Separation Processes (CHEG 485)

Dr. Mohammad Abu Zahra

(Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering)

Lecture 6: Multistage distillation

1
 Feed stage
The feed increases the liquid flow in the stripping section and/or increases the vapor
flow in the rectifying section.
The feed phase and temperature will affect the vapor and liquid flow in the column

L” = L’ + FL
FL = q . F

L” – L’ = q . F

V’ = V” + FV
Fv = (1 – q).F

V” – V’= -(1 – q) . F 2
 Feed line

• Rectifying section: V ' y  L' x  D  xD

• Stripping section: V " y  L" x  B  xB

V 'V "  y  L' L"  x  D  xD  B  xB

• Feed line: F  xF

y
 L" L'
x
F
xF y
q
x
1
xF
V "V ' V "V ' 1 q 1 q

L" L'  qF
with:
V "V '  (1  q ) F 3
 Feed line

q 1
y x xF
1 q 1 q

• Straight line with slope -q/(1–q)

• Line goes through the point (xF)
(which lies on y=x)
• Geometric intersection of both operating lines

4
 Slope of the feed line

q=0.75 q=1

q=0.5
q>1
Diagonal
q=0.25
Equilibrium line
Superheated vapor
q=0 Saturated vapor (at Td)
75% vapor, 25% liquid
50% vapor, 50% liquid
q<0 25% vapor, 75% liquid
Saturated liquid (at Tb)
Subcooled liquid
• 1>q>0 feed is vapor liquid mixture
• q=1 feed is saturated liquid at its
bubble point
• q=0 feed is vapor at its dew point
• q>1, feed is subcooled liquid
• q<0, superheated vapor 5
Slope of the feed line

6
 Subcooled or superheated feed

• Subcooled liquid:
• Feed condenses part of V”
• FL > F and V’ < V”
• FV < 0 and q > 1

• Superheated vapor:
• Feed evaporates part of L’
• FV > F and L” < L’
• FL < 0 and q < 0

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McCabe-Thiele diagram

8
Construction Lines for McCabe-Thiele Method

Rectifying Section:
Equilibrium Operating line
curve Slope=L/V=R/(R+1)<1
yN q-line

Stripping Section:
Operating line
yB Slope=L/V=(VB+1) /VB
45° line

Distillation Total condenser

xB x=zF xD Overhead vapor Reflux drum

1 Reflux Distillate
Rectifying section stages
2
Feed
f Feed Stage

Stripping section stages Boilup

N
Partial reboiler

Bottoms 9
Optimum Feed Location for McCabe-Thiele

Equilibrium
curve

y 2

yN
3

yB

xB xD
x=zF

Optimum feed stage location.

For binary system, optimum feed stage will be the stage where the
step in the staircase includes the point of intersection of the two 10
operating lines
Minimum Number of Stages for McCabe-Thiele

Equilibrium
curve

y 2

yN
3

yB

xB x=zF xD

By returning all the exiting vapor as reflux Minimum number of stages (N=Nmin) when
and all the exiting liquid as boilup the R is infinity
operating lines have slope of one.
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 Minimum Reflux for McCabe-Thiele

Equilibrium
curve

yN

yB

xB x=zF xD

By returning no exiting vapor as reflux and Although this is the minimum amount of
no exiting liquid as boilup the operating reflux, it takes infinite stages
line intersection is as far to the left as 12
equilibrium allows.
 Construction for the McCabe-Thiele Method

1. 2.
equilibrium equilibrium
curve curve Step 1: Plot equilibrium curve and 45 degree line.
45° line Step 2: Plot given compositions (F, B, and D)
y y Step 3: Draw q-line from LF and VF
Step 4: Determine Rmin from intersection of the
rectifying section OL and the equilibrium curve.
45° line Step 5: Draw OL for Rectifying section
Step 6: Draw OL for Stripping section

x xB x=zF xD

5. 6.
3. 4.
equilibrium equilibrium equilibrium equilibrium
curve curve curve curve

