Kiran

KiranPatil
Patil Novel separation processes
Introduction to Separations
The goal of a separations process is to purify solutions.
To do this we must cause differential transport of species or conversion of species so that the
purer mixtures can be collected. Most separations processes involve differential transport.

Examples:
Separation of blood
Purification of drugs
Purification of Au, Si, Gas
Refining of crude oil
DNA testing
Purification of organics
Purification of water
Smog control

mixed separated

However, mixing is inherent in nature: The increase in entropy associated with the randomness of a mixture
lowers the Gibbs free energy.

Therefore, to “unmix” a solution we must overcome the entropic driving force to mix.

Lecture 1: Introduction to Separations 1

 Why Separate?

There are many reasons for wanting pure substances. Some of these reasons include:
• Need for pure material in engineering application (semiconductors)
• Preparation of raw materials into their components
• Need for pure material for materials processing
• Need to remove toxins or inactive components from solution (drugs)
• Need for ultrapure samples for testing
• Need for analysis of the components of the mixture (DNA testing)

Based on these motivations for separations, we can divide separations up into three main areas:

Analytical Preparative Industrial

Separations Separations Separations
• small scale • small scale • large scale
• quantitative • materials for • economical
analysis R&D

Example: Example: Example:

Chromatography Centrifugation Distillation

The list of different existing separations methods is limitless. Therefore

we will emphasize the fundamentals of separations.

Note: 50 to 90 percent of capital investment in chemical plant is for separations equipment.

Lecture 1: Introduction to Separations 2
 Background Material for Separations

The fundamentals that we will apply to study separations in this course involve:

• Materials and energy balances: conservation of energy and matter

• Thermodynamics: phase equilibrium and solution thermodynamics
• Transport phenomena
• Chemical reaction kinetics: rate of conversion of one species to another

For the most part our analysis of various separations processes will
focus on using phase equilibrium and materials and energy balances.

Lecture 1: Introduction to Separations 3

 Basic Description of Operations
Separations processes can be run in various modes of operation:
• Batchwise: No flows
• Continuous: Continuous flows in and out of separators
• Semicontinuous: Pauses in flows.

Operations are classified as key operations and auxiliary operations

• Key Operation: involves reaction or separations
Examples: distillation, leaching, reactor
• Auxiliary Operation: involves no change in chemical composition
Examples: pumps, heaters, compressors

Block Flow Diagrams indicate:

•Key Operations by rectangles and
•Flows and Streams by lines

Process Flow Diagrams indicates processes by:

•Realistic symbols of process equipment
•Including auxiliary operations

Lecture 1: Introduction to Separations 4

 Basic Description of Operations

Block Flow Diagram Process Flow Diagram

S1 P1

Total condenser
Distillation Distillation
Reflux drum
Overhead vapor

1 Reflux
F Distillate
2

Feed Feed Stage

Boil up
Stripping section stages N
Partial reboiler

Bottoms
P2 S2

Lecture 1: Introduction to Separations 5

 Example
Example: Recovery of hydrocarbons from wet natural gas

These types of separations generally exploit the differences in volatility to cause a separation

methane
C2+ ethane

Feed: wng

C2+/abs
C3+
absorber
i-butane

n-butane C4 C4+

C5+ propane

Notice that this process involves a train of separators:

This is common in industrial processes.

Lecture 1: Introduction to Separations 6

 Mechanism of Separations

• UNMIXING is not a spontaneous process in nature

A process requiring no external driving force

Reduces randomness and thus the entropy of the system

• Separations involve nonspontaneous processes

• Usually the mixture to separate is a homogeneous, single phase:

If not, then often one will phase separate first

• gravity
• centrifugation
• filtration.

Product 1
Feed Product 2
S, L,V {ci} Product 3
Differ in concentrations,
may differ in phase state
Separator: Causes different chemical
components to move to different spatial
locations to be collected as more pure
mixtures: Differential Transport.
Lecture 1: Introduction to Separations 7
 Main Separations Techniques

• Phase Creation: Use ESA (heat or depressurize)

• Phase Addition: Use MSA (add solvent or absorber)
• Barrier Separation: Use membrane (semipermeable membrane)
• Solid Agent separations: Use particles (reaction, absorbent film, direct absorption, chromatography)
• Separation by gradient: Use electric field, magnetic field, gravity (Hall effect, electrophoresis, mass spec)

• Phase Creation
Most Common
• Phase Addition
Gaining popularity • Barrier Separation
• Solid Agent separations
Often in labs • Separation by gradient

All five techniques rely on the ability to enhance the rate of mass transfer of certain
species relative to others to effect a spatial separation of components.

Thus, all separations processes must introduce a thermodynamic driving force

to overcome the decrease in the entropy of the system as the components are separated.

Lecture 1: Introduction to Separations 8

 Thermodynamics of Separations

Remember that there is an “infinite” driving force associated with removing

the last impurity atom from a pure substance:

∆ SM
∆S B G’
∆S A
G' B 0
G' A 0

GA
GB

0 XB 1
0 XB 1

Since the driving force to mix will eventually equal the driving force
we introduced to cause the separation the extent of separation will be
limited by thermodynamics equilibrium!

Lecture 1: Introduction to Separations 9

 Rate of Separations

Although the extent of a separation is determined by thermodynamics, the rate of separations

is limited by the differential rate at which the different species are moved. That is:

The Rate of Separation is limited by Mass Transport.

Limits: Extent = Thermodynamics

Rate = Transport

Lecture 1: Introduction to Separations 10