SEPARATION PROCESSES

Lecture 1

INTRODUCTION
Dr. Ibrahim Suleiman
INTRODUCTION

A group of operations for separating the components

of mixtures is based on the transfer of material from
one homogeneous phase to another.

These methods utilize differences in vapor pressure,

solubility, or diffusivity, not density or particle size
(mechanical separation – Unit Operation 1).

The driving force for transfer is a concentration

difference or a difference in activity.
INTRODUCTION

These methods, covered by the term mass-transfer

operations, include:
 Distillation
 gas absorption
 Dehumidification
 Adsorption
 liquid extraction
 Leaching
 Crystallization
 membrane separations
 others
INTRODUCTION

 When a solute is transferred from the solvent liquid

to the gas phase, the operation is known as
desorption or stripping.

 In dehumidification a pure liquid is partially removed

from an inert or carrier gas by condensation. Usually the
carrier gas is virtually insoluble in the liquid.

 In the drying of solids, a liquid, usually water, is

separated by the use of hot, dry gas (usually air) and so
is coupled with the humidification of the gas phase.
INTRODUCTION

 In membrane separations, including gas separations, reverse

osmosis, and ultrafiltration, one component of a liquid or
gaseous mixture passes through a selective membrane more
readily than the other components. The fundamental driving
force is the dif ference in thermodynamic activity, but in many
cases the driving force can be expressed as a difference in
concentration or partial pressure.

 In liquid extraction, sometimes called solvent extraction, a

mixture of two components is treated by a solvent that
preferentially dissolves one or more of the components in the
mixture. The mixture so treated is called the raf finate and
the solvent-rich phase is called the extract. The component
transferred from raffinate to extract is the solute, and the
component left behind in the raf finate is the diluent. The
solvent in the extract leaving the extractor is usually
recovered and reused.
INTRODUCTION

 In extraction of solids, or leaching, soluble material

is dissolved from its mixture with an inert solid by
means of a liquid solvent. The dissolved material, or
solute, can then be recovered by crystallization or
evaporation.

 In adsorption a solute is removed from either a liquid or

a gas through contact with a solid adsorbent, the surface
of which has a special affinity for the solute.

 In gas absorption a soluble vapor is absorbed by

means of a liquid in which the solute gas is more or
less soluble, from its mixture with an inert gas.
INTRODUCTION

 The function of distillation is to separate, by

vaporization, a liquid mixture of miscible and volatile
substances into individual components or, in some
cases, into groups of components.

 Examples on distillation processes:

1. Petroleum refinery
2. Ethylene water separation
3. Aniline and nitrobenzene separation in the process
of aniline production
WHY DISTILLATION?

Kinetic reason: the mass transfer per unit volume in

distillation is limited only by the diffusional resistances on
either side of the vapor-liquid interface, with no inert
presents. In almost every other separation process, there
are inert solvents or solid matrices present, and these
lower mass fluxes.

Thermodynamic reason: Although, the thermodynamic

efficiency of a distillation system is about 10 percent, not
many other processes are more efficient. The efficiency in
distillation can be enhanced when intercondensers and
interreboilers are used.
WHY DISTILLATION?

 Distillation, generally, provides the cheapest and

best method for separating a liquid mixture to its
components, except when:
1. The difference of volatility between components is
small
2. A small quantity of high boiling point component is
to be recovered from the feed. Distillation required
that the whole feed be vaporized in order to recover
this small quantity
3. A compound is thermally unstable even under
vacuum conditions
4. The mixture is extremely corrosive or highly fouling
DISTILLATION COLUMN

 The liquid mixture that is to

be processed is known as the
feed and this is introduced
usually somewhere near the
middle of the column to a
tray known as the feed tray.
 The feed tray divides the
column into a top (enriching
or rectification) section and
a bottom (stripping) section.
 The feed flows down the
column where it is collected
at the bottom in the reboiler.
 Heat is supplied to the
reboiler to generate vapour.
DISTILLATION COLUMN

 The source of heat input

can be any suitable fluid,
although in most chemical
plants this is normally
steam. In refineries, the
heating source may be the
output streams of other
columns.
 The vapour raised in the
reboiler is re-introduced
into the unit at the bottom
of the column.
 The liquid removed from
the reboiler is known as the
bottoms product or simply,
bottoms.
DISTILLATION COLUMN

 The vapour moves up the

column, and as it exits the
top of the unit, it is cooled
by a condenser.
 The condensed liquid is
stored in a holding vessel
known as the reflux drum.
 Some of this liquid is
recycled back to the top of
the column and this is
called the reflux.
 The condensed liquid that
is removed from the system
is known as the distillate or
top product.
DISTILLATION COLUMN

 there are internal flows of

vapour and liquid within the
column as well as external
flows of feeds and product
streams, into and out of the
column.
 The more volatile
component transfers from
the liquid to the vapor
phase. The less volatile
component transfers from
the vapor to the liquid
phase
 Concentration of the less
volatile components
increases in the liquid
phase as it flows down
THE END

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