Distillation

Distillation
• Distillation is probably the most widely used
separation process in the chemical and allied
industries;
• its applications ranging from the rectification
of alcohol, which has been practiced since
antiquity, to the fractionation of crude oil.
Distillation
 Plate Types
• Bubble Cap Tray • Sieve Tray
The design of a distillation column can be divided into
the following steps:
• Specify the degree of separation required: set product
specifications.
• Select the operating conditions: batch or continuous;
operating pressure.
• Select the type of contacting device: plates or packing.
• Determine the stage and reflux requirements: the
number of equilibrium stages.
• Size the column: diameter, number of real stages.
• Design the column internals: plates, distributors,
packing supports.
• Mechanical design: vessel and internal fittings.
The principal step will be to
determine the stage and reflux
requirements. This is a relatively
simple procedure when the feed is a
binary mixture, but a complex and
difficult task when the feed contains
more than two components
(multicomponent systems).
Distillation column (a) Basic column (b) Multiple
feeds and side streams
In the section below the feed, the more
volatile components are stripped from
the liquid and this is known as the
stripping section.
Above the feed, the concentration of the
more volatile components is increased
and this is called the enrichment, or
more commonly, the rectifying section.
The reflux ratio, R, is normally defined as:

The number of stages required for a

given separation will be dependent on
the reflux ratio used.

Optimum reflux ratio lie between 1.2 to

1.5 times the minimum reflux ratio.
Rectifying section

Stripping section

Operating lines
V= L +D
L’=V’ + B.
 Distillation

• Rectifying Section
– R= reflux ratio
– V=vapor flow rate
• Stripping Section
– VB= Boil-up ratio

• Feed Line
• Plot the vapour-liquid equilibrium curve from data
 

available at the column operating pressure. In

terms of relative volatility:

• Where is the geometric average relative volatility

of the lighter (more volatile) component with
respect to the heavier component (less volatile).
McCabe-Thiele diagram
 HEIGHT OF THE PACKING

The height of the packing is calculated by

H = HETP ⋅ n
where n number of theoretical stages
HETP Height Equivalent a Theoretical Plate [m]
H height of the packing [m]
ρL - liquid density – kg / m3
ρv – vapor density - kg / m3
ε – void fraction of packing
ap - specific surface of the packing (m2 / m3)
цr – ratio liquid viscosity to viscosity of the
water at reference temperature of 20 oC
Column diameter (capacity)
• The capacity of a packed column is
determined by its cross-sectional
area:

• where Φ column diameter [m]

• WV volumetric flow rate of vapour
[m3/s]
• v linear vapour velocity [m/s]
The actual vapor velocity can be taken to 60% of
the flooding velocity, which can be computed from
the following equation.

v0 flooding velocity of the vapor [m/s]

g gravitational constant [m/s2]
 Surface
Weight
Pieces Area Void
Size
1 / m3 Fraction %
kg/m3 m2 / m3
5x5x0,3 1.200 6.000.000 1.000 87
6x6x0,3 900 4.000.000 900 89
8x8x0,3 700 1.500.000 630 91
 
10x10x0,3 600 770.000 500 92
10x10x0,5 920 770.000 500 89
12x12x0,3 500 450.000 430 94
12x12x0,5 820 450.000 430 90
15x15x0,3 380 230.000 350 95
15x15x0,5 600 230.000 350 92
25x25x0,5 400 50.000 220 95
25x25x0,8 600 50.000 220 92
35x35x0,8 430 19.000 150 93
50x50x0,8 320 6.500 110 95
80x80x1,2 300 1.600 65 96
 x1 [mol/mol] y1 [mol/mol]
0.00350 0.02050 Constant Value
0.00450 0.02750
Data Table
0.01750 0.13150 (x - liquid mole fraction, y - vapor mole fraction)
0.05850 0.30500
0.06800 0.36150
0.09350 0.41100
0.16500 0.52000
0.21250 0.54550
0.24100 0.56750
0.36150 0.60600
0.47400 0.65050
0.49850 0.65550
0.58150 0.69700
Pressure 0.64600 12.666 0.72900 kPa
0.65400 0.73100
0.72300 0.77600
0.79000 0.82000
0.83700 0.85200
0.87310 0.88170
0.88300 0.88850
0.88800 0.89300
0.89730 0.90120
0.94890 0.95020
0.97070 0.97150
0.98250 0.98350
Pressure 12.666 kPa
x1 [mol/mol] y1 [mol/mol]
0.00350 0.02050
0.00450 0.02750
0.01750 0.13150
0.05850 0.30500
0.06800 0.36150
0.09350 0.41100
0.16500 0.52000
0.21250 0.54550
0.24100 0.56750
0.36150 0.60600
0.47400 0.65050
0.49850 0.65550
0.58150 0.69700
0.58150 0.69700
0.64600 0.72900
0.65400 0.73100
0.72300 0.77600
0.79000 0.82000
0.83700 0.85200
0.87310 0.88170
0.88300 0.88850
0.88800 0.89300
0.89730 0.90120
0.94890 0.95020
0.97070 0.97150
0.98250 0.98350
Wall Thickness (vol 6, R& C 13.4, 13.5 )
A structure must be designed to resist gross plastic
deformation and collapse under all the conditions
of loading. The loads to which a process vessel will
be subject in service are listed below.
1. Design pressure: including any significant static head of
liquid.
2. Maximum weight of the vessel and contents, under
operating conditions.
3. Maximum weight of the vessel and contents under the
hydraulic test conditions.
4. Wind loads.
5. Earthquake (seismic) loads.
6. Loads supported by, or reacting on, the vessel.
Minimum wall thickness required to ensure that
any vessel is sufficiently rigid to withstand its
own weight, and any incidental loads.

include a corrosion allowance of 2 mm

the design of thin-walled vessels under internal
pressure
minimum thickness in the British Standard PD 5500.

Minimum thickness of a sphere