Raffinate column

Thus the extractor column raffinate outlet rate and the solvent inlet rate are approximately equal. This is indeed the minimum solvent rate allowed, since a lower rate will overload the solvent, referencing the plait point. This rate will also set the required minimum extractor column diameter. For some refinery-type extraction operations, such as lube oil extractors, where relatively much larger solvent-raffinate rates apply, this method for determining minimum solvent rate is very economical and desirable. 

Recent test results (19.) appear very favorable for this system. Although it is relatively robust, a further improvement has been identified through the addition of small amounts of diethyl-enetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) to the sodium carbonate scrub before it is contacted with used TBP or CMP. Under these conditions, the actinide loadings in the carbonate scrub can be increased significantly before interfacial cruds appear. Also, when the resulting alkaline waste is acidified, neither interfacial cruds nor actinide polymers are formed. Actinides are then easily recovered by TBP solvent extraction from the alcohol extraction column raffinate, and can be stripped from TBP and CMP in the usual fashion. 

Solvent Cleanup and Recycle. Both TBP and CMP solvents can be cleaned up with simple water and dilute sodium carbonate washes. The conceptual flowsheets also include preequilibration of the solvents with acid before they are recycled to the extraction columns. This treatment helps to maintain high acid concentrations in the extraction column raffinates. For the CMP extractant, equilibration with high acid also helps to strip the ruthenate and pertechnetate anions from the solvent. Activity levels in the Actinide Recovery Area are further controlled by bleeding a fraction of its CMP solvent to the CMP Solvent Recycle... 

RC = raffinate column. Lines 2-desorbent 5-extract 9-feed 12-raffinte. AH other ports are closed at this time. 

A schematic of the MGCC process is shown in Figure 9. The mixed Cg aromatic feed is sent to an extractor (unit A) where it is in contact with HF—BF and hexane. The MX—HF—BF complex is sent to the decomposer (unit B) or the isomerization section (unit D). In the decomposer, BF is stripped and taken overhead from a condensor—separator (unit C), whereas HF in hexane is recycled from the bottom of C. Recovered MX is sent to column E for further purification. The remaining Cg aromatic compounds and hexane are sent to raffinate column E where residual BE and HE are separated, as well as hexane for recycle. Higher boiling materials are rejected in column H, and EB and OX are recovered in columns I and J. The overhead from J is fed to unit K for PX separation. The raffinate or mother Hquor is then recycled for isomerization. 

The extract is vacuum-distilled ia the solvent recovery column, which is operated at low bottom temperatures to minimise the formation of polymer and dimer and is designed to provide acryUc acid-free overheads for recycle as the extraction solvent. A small aqueous phase in the overheads is mixed with the raffinate from the extraction step. This aqueous material is stripped before disposal both to recover extraction solvent values and minimise waste organic disposal loads. 

The bottoms from the solvent recovery (or a2eotropic dehydration column) are fed to the foremns column where acetic acid, some acryflc acid, and final traces of water are removed overhead. The overhead mixture is sent to an acetic acid purification column where a technical grade of acetic acid suitable for ester manufacture is recovered as a by-product. The bottoms from the acetic acid recovery column are recycled to the reflux to the foremns column. The bottoms from the foremns column are fed to the product column where the glacial acryflc acid of commerce is taken overhead. Bottoms from the product column are stripped to recover acryflc acid values and the high boilers are burned. The principal losses of acryflc acid in this process are to the aqueous raffinate and to the aqueous layer from the dehydration column and to dimeri2ation of acryflc acid to 3-acryloxypropionic acid. If necessary, the product column bottoms stripper may include provision for a short-contact-time cracker to crack this dimer back to acryflc acid (60). 

The aqueous layer from the ester column distillate, the raffinate from washing the ester, and the aqueous phase from the dehydration step are combined and distilled in the alcohol stripper. The wet alcohol distillate containing a low level of acrylate is recycled to the esterification reactor. The aqueous column bottoms are incinerated or sent to biological treatment. Biological treatment is common. 

Fig. 8. UOP Sorbex simulated moving bed for adsorptive separation. AC = adsorbent chamber, RV = rotary valve, EC = extract column, RC = raffinate...

