Sizing distillation columns

Rmin and the corresponding number of trays calculated ( 2N J. The shortcut models were replaced by rigorous RADFRAC units, where the reflux and distillate feed ratio were adjusted by means of design specifications, in order to meet the desired separation. The trays were sized using Aspen s facilities. Finally, the dimensions of the reflux drum and column sump were found based on a residence time of 5 min and aspect ratio H D = 2 1. Table 9.7 presents the results of distillation column sizing. 

For many pieces of equipment, such as heat exchangers and distillation columns, stand-alone programs are available that calculate material and energy balances around that piece of equipment, size the equipment, and calculate or rate its performance. 

Pressure loss in a piping system (not including the tanks, heat exchangers, distillation columns, etc.) is usually expressed in units oi feet of flowing fluid, or the equivalent converted to pounds per square inch. Some published pressure loss data is expressed as per 100 equivalent feet of the size pipe being used or estimated. 

For specific final performance sizing of a distillation column using Norton s Intalox structured packing the designer is referred to the manufacturer s technical representatives, and should not assume the preliminary results obtained from any manufacturer s bulletin included here will necessarily serve as a final design. As a preliminary examination of a design problem (used by permission of Norton Chemical Process Products) ... 

For services in which fouling is high or in which downtime cannot be tolerated, two reboilers may be installed on the same distillation column. These reboilers may each be half sized so that downtime will be limited to a half-capacity operation each may be two-thirds sized or each may be a full 100% spare. The latter is, of course, the most expensive from an equipment investment standpoint but may pay for itself in uptime. 

They simulate the steady-state operation of the process and can be used to draw-up the process flow sheet, and to size individual items of equipment, such as distillation columns. 

A condenser is required to condense n-propanol vapour leaving the top of a distillation column. The n-propanol is essentially pure, and is a saturated vapour at a pressure of 2.1 bara. The condensate needs to be sub-cooled to 45°C. Design a horizontal shell and tube condenser capable of handling a vapour rate of 30,000 kg/h. Cooling water is available at 30°C and the temperature rise is to be limited to 30° C. The pressure drop on the vapour stream is to be less than 50 kN/m2, and on the water stream less than 70 kN/m2. The preferred tube size is 16 mm inside diameter, 19 mm outside diameter, and 2.5 m long. 

The chemical engineering undergraduate spends most of his time sizing equipment. Usually in the problems assigned the type of equipment to be used is specified. For a distillation column the student would be told whether it is a bubble cap, a sieve plate, a valve tray, a packed column, or something else, and then asked to size it for a desired separation. In other cases he would be given the size of the specific equipment and asked to determine what the output would be for a given input. 

Lowenstein, J.G. Sizing Distillation Columns, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Oct. 1961, p. 44A. 

In a distillation column, vapor is bubbled through the liquid to provide good contact between the two phases. The bubbles are formed when the vapor passes upward through a hole (orifice) in a plate (tray) that is in contact with the liquid. The size of the bubbles depends upon the diameter of the orifice, the velocity of the vapor through the orifice, the viscosity and density of the liquid, and the surface tension between the vapor and the liquid. 

To produce 100 000 tonnes of nonanal per year (25% down time, 100% conversion of substrate, 80% selectivity to nonanal) requires a production rate from the reactors of 19 tonne h 1, so that each batch must be 6.3 tonnes. Assuming a 1 1 ratio by volume of fluorous solventdiquid substrate and a 75 % loading, each reactor must have a volume of 20 m3. If the distillation column were fully integrated into the system it would be required to handle 19 tonnes aldehyde h 1. An increase in selectivity to the linear product, which could be achieved using careful ligand design would reduce the reactor size by up to 25%. 

An exact calculation of inventory is difficult in the conceptual design phase, since the size of equipment is not usually known. The mass flows in the process are however known from the design capasity of the process. Therefore it is practical to base the estimation of inventory on mass flows and an estimated residence time. Consequently the inventory has been included to the ISI as a mass flow in the ISBL equipment including recycles with one hour nominal residence time for each process vessel (e.g. reactor, distillation column etc). For large storage tanks the size should be estimated. The total inventory is the sum of inventories of all process vessels. 

The amount of hazardous chemicals on-site can be reduced by methods other than altering the scale of production. For example, the amount of hazardous material stored on-site can often be significantly reduced, and if not, the hazardous materials can be stored in many small containers in separate facilities rather than in a single container. Therefore, if a container fails, the size and catastrophic potential of the release are much reduced. In addition, the amount of material needed in the production process can be reduced by using specially designed equipment (such as Higee columns, which replace conventional distillation columns). 

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