Distillation Column and Application

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Distillation and Alcohol

Production Application

Distillation and application


Distillation and Application

 Distillation process
 Types of distillation
 Distillation equipments and properties of
them
 Alcohol production
 Distillation of alcohol
 Types of alcohol distillation
Distillation
 Distillation is a kind of seperation technique of two or
more volatile liquid compunds by using the difference in
boiling points and relative volatility.
 The process takes place in a column, and two heat
exchangers.
 In the column two phases, liquid and gas, are
distributed to enrich the vapor in more volatile
compounds and enrich the liquid phase on less volatile
compounds.
 Mass transfer is the key to a successful distillation.
Tray
Distillation
Tower
Advantages & Disadvantages
Advantages Disadvantages
 It has simple flowsheet, low  Distillation has a low
capital investment, and low energy efficiency and
risk. If components to be requires thermal stability of
separated have a high compounds at their boiling
relative volatility difference points. It may not be
and are thermally stable, attractive when azeotropes
distillation is hard to beat. are involved or when it is
necessary to separate high
boiling components,
present in small
concentrations, from large
volumes of a carrier, such
as water.
Types of Distillation

 Continous Distillation
 Batch Distillation

 Semi-Batch Distillation
Continous Distillation
 The mixture which is to be
seperated is fed to column
at one or more points.
 Liquid mixture runs down
the column while vapor
goes up.
 Vapor is produced by
partial vaporisation of the
mixture which is heated in
reboiler.
 Then vapor is partially
condensed to earn back the
less volatile compounds to
the column to seperate as
bottom product. (reflux)‫‏‬
Batch Distillation
 The oldest operation
used for seperation of
liquid mixtures.
 Feed is fed from
bottom,where includes
reboiler, to be
processed.
 Numbers of
accumulator tanks are
connected to collect the
main and the
intermediate distillate
fractions.
Semi-batch Distillation
 Semi-batch distillation
is very similar to batch
distillation.
 Feed is introduced to
column in a continous
or semi-continous
mode.
 It is suitable for
extractive and reactive
distillations.
Comparsion of Distillation
Types
 For batch distillation, it  For continous
is enough to use only distillation, to seperate
one column to seperate multicomponent liquid
multicomponent liquid mixtures, more than
mixture. one columns are
 One sequence of necessary to be used.
operation is enough to  One column is
seperate all the dedicated to seperate a
components in a specific mixture and
mixture. specific operation.
Equipment Designs

 Plate Columns (Tray Columns)‫‏‬


 Packed Beds
Plate Columns (Tray Columns)‫‏‬
 It is the most widely used kind of
distillation column.
 Trays are shaped to maximize the
liquid-vapor contact and increase the
mass transfer area.
 Tray types include sieve, valve and
bubble cap.
Characteristics of Tray
Columns
 Predictable hydraulic and mass transfer
behavior
 Moderate to high pressure drop per tray
 Can be scaled to large diameters
 Low cost
 Suitable for fouling service
 Feed point flexibility is easy
Specification of a Tray Column
 Number of actual stages
 Feed tray location
 Type of trays
 Tray spacing
 Tray layout
 Column diameter
 Column height
 Feed / Offtake arrangements / Nozzle sizes
 Reboiler / Condenser details
Tray Column Height
 Column Height =
# actual stages x tray spacing + space
allowance for feed/draws + sump + top
volume
 Tray spacing for most applications is 18-24
inches
 Rule of thumb could be to add 1- 2 nozzle
diameters to the total height for feeds and
draws
 Sumps sized on liquid residence time. Two
to five minutes is typical.
Tray Distillation Tower

Counter
current
flow of
two
streams
Operation at each Plate
Trays and plates

Bubble cap trays


A riser or chimney is fitted
over each hole, and a cap
covers the riser. The cap
is mounted with a space to
allow vapour to rise
through the chimney and
be directed downward by
the cap, finally
discharging through slots
in the cap, and bubbling
through the liquid on the
tray.
Bubble Caps
Bubble Cap
Bubble Caps
Bubble Cap tray
Bubble Cap tray
Bubble Cap tray (Top View)
Valve Tray (Fixed)
Valve Tray (Lift)
Trays and plates

Valve trays
Perforations are covered by caps
lifted by vapour, which creates a
flow area and directs the vapour
horizontally into the liquid.