A schematic diagram of a six-vessel UOP Cyclesorb process is shown in Figure 15. The UOP Cyclesorb process has four external streams feed and desorbent enter the process, and extract and raffinate leave the process. In addition, the process has four internal recycles dilute raffinate, impure raffinate, impure extract, and dilute extract. Feed and desorbent are fed to the top of each column, and the extract and raffinate are withdrawn from the bottom of each column in a predeterrnined sequence estabUshed by a switching device, the UOP rotary valve. The flow of the internal recycle streams is from the bottom of a column to the top of the same column in the case of dilute extract and impure raffinate and to the top of the next column in the case of dilute raffinate and impure extract. 

Modem commercial wet-acid purification processes (see Fig. 4) are based on solvents such as C to Cg alcohols, ethers, ketones, amines, and phosphate esters (10—12). Organic-phase extraction of phosphoric acid is accompHshed in one or more extraction columns or, less frequently, in a series of countercurrent mixer—settlers. Generally, 60—75% of the feed acid P2 s content is extracted into the organic phase as H PO. The residual phosphoric acid phase (raffinate), containing 25—40% of the original P2O5 value, is typically used for fertilizer manufacture such as triple superphosphate. For this reason, wet-acid purification units are almost always located within or next to fertilizer complexes. 

In general, the sulfolane extraction unit consists of four basic parts extractor, extractive stripper, extract recovery column, and water—wash tower. The hydrocarbon feed is first contacted with sulfolane in the extractor, where the aromatics and some light nonaromatics dissolve in the sulfolane. The rich solvent then passes to the extractive stripper where the light nonaromatics are stripped. The bottom stream, which consists of sulfolane and aromatic components, and which at this point is essentiaHy free of nonaromatics, enters the recovery column where the aromatics are removed. The sulfolane is returned to the extractor. The non aromatic raffinate obtained initially from the extractor is contacted with water in the wash tower to remove dissolved sulfolane, which is subsequently recovered in the extract recovery column. Benzene and toluene recoveries in the process are routinely greater than 99%, and xylene recoveries exceed 95%. 

For a column inside a section and for extract and raffinate nodes... 

Nevertheless, near the feed point, there is a difference between TMB and all SMB cases due to the fact that the internal flow rates in the TMB are smaller than in the SMB, leading to a small dilution of the feed stream. As a consequence, near the feed inlet, TMB concentrations will be higher than in the SMB operation. The raffinate and extract purities in SMB units with four (95.2 % and 89.5 %), eight (98.7 % and 95.9%) and 12 columns (99.1 % and 96.8%) are increasing towards the one obtained in the equivalent TMB unit (99.3 % and 97.7 %). The optimum degree of subdivision of the SMB unit will depend of the difficulty of the separation and the product purity requirements. Typically, systems for the pharmaceutical industry have six to 16 columns. 

A more serious limit to this implementation is due to the volume of the recycling pump and associated equipment such as flowmeters and pressure sensors. As the pump moves with respect to the zones, its volume leads to a dead volume dissymmetry, which can lead to a decrease extract and raffinate purities. This decrease can be significant for SMB with short columns and/or compounds with low retention. However, it can be easily overcome by using a shorter column or asynchronous shift of the inlets/outlets [54, 55]. This last solution is extremely efficient and does not induce extra costs because it is a purely software solution. 

Using SMB flowrates simply derived from those of the TMB, the SMB behavior is simulated according to the number of columns and equivalent number of plates per column. The SMB raffinate, extract, and eluent flowrates are identical to those of the TMB feed. The SMB recycling flowrate Qj (zone I) is given by ... 

Figure 10.11. Influence of column efflciency on extract and raffinate purity.

FIG. 4 Sorbex-simulated bed for adsorptive separation. AC, adsorbent chamber RV, rotary valve EC, extract column RC, raffinate column. (From Ref. 32.)... 

FIG. 11 Production of linear olefins from linear paraffins. AC, adsorbent chamber EC, extract column GLS, gas-liquid separator H, heater Rx, reactor RC raffinate column ST, stripper column LE, light end. (From Ref. 10.)... 

A five-stage extraction column with control on the outlet raffinate phase is to be simulated. The solute balance equations for each phase are formulated according to Sec. 3.3.1.5. 

The design of simulated moving bed chromatography and its application to the separation of cycloheptanone and cyclopentanone as test substances to validate the system for subsequent chiral chromatography has been described.27 Briefly, eight silica-packed columns were hooked up in series to form a cyclic flow path. On the first pair, preliminary separation of the components was performed, with the less-retained raffinate being directed to waste. Following the second pair of columns, eluent was added. After the... 

An extraction column, in which the MEK and alcohol in the solution from the absorber are extracted into trichloroethylane (TCE). The raffinate, water... 

---