematically representing a binary batch
distillation process is known as the Rayleigh equation. This equation relates
the composition and amount of material remaining in the batch to initial feed
charge, F, and composition, xF:
The following nomenclature is used for variables that are a function of time,
t, assuming that all compositions refer to a particular species in the
multicomponent feed:
0 = subscript referring to t = 0.
−d dx dW
( Wx W ) = −W W − xW
dt dt dt ……………………..
………………………………………………..1
Distillate rate and, therefore, liquid-depletion rate in the still, depend on the
heat-input rate, Q, to the still. By component material balance at any instant:
d dx dW
( Wx W ) = W W + x W = −Dy D
dt dt dt ……………………..
…………………………………………..2
F−W
D=
t
W 1 xF 1−x
ln ( )
F
=
α−1 [
ln + α ln
x ( )]
1−x F
……………………………..………….
……………………..7
F−W R+1
t= = ( F−W )
L G
( )
G 1−
G ……………………………………………………………………
……8
x D−x F
W =F
[ x D−x W ]
…………………………………………….……..………….
……………………..10
x D −x F dx W
dW
dt
=F
[ 2
( x D −x W ) dt ] ………………………………….……..………….
……………………..11
For constant molar overflow, the distillation rate is given by the rate of loss
of charge, W:
dW dD
− = ( G−L ) =
dt dt ………………………………….……..…………….….
……………………..12
where D is now the amount of distillate, not the distillate rate. Substituting
12 into 11 and integrating:
xF
F ( x D− x F ) dxW
t=
G
∫
xW
t
(1− L G )( x D −xW )2
………………………………….……..
……………………..13