Sieve trays
Sieve trays are simply metal
plates with holes in them.
Vapour passes straight upward
through the liquid on the plate.
The arrangement, number and
size of the holes are design
parameters.
Valve Tray (Lift)
Sieve Tray
Sieve Tray
Liquid and vapour flows in a tray column
• Each tray has 2 conduits called
downcomers: one on each side.
Liquid falls by gravity through
the downcomers from one tray
to the tray below.
• A weir ensures there is always
some liquid (holdup) on the tray
and is designed such that the the
holdup is at a suitable height,
e.g. such that the bubble caps
are covered by liquid.
• Vapour flows up the column
and is forced to pass through
the liquid via the openings on
each tray. The area allowed for
the passage of vapour on each
tray is called the active tray
area.
Flooding and Weeping

Weeping Flooding

Flow weeps through Liquid cannot get


the holes at low vapor down the column
velocity at high vapor velocity
Column Diameter
 Column diameter is chosen to provide a
comfortable range of operating between
flooding and weeping. A typical operating
range is about 70% of the flooding velocity.
 The flooding velocity is determined by
correlations
 An approach to flooding is used to get the
actual superficial velocity (based on column
diameter).
 Downcomers take up about 5-20% of
column area
 Diameters should be rounded to standard
dimensions
Advantages & Disadvantages
Advantages Disadvantages
 Least expensive colum for  Higher pressure drops than
diameters greater than 0.6m packed columns
 The liquid-vapor contact in the  Foaming can occur because
cross-flow of plate columns is the liquid is agitated by the
more effective than vapor flowing up through it.
countercurrent-flow in packed
columns.
 Cooling coils can be easily
added to the plate column
 Can handle high liquid flow
rates.
Packed Beds
 Packings can be provided either as dumped
or stacked.
 Dumped packing consistutes of bulk inert
materials.
 Stacked packing is includes meshwork which
has the same diameter with the column.
 Important criterias for packings are efficent
contact (liquid-vapor), resistence to flow, flow
capacity, resistance of packing against
corrosion.
Characteristics of Packed
Columns
 Low pressure drop / smaller diameter
 Random packing scale-up for HETP is
difficult; structured packing scale-up is
predictable
 HETP prediction less well developed than
for trays
 Low to moderate cost for random packing;
high cost for structured packing
 Not suitable for fouling service
Packed Column Specification
 Type of packing
 Random packing
 Structured packing
 Trade-off pressure drop vs. HETP vs. cost
 Column diameter
 Height of packing
 Feeds and offtakes
Packed Column Height
 HETP Replaces Tray Efficiency
 Bed Height = No of Theoretical Stages x
HETP
 HETP = height equivalent to a theoretical plate

 HETP is difficult to generalize and is a


function of the type of packing, the system
being separated and the hydraulics of the
column. Experimental or vendor-supplied
values are used.
Advantages & Disadvantages
 When the diameter is  Can break during
less than 0.6m it is less installation or due to
expensive than the thermal expansion.
plate column.  Not cost efficient for high
 Packing is able to liquid flow rates.
handle corrosive  Contact efficiencies are
decreased when the
materials. liquid flow rate is too low.
 Lower pressure drop
than in plate columns.
 Good for thermally
sensitive liquids.
 Because of the high
operation and
installation costs,
low energy
efficiency, vacuum
distillation appears
to be uneconomical
in the commercial
applications.
Azeotropic Distillation
 This type of distillation is used for processes that
produce almost 100 percent alcohol with help of an
organic solvent and two additional distillations.
 A solvent (pentane, gasoline etc.) is added to distillation
product comming out of the usual distillation column.
 Mixture is fed to another distillation column which
seperates it into a top product and a bottom product.
 Distillate of this column is fed to a third column which
distills out the solvent leaving the mixture of alcohol-
water.
 Solvent is recycled and never gets out.
 System is hard to design and it is more complicated
comparing to ordinary distillation system.

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