y y y y

xB x=zF xD xB x=zF xD xB x=zF xD xB x=zF xD

13
 Determination of N and xB for McCabe-Thiele

Equilibrium
curve
Step 1: From xD locate x1 and y1 drawing a
1 horizontal line to the equilibrium condition
y
for stage 1.
2 Step 2: Find y2 drawing a vertical line to the
rectifying OL locate the mass balance
yN
3
condition between x1 and y2.
Step 3: From y2 draw a horizontal line to the
equilibrium condition for stage 2 to locate
4 x2 .
Step 4: Return to step 2 and cycle through
yB
steps 2 and 3 until xi <zF. Draw subsequent
vertical lines to the stripping section OL.
xB xD Step 5: End after predetermined number of
x=zF
stages, or when xi is less than xB.

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 McCabe-Thiele Method: Multiple Feeds

Distillation Column Total condenser

(multiple feeds)
Overhead vapor Reflux drum

Reflux Distillate

Feed 1

Feed 2
Boilup

Partial reboiler

Bottoms

The McCabe-Thiele method for cascades can be applied to systems with more than
two sections. Here, we show a cascade with 2 feeds: A 3 section cascade.

How do you make the McCabe-Thiele graphical

construction for such a cascade? 15
 McCabe-Thiele Method: Multiple Feeds
First, note that each feed stream changes the slope
of the operating line from section to section.

The feed stream changes the flow rates in the stages

above and below it. Consequently, it changes the
mass balances and the slopes of the operating lines.

Reflux Distillate
Feed 1
Reflux Distillate
Feed 1
Feed 2

Feed 2 Boilup

Boilup
Bottoms

Bottoms
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 McCabe-Thiele Method: Multiple Feeds
Total condenser
The flow rates above Feed 1 are constant due to constant molar
overflow (CMO). The feed changes the slope depending on the
feed condition. Flow rates in the intermediate section are constant, Overhead vapor Reflux drum
but change when Feed 2 is introduced.
Reflux Distillate
Feed 1

Feed 2
Boilup
y
Partial reboiler
Rectifying Section:
Operating Line Bottoms
Equilibrium
Constant Slope (CMO)
curve
yN Feed 1 introduced
Intermediate section:
Operating Line
Constant Slope (CMO)
yB Feed 2 introduced
Stripping Section:
Operating Line
Constant Slope (CMO)

xB xD 17
 McCabe-Thiele Method: Multiple Feeds
q=1 q>1

Example: Feed 1 a saturated vapor of composition zF1, 0<q<1 L L*

L+V x=y
and Feed 2 a saturated liquid of composition zF2

V LL
q=0 q
F
q<0 V*
x=zF
y Saturated vapor
Rectifying Section:
Operating line
Equilibrium
Slope=L/V=R/(R+1)<1
curve
yN
Intermediate section:
Operating line
Slope=L’/V’
yB Saturated liquid
Stripping Section:
Operating line
Slope=L/V=(VB+1) /VB

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xB x=zF2 x=zF1 xD
 McCabe-Thiele Method: Side Stream
Occasionally a cascade is configured such that an intermediate
side stream of intermediate composition is removed from the
column.
Reflux Distillate

How do we analyze this configuration? Ls

Feed
Use the multiple mass balance envelopes and assume a Boilup
constant molar overflow condition.
Bottoms
If we perform a material balance in the light key
around the stages above the side stream including the condenser:

Vn1y n1  Ln x n  Dx D

Which we can rearrange to find: Distillate

Reflux
Ln D
yn1  xn  xD Ls
Vn1 Vn1
Feed
For L and V constant from
stage to stage, then: Boilup

L D Bottoms
y  x  xD Operating line above side stream 19
V V
 McCabe-Thiele Method: Side Stream
If we perform a material balance in the light key
around the stages above the side stream including the
side stream and condenser:

Reflux Distillate
Vn  1yn  1  Ln xn  Ls x s  Dx D
Ls
Which we can rearrange to find:
Feed
Ln L x  Dx D Boilup
yn1  xn  s s
Vn1 Vn1
Bottoms

