Separation Process

Chapter Three

Distillation: multi-stage
McCabe-Thiele Method
 Cascaded flash distillation

• Flash distillation is a simple unit operation, but it offers a limited

extent of separation in most cases.
• More separation can be obtained by adding on (or cascading)
successive flash chambers.
• separation is enhanced due to the fact that additional equilibrium
stages are created.
• Separation also results when a liquid is brought together with its
vapor and mixed well to reach equilibrium and then allowed to
separate.
• An equilibrium stage is equivalent to a flash separation chamber.
Column distillation
Column distillation
Column distillation
Column distillation
Column distillation
Column distillation
 Column distillation

Mass Transfer II Lecture #7

Column
Continuous Column
Industrial Column
Continuous Column
Binary distillation - An industrial example

• System: Benzene-Toluene binary

mixture.
• Purpose: To produce a liquid distillate
containing 99% benzene and a bottom
product of 98% toluene from a feed
with 46% benzene and 54% toluene.

• Column diameter: 5 ft.

• Such column have been built
for diameter up to 30 ft.
Binary distillation - An industrial example

• Benzene and toluene forms nearly ideal

mixture at the operating pressure range.

• Relative volatility 2.52 at conditions of the

top tray, 2.26 at the conditions of bottom
tray.

• The reflux ratio (reflux to distillate rate) -

2.215

• If an infinite number of stages were used, the

required reflux ratio would be a minimum
value of 1.708.

• The ratio of reflux rate to minimum reflux

rate is 1.297 (common practice 1.1-1.5).
Binary distillation - An industrial example

• For an infinite reflux ratio,

number of theoretical stages
required is 10.7.

• The ratio of theoretical stage

to minimum theoretical stage
is 1.96 (common practice 2).

• stage efficiency is 20/25 =

80% (close to average
efficiency observed).
Binary distillation - An industrial example

• Feed flow rate: 620 lbmol/h.

• Feed state: Saturated liquid at
55 psia. Bubble point 294⁰F.
• Feeding: Feed is flashed
adiabatically to the tray
pressure 19.25 psia.
• The feed temperature drops to
220⁰F, causing 23.4% of the
feed to vaporize.

• Feed tray: Optimal between 12

and 13.

• Column can be fed through one

of the 3 trays.
Binary distillation - An industrial example

• Condenser: Total condenser to obtain

saturated liquid reflux and distillate at
bubble point temperature of 189⁰F at 18
psia.

• Condenser duty: 3.46MW (11,820,000

Btu/h).
• Reboiler: A partial reboiler is used to
produce vapor boilup and liquid bottoms
product.

• Assuming that the boilup and bottom

products are in equilibrium, the partial
reboiler functions as an additional stage.

• Bottoms product is saturated liquid at

251⁰F.

• reboiler duty 2.94MW(10,030,000 Btu/h).

Equilibrium stage: desired separation
Equilibrium stage: un-desired separation
 Requirements for separation in a stage
• Consider a benzene-toluene system. Saturated vapor is entering into a tray with
a composition of 60% benzene (MVC).

• From the T-xy diagram, the saturated liquid that would be in equilibrium with
the vapor is 38%.

• If a liquid containing more than 38% benzene is brought into contact with the
vapor and allowed to reach equilibrium, the vapor will condense partially and
the liquid will partially evaporate to result in a vapor containing > 60%
benzene and a liquid with < 38% benzene. So, the vapor will get richer in
benzene.

• if the liquid has a composition of 38% there will be no net mass transfer
between the two phases.

• If the liquid has a composition < 38%, the vapor will reach equilibrium with
the liquid. However, the vapor will loose more benzene to produce a vapor
containing < 60% benzene while the resulting liquid will have > 38% benzene.
Equilibrium stage
 Temperature of the liquid and vapor streams

• Consider the benzene-toluene vapor entering into a

tray with a composition of 60% benzene (MVC).
• The temperature of a saturated benzene-toluene
vapor with a composition of 60% benzene is 96⁰C.
• For effective separation, the saturated liquid should
have a composition of > 38%.
• This means that the liquid should be at a
temperature < 96⁰C.
• The liquid entering at a stage should be at a lower
temperature than the vapor entering to the same
stage.
The Column: two sections

• If the feed is introduced to only

one point, it divides the column
into two sections:

• Rectifying section : The

stages above the feed stages
form the rectifying section.
• Stripping section : The
stages below the feed stage
form the stripping section.
 Nomenclature

