CCB30502 SEPARATION PROCESSES 1 JULY 2021

ASSIGNMENT 1 (CLO2)

Instruction: This is individual assignment. For equilibrium data, students may refer to main reference
book or other reference book, but need to include citation and list of reference in their report.
Submission must be in PDF file.

Deadline: 9 December 2023 (VLE)

Question 1

A mixture that consists of 85 mole% Benzene and the balance toluene is to be separated into a liquid
distillate and a liquid bottom products of 95 mole% and 5 mole% benzene, respectively. The feed
enters the column with a molar precent vaporization equal to the distillate-to-feed ratio. Compute,

(a) the minimum no of stages.

(b) The minimum reflux ratio, Rmin.
(c) No of equilibrium stages if the operating reflux ratio is 1.3 Rmin.

Question 2

500 kmol/h of 30 mol% n-hexane and 70% n-octane is fed to a column with a partial reboiler, one
equilibrium plate, and a partial condenser, all operating at 1 atm. The feed, a bubble-point liquid, is
fed to the reboiler, from which a liquid bottoms is withdrawn. Bubble-point reflux from the partial
condenser is returned to the plate. The vapor distillate contains 80 mol% hexane, and the reflux ratio,
L=D, is 1.5. Assume the partial reboiler, plate, and partial condenser are equilibrium stages.
(a) Using the McCabe–Thiele method, calculate the bottoms composition and kmol/h of distillate
produced.
(b) If a is assumed to be 5 (actually, 4.3 at the reboiler and 6.0 at the condenser), calculate the
bottoms composition analytically.

Question 3

A column equipped with a partial reboiler and total condenser, operating at steady state with a
saturated-liquid feed, has a liquid sidestream in the rectifying section. Using the McCabe–Thiele
assumptions:
(a) derive the two operating lines in the rectifying section;
(b) find the point of intersection of the operating lines;
CCB30502 SEPARATION PROCESSES 1 JULY 2021

(c) find the intersection of the operating line between F and LS with the
diagonal;

(d) show the construction on a y–x diagram.

Question 4

Methanol (M) is to be separated from water (W) by a distillation. The feed to the column consists of
50 kg/h Methanol and 60 kg/h water. The distillate is 99 mol% pure while the bottom product
contains 7 mol% of water. The feed is subcooled such that q = 1.12.

(a) Determine the minimum number of stages and minimum reflux.

(b) Determine the feed stage location and number of theoretical stages required for R = 1.

Table 1: Vapor-liquid equilibrium data (1 atm, mole fraction methanol)

x y
0.0321 0.1900
0.0523 0.2940
0.075 0.352
0.154 0.516
0.225 0.593
0.349 0.703
0.813 0.918
0.918 0.963