For L and V constant from stage to stage, then:

L' L x  Dx
y x s Operating line below side stream
V V

The two operating lines intersect at :

x  xs
 McCabe-Thiele Method: Side Stream
Side Stream:
y Liquid withdrawn
Rectifying Section:
Operating line
Equilibrium
Slope=L/V=R/(R+1)<1
curve
yN
Intermediate section:
Operating line
Saturated liquid feed Slope=L’/V
yB
Stripping Section:
Operating line
Slope=L/V=(VB+1) /VB
Total condenser
Distillation
xB x=zF x=xs xD Overhead vapor Reflux drum

Rectifying section stages 1 Reflux Distillate

2
Side Stream xs
Feed

Boilup
Stripping section stages N
Partial reboiler

Bottoms
 McCabe-Thiele Method: Open Steam
Consider the cascade shown below:

In this example, the reboiler is replaced by a source of hot steam or an

inert gas. In this case, the vapor entering the bottom stage of the
column has no light key and so yB is zero, although xB is non-zero.

Total condenser

Distillation
Overhead vapor

Rectifying section stages

1 Reflux
Distillate
2

Feed Feed Stage

Stripping section stages N

Steam or inert hot gas (y=0)

Bottoms
 McCabe-Thiele Method: Open Steam

y Rectifying Section:
Operating line
Slope=L/V=R/(R+1)<1
Equilibrium
curve
yN

Saturated liquid feed Stripping Section:

yB Operating line
Slope=L/V Total condenser

Distillation
Overhead vapor Reflux drum
xB x=zF xD
Rectifying section stages 1 Reflux Distillate
2

Feed Feed Stage

Stripping section stages N

Steam or inert hot gas (y=0)

Bottoms
 Example 1: Determination of N and xB for McCabe-Thiele

Given:
100 Kmol/hr of a feed of 60% benzene and 40% heptane is to be separated by distillation. The distillate is to be 90%
benzene and The bottoms 10% benzene. The feed enters the column as 30mol% vapor. Use R 3 times the minimum.
Assume a constant relative Volatility (α) of 4 and that the pressure is constant throughout the column at 1atm.
Construction:
Step 1: Plot equilibrium curve and 45 degree line.
1 The equilibrium curve is found using:
0.9

0.8
Step 2: Plot given compositions (F, B, and D)
0.7 Step 3: Draw q-line from LF and VF. Use
0.6

y 0.5
0.4 to find q. Then plot the q-line using:
0.3

0.2

0.1 Step 4: Determine Rmin from intersection of the

0
rectifying section OL and the equilibrium curve.
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 This happens at a slope of about .25

x 24
 Example 1: Determination of N and xB for McCabe-Thiele

Construction:
1 Step 5: From Rmin=0.333 and R=3Rmin we have R=1
0.9 And the slope of rectifying section OL is 0.5
Step 6: Draw the line with slope 0.5 which is the rectifying
0.8 section OL.
0.7 Step 7. Draw the stripping section operating line from the
Bottoms composition to the intersection of the rectifying
0.6 section OL and the q-line.
y 0.5
0.4
Solution:
0.3 Step 1: From xD locate x1 and y1 drawing a horizontal line
to the equilibrium condition for stage 1.
0.2
Step 2: Find y2 drawing a vertical line to the rectifying OL
0.1 locate the mass balance condition between x1 and y2.
Step 3: From y2 draw a horizontal line to the equilibrium
0
condition for stage 2 to locate x2.
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Step 4: Return to step 2 and cycle through steps 2 and 3 until
x xi <zF.

Results:
Feed at stage between 2 and 3.
5 stages 25
xB=0.05% benzene
 Example 1: Determination of N and xB for McCabe-Thiele

0.9

0.8
Minimum number of stages is determined by stepping off
between the equilibrium curve and the 45 degree line. The
0.7 result is 3.2 stages (4).
0.6

y 0.5
0.4
Results:
Feed at stage between 2 and 3.
0.3 5 stages (minimum stages = 3.2)
0.2
xB=0.05% benzene

0.1

0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1

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