SEPARATION PROCESSES

Introduction

Dr. M. Azam Saeed

 Course Outline
(1) Separation processes: (a) Importance in chemical industry (b)
Basic separation techniques (c) Molecular, thermodynamic, and
transport properties exploitable for separation system design (2)
Separations using phase creation or addition (a) Separations using
barriers (b) Separations using solid agents (c) Separations using
external fields and gradients (d) Separation sequencing (3)
Separation targets: (a) Component recovery (b) Product purity (c)
Split fraction (d) Separation factor(4) Comparison and selection
of feasible separation processes (5) Diffusion: (a) Fick’s law (b)
Species velocities in diffusion (c) Equimolar counter diffusion (c)
Unimolecular diffusion (d) Diffusion coefficients (e) Estimation of
diffusivities in gas mixtures, nonelectrolyte liquid mixtures,
electrolytes, biological solutes in liquids, and in solids (6)
Applications of Fick’s law: (a) Examples of steady and unsteady
state mass transfer through stationary media (b) Examples of
mass transfer in laminar flow (c) Mass-transfer coefficient (d)
Dimensionless groups in mass transfer (e) Examples of mass
transfer in turbulent flow (f) Reynolds analogy (g) Chilton–Colburn
analogy
(7) Mass transfer across fluid–fluid interface: (a) Film theory (b) Penetration
theory (c) Surface-renewal theory (d) Film-penetration theory (e) Two-film
theory (f) Overall mass-transfer coefficients across gas–liquid and liquid–
liquid interfaces (8) Mass transfer without concentration gradient: (a)
Postulates of nonequilibrium thermodynamics (b) Maxwell–Stefan equations
(9) Vapor–liquid equilibrium: (a) Gibbs phase rule (b) Degrees of freedom (c)
Binary vapor–liquid equilibrium (d) Binary azeotropes (e) Isothermal and
adiabatic flash calculations for multicomponent systems (f) Bubble- and dew-
point calculations for multicomponent systems (10) Liquid–liquid equilibrium:
Ternary liquid–liquid equilibrium; Ternary diagram (11) Solid–liquid
equilibrium: (a) Leaching (b) Crystallization (c) Liquid adsorption (12) Gas–
liquid equilibrium: Henry’s law (13) Gas–solid equilibrium: (a) Sublimation (b)
Gas adsorption (14) Liquid–liquid extraction equipment: (a) Mixer-settlers (b)
Spray columns (c) Packed columns (d) Plate columns (e) Agitated columns
(15) Liquid–liquid extraction system design: (a) Graphical equilibrium-stage
method (b) Minimum and maximum solvent-to-feed ratio (c) Extract and
raffinate reflux (16) Theory and scaleup of extractor performance (17)
Membrane separations: (a) Membrane materials (b) Membrane modules (c)
Membrane cascades (d) Transport through porous membranes (e) Liquid and
gas diffusion through porous membranes (f) Transport through nonporous
membranes
(18) Advanced membrane separations: (a) Dialysis (b) Electrodialysis
(c) Reverse osmosis (d) Pervaporation (19) Adsorption: (a) Selection of
sorbent (b) Linear, Freundlich, and Langmuir isotherms (c) Extended
isotherms for gas mixtures (d) Liquid adsorption (e) General design
considerations (f) Kinetic and transport considerations (g) Convection–
dispersion model (h) Estimation of transport-rate coefficients (i)
Equipment for adsorption (j) Temperature and pressure-swing
adsorption (20) Ion exchange: (a) Selection of ion exchange agent (b)
Ion-exchange equilibria (c) Equipment for ion-exchange (21) Leaching:
(a) Equipment for leaching (b) Equilibrium-stage model (c) McCabe–
Smith method (22) Psychrometry: (a) Wet-bulb temperature (b)
Adiabatic-saturation temperature (c) Moisture-evaporation
temperature (d) Psychrometric chart (23) Drying: (a) Equilibrium-
moisture content of solids (b) Constant-rate and falling-rate drying
periods (c) General design considerations (d) Equipment for drying
(24) Humidification and dehumidification: (a) Fundamental concepts
(b) Operation and design of cooling towers
BOOKS RECOMMENDED
• B.K. Dutta. , “Principles of Mass Transfer
and Separation Processes”.