Calculation tools
Calculation: mass balance
Total condenser

xD=x0=y1
Partial condenser
Partial reboiler
Total reboiler
Mass balance around tray-1 and condenser
Mass balance around the rectifying section
 Stage by stage calculations

The above set equations can be solved simultaneously to completely

determine the internal streams and their compositions.
 Assumption

For CMO it is required that in each tray for every mole of liquid
vaporized, one mole of vapor is condensed.
 Validity of CMO assumption

CMO assumption is valid when:

1. The two components have equal and constant molar enthalpies
of vaporization (latent heat).
2. Component sensible enthalpy changes and heat of mixing are
negligible compared to latent heat changes.
3. The column is well insulated so that heat loss is negligible.
4. The pressure is uniform throughout the column.

Applicability:
1. The CMO assumption is valid for system with similar
components e.g. hydrocarbons.
2. To minimize operating costs most columns are well insulated
and are designed for minimum pressure drop.
3. As the liquid and vapor flow rates are expressed as ratios,
variation from tray to tray will affect both and will tend to
cancel.
 Advantage of CMO assumption

The CMO assumption decouples the mass and energy balances.

Rectifying section with CMO assumption
Rectifying Operating Line (ROL) with CMO assumption

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Reflux and Reflux ratio

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 Reflux and Reflux ratio

R=L/D L=RD ,,, V=L +D

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Rectifying Operating Line

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Rectifying Operating Line

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Rectifying Operating Line

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Rectifying Operating Line

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Rectifying Operating Line

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Rectifying Operating Line

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Rectifying section calculations: Stage by Stage

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 D

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McCabe Thiele Graphical-Stage Method

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McCabe Thiele Graphical-Stage Method

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McCabe Thiele Graphical-Stage Method

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McCabe Thiele Graphical-Stage Method

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McCabe Thiele Graphical-Stage Method

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Stripping section

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Stripping section calculations: stage by stage

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Stripping section calculations: stage by stage

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Stripping Operating Line (SOL)

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Stripping Operating Line (SOL)

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Stripping Operating Line (SOL)

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Stripping Operating Line (SOL)

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Stripping Operating Line (SOL)

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Stripping Operating Line (SOL)

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Stripping Operating Line (SOL)

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Stripping Operating Line (SOL)

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Stripping Operating Line (SOL)

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Stripping section: Calculations

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Stripping section: Graphical Calculations

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Stripping section: Graphical Calculations

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Stripping section: Graphical Calculations

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Stripping section: Graphical Calculations

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Stripping section: Graphical Calculations

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Section wise calc. procedure

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Graphical Calc. for the entire column

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Graphical Calc. for the entire column

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Another look at the procedure

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Distillation Problem

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McCabe-Thiele method

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McCabe-Thiele method

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 Feed Stream

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 Feed Stream: calculations

Ln-1, xn-1 Vn, yn

Stage n
F, zF

𝑉ത𝑛+1, yn+1
𝐿ത 𝑛 , xn

Note that:
𝑁𝑜𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡: 𝐿𝐹 = 𝐿ത − 𝐿 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑉𝐹 = 𝑉 − 𝑉ത

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Feed line

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Feed line: in terms of vapor fraction

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Operating line and the feed line

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Operating line and the feed line

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 Feed conditions

Feed
conditions Saturated liquid (TF=Tbp)

Saturated vapor (TF=Tdp)

Two phase feed (Tbp<TF<Tdp)

Sub-cooled liquid (TF<Tbp)

Superheated vapor (TF>Tdp)

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 Feed conditions

(1) (2)

(3)
(4) (5)

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 q value and the feed line

𝐿𝐹 𝐿ത − 𝐿
q is the fraction of liquid in the feed: 𝑞= =
𝐹 𝐹

Type equation here.

Slope of the feed line Slope of the feed line

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 q value and the feed line

Slope of the feed line

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q value and the feed line

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q value and the feed line: Summary

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Effect of thermal conditions on the feed

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Graphical Calc. for the entire column

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N vs R

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N vs R

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Reflux ratio

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Limits of reflux ratio

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Limits of reflux ratio

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Minimum stages at total reflux

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 𝐿𝐹 𝐿ത − 𝐿
𝑞= =
𝐹 𝐹
 SEE EXAMPLE 7.1

PROBLEM: 7.13, 7.17