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 capital investment, and low risk. If components to be separated have a high relative volatility difference and are thermally stable, distillation is hard to beat.

Distillation has a low energy efficiency and requires thermal stability of compounds at their boiling points. It may not be attractive when azeotropes 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 is enough to use only one column to seperate multicomponent liquid mixture. One sequence of operation is enough to seperate all the components in a mixture.

For continous distillation, to seperate multicomponent liquid mixtures, more than one columns are necessary to be used. One column is dedicated to seperate a specific mixture and 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 Can Low

to high pressure drop per tray

be scaled to large diameters

cost

Suitable Feed

for fouling service

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 Reboiler / Condenser details

/ Nozzle sizes

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 the holes at low vapor velocity

Liquid cannot get down the column 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 diameters greater than 0.6m The liquid-vapor contact in the cross-flow of plate columns is more effective than countercurrent-flow in packed columns. Cooling coils can be easily added to the plate column Can handle high liquid flow rates.

Higher pressure drops than packed columns Foaming can occur because the liquid is agitated by the vapor flowing up through it.

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

Random packing Structured packing Trade-off pressure drop vs. HETP vs. cost

of packing

Column

diameter

Height
Feeds

of packing
and offtakes

Packed Column Height

HETP Replaces Tray Efficiency Bed Height = No of Theoretical Stages

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 less than 0.6m it is less expensive than the plate column. Packing is able to handle corrosive materials. Lower pressure drop than in plate columns. Good for thermally sensitive liquids.

Can break during installation or due to thermal expansion. Not cost efficient for high liquid flow rates. Contact efficiencies are decreased when the liquid flow rate is too low.

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 alcoholwater. Solvent is recycled and never gets out. System is hard to design and it is more complicated comparing to ordinary distillation system.