• R.E. Treybal. , “Mass Transfer Operations”,

3rd edition.
BOOKS RECOMMENDED
• Welty, Rorrer and Foster. , “Fundamentals
of Momentum, Heat and Mass Transfer”,
6th edition.

• Incorpea, Dewitt, Bergman, Levin.

“Fundmentals of Heat and Mass Transfer”,
6th edition.
BOOKS RECOMMENDED
• McCabe, Smith and Harriott. , “Unit
Operations of Chemical Engineering”, 7th
edition.

• Coulson and Richardson. “Chemical

Engineering”, Vol. 1, 6th edition.
BOOKS RECOMMENDED
• Seader,Henley and Roper , “Separation
Process Principles-Chemical and
Biochemical Operations”, 3rd edition.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• IMPORTANCE IN CHEMICAL INDUSTRY

• BASIC SEPARATION TECHNIQUES
• MOLECULAR, THERMODYNAMIC AND
TRANSPORT PROPERTIES
• SEPARATION METHODS
• SEPARATION SEQUENCING
• KEY TERMS IN SEPARATION
• SELECTION OF FEASIBLE SEPARATION PROCESS
INTRODUCTION TO SEPARATION PROCESSES
• Separation
- to isolate from a mixture; [extract]
- to divide into constituent parts
• Separation process
- to transform a mixture of substances into two or more distinct
products - The specific separation design may vary depending on
what chemicals are being separated, but the basic design
principles for a given separation method are always the same
Separations includes
– Enrichment - Concentration
– Purification - Refining
– Isolation
• Separations are important to chemist & chemical engineers
- Chemist : analytical separation methods, small-scale preparative
separation techniques
– Chemical engineers : economical, large scale separation methods
Almost every element or compound is found naturally in an impure
state such as a mixture of two or more substances. Many times the
need to separate it into its individual components arises.
• A typical chemical plant is a chemical reactor surrounded by
separators.
Chemical plants commonly have 50-90% of their capital invested in
separation equipments.
Second law of thermodynamics
- Substances are tend to mix together naturally and spontaneously
- All natural processes take place to increase the entropy, or
randomness, of the universe
- To separate a mixture of species into products of different
composition, we must supply the equivalent of energy (heat or
work)
Enhancing the mass transfer rate of certain species
• Rate of Separation : how fast ?
– Governed by mass transfer (Rate-controlled separation)
• Extent of Separation : how far ?
– Limited by thermodynamics (Equilibrium-staged separation)
- Properties
Methods for determining the optimal sequence
1. Remove unstable, corrosive, or chemically reactive components
early in the sequence.
2. Remove final products one by one as overhead distillates
3. Remove, early in the sequence, those components of greatest
molar percentage in the feed
4. Make the most difficult separation in the absence of the other
components.
5. Leave for later in the sequence those separations that produce
final products of the highest purities.
6. Select the sequence that favors near-equimolar amounts of
overhead and bottoms in each column.
⇒ Factors that influence the selection of feasible separation
Separation power (relative split ratio; separation factor)
relative degree of separation between two components, I and j,
measured by the compositions of the two products

Achievable SP depends on the number of stages, and the

relative thermodynamic and mass transport properties of
components
 SEPARATION PROCESSES:
1) Adsorption 2) Crystallization 3)Absorption 4) Leaching
5) Liquid Liquid Extraction 6) Drying 7) Distillation
8) Stripping 9) Humidification
– Selection among a number of feasible candidates
(1) Supply heat and boil water off, condensing the water at a lower temperature.
(2) Supply refrigeration and freeze out pure ice, melting the ice at a higher
temperature.
(3) Pump the water to a higher pressure and force it through a thin solid membrane.

– A combination of two or more operations may be best

MODES OF MASS TRANSFER
Molecular Mass Transfer
The macroscopic transport of mass, independent of any
convection within the system.

EXAMPLES:
• The migration of moisture within a grain during drying.
• The transport of reactant or product through the pores of
a catalyst.
MODES OF MASS TRANSFER
Convective Mass Transfer
Mass transfer between a moving fluid and a surface or
between immiscible moving fluids separated by a mobile
interface.

Types:
I. Free or Natural Convection
II. Forced Convection