ChE 556

Separation Processes

E. G. ANKUDEY, KNUST
JULY 2022
Syllabus 2

 Characterization, selection, design of rate governed separation

processes
 Unified treatment of mass transfer operations such as absorption,
extraction and distillation
 Cascade configurations, engineering design methods for
stagewise and differential contact operations including computer
methods for binary and multicomponent systems
 Synthesis of separation sequences
 Thermodynamic efficiency of separation processes
 Estimation of vapour-liquid contacting efficiency in absorption
and extraction processes
 References 3

Principles and Modern Applications of Mass

Transfer Operations 2nd Edition, © 2009

Jaime Benitez

Mass Transfer: Fundamentals and Applications

© 1985

Anthony L. Hines and Robert N. Maddox

Unit Operations Of Chemical Engineering

©2004

Julian C. Smith, Peter Harriott, Warren McCabe

 References 4

Transport Processes and Separation Process

Principles 4th Ed © 2003

Christie J. Geankoplis

Separation Process Principles © 2010

E.J. Henley, Ernest J. Henley, J. D. Seader

Mass Transfer Operations 3rd Edition © 1980

Robert Ewald Treybal

Separation Processes 5
 Products of chemical industries are
obtained from many sources including

1. Naturally occurring raw materials

2. Plant or animal matter
3. Chemical intermediates
4. Chemical of commerce
5. Waste products
Industrial chemical process 6

1. Chemical Reaction/Reactor
2. Separation of chemical mixtures

 Operations can be either batch or continuous.

 Also possible to have semi – continuous processes.
 Refinery to include distillation, alkylation, cracking.
Some chemical processes involve no reactions but only
separation methods.
Mechanism of Separation 7

 Mixing is spontaneous in nature ---- increase in entropy.

 Separation of mixture requires the use of energy.
 Begin separations by phase separation (mechanical separation)
followed by the more difficult separation of the components of
a single phase.
General Separation Techniques 8

1. Separation by phase creation.

 Creation of a second phase (vapor, liquid or solid) that is
immiscible with the feed phase.
2. Introduction of the second phase into the system usually in
the form of a solvent that selectively dissolves some of the
species in the feed. Extraction/Absorption
3. Use of a barrier which restricts /or enhances the movement
of certain chemical species with respect to other species.
Mechanism of Separation 9

5. Addition of solid particles which act directly or as inert

carriers for other substances so as to cause separation.
6. External fluids can also be applied to specialized separations.

Separations are achieved by enhancing the rate of mass transfer

by diffusion of certain species relative to mass transfer of all
species by bulk movement.
 Mass Transfer (ΔC) 10
 Driving forces and direction of mass transfer is governed
by thermodynamics.

 Process is limited by equilibrium.

Rate of separation -- mass transfer

Extent -- thermodynamic equilibrium
 Properties 11

Several properties are exploited to achieve separation of the

chemical species present.

Thermodynamics/ Transport Properties

 Vapour pressure
 Solubility
 Adsorptivity
 Diffusivity
 Properties 12
Molecular Properties
 Molecular weight
 van der Waals volume
 van der Waals area
 Molecular shape
 Dipole moment
 Polarizability
 Dielectric constant
 Electric charge
 Radius of gyration
 Selection of Feasible 13
Separation Process
 For n components , n-1 stages (steps) are required to
separate into pure components

 Usually a combination of two or more operations may be

best.
Selection of Feasible Separation14
Process
A. Feed conditions (composition, flow rate, temperature,
pressure, phase)
Feed composition is the most important to
consider since the others can be adjusted.
B. Product conditions (required purities, temperature, pressure,
phase)
C. Property difference that may be exploited (molecular,
thermodynamic, transport)
D. Characteristics of separation operation. ( Ease to scale - up,
ease of staging, pressure, temperature, phase state, physical
size limitation, energy requirement)
 Cost of Separation 15
Generally the cost of recovery is dependent on the
concentration of the species in the mixture.

More stages

Pure products
Very large
differences in
properties to be
exploited
 Thermodynamics of Separation16
Operations

energy requirements

Phase equilibria Qin
Qout

Size of equipment
feed product

Wsin Wsout

At steady state
Thermodynamics of Separation 17
Operations
 The efficiency of the system is determined by an entropy balance

S - molar entropies
-temperature of the heat source/sink.

 Feasibility of the process is dictated by the fact that the net entropy
change must be positive.
 This is the measurement of the thermodynamic efficiency of the
separation process.
Concept of Exergy 18
Choose base temp
and P = 1 atm

 The expression is called the availability or exergy

 This is a measure of the maximum amount of energy that can
be converted to shaft work if the stream is taken to its
reference state.
Exergy 19

 Availability is not conserved in a real process

(irreversible)

 Lost work the change in availability

LW (always positive for a real process)

 Minimum work of separation

Efficiency of Separation 20

 Lost work = summation of all the irreversibilities in the

separation process
 fluid friction
 heat transfer due to finite final temperature driving forces
 mass transfer due to finite concentration
 different chemical reactions not at equilibrium.

 To reduce lost work, these finite transfer processes must be

reduced.
 Leads to large equipment size as driving forces approach zero.