Distillation constant molal overflow

On the other hand, calculation of diffusion in distillation columns tends to be easier if the molar average reference velocity v gf moi is used. In distillation, constant molal overflow is often valid or close to valid fSection 4.2T The resulting equimolar counterdiffusion results in = -Ng, and there is no convection in the reference frame with v,.pf mni = 0. If we choose the reference velocity as the molar average velocity, then Eq. ri5-16ei becomes... 

The HETP of a packed-tower section, valid for either distillation or dilute-gas absorption and stripping svstems in which constant molal overflow can be assumed and in which no chemical reactions occur, is related to the height of one overall gas-phase mass-transfer unit Hqc by the equation... 

At constant molal overflow The time required for the distillation only. 

Estimates must be made of V/L at the top and bottom and the feed zone. In distillation problems, assumption of constant molal overflow in each zone probably is within the accuracy of the method. In stripping or absorption columns, first iteration evaluations of the amounts of stripping or absorption will provide improved estimates of V/L at the key points in the columns. 

Most of the properties change somewhat from one end to the other of industrial columns for effecting separations, so that the mass transfer coefficients likewise vary. Perhaps the property that has the most effect is the mass rate of flow which appears in the Reynolds number. Certainly it changes when there is a substantial transfer of material between the two phases in absorption or stripping and even under conditions of constant molal overflow in distillation processes, the mass rate of flow changes because of differences of the molecular weights of the substances being separated. As a practical expedient, however, mass transfer coefficients are evaluated at mean conditions in a column. 

The initial total flow rate and temperature profiles can make the difference between success and failure of a rigorous method. Usually for distillation columns, the condenser and reboiler temperatures are estimated and a calculation that assumes constant molal overflow Sec. 2.2.2) is used to initialize tbe internal vapor and liquid flow... 

Binary Distillation 379 Material and Energy Balances 380 Constant Molal Overflow 380 Basic Distillation Problem 382 Unequal Molal Heats of Vaporization 382 Material and Energy Balance Basis 382 Algebraic Method 382... 

Multicomponent rectification Consider a multicomponent mixture of m-species continuously fed into a distillation column (Acrivos and Amundson, 1955 Amundson, 1966 Ramkrishna and Amundson, 1985). Let and be the compositions of the ith species on the nth plate for the liquid phase and the vapor phase, respectively. Based on constant molal overflow of liquid with a downflow rate L and a vapor upward flow rate V, the steady-state mass balance for the ith species in the rectifying section above the nth plate leads to the equation... 

The actual variations in the V and L streams in a distillation column depend on the enthalpies of the vapor and liquid mixtures. The limitations imposed by assuming constant molal overflow can be removed by enthalpy balances used in conjunction with material balances and phase equilibria. The enthalpy data may be available from an enthalpy-concentration diagram, such as the one in Fig. 18.24. Since benzene-toluene solutions are ideal, this diagram was constructed using molar average heat capacities and heats of vaporization. Some... 

Consider what is required for a heavy component to be completely absent from the distillate. If jCb is zero and constant molal overflow is assumed, the material-balance equation for the upper part of the column [Eq. (18.14)] becomes... 

There are several types of situations covered by Eq, (21.16). The simplest case is zero convective flow and equimolal counterdiffusion of A and B, as occurs in the diffusive mixing of two gases. This is also the case for the diffusion of A and B in the vapor phase for distillations that have constant molal overflow. The second common case is the diffusion of only one component of the mixture, where the convective flow is caused by the diffusion of that component. Examples include evaporation of a liquid with diffusion of the vapor from the interface into a gas stream and condensation of a vapor in the presence of a noncondensable gas. Many examples of gas absorption also involve diffusion of only one component, which creates a convective flow toward the interface. These two types of mass transfer in gases are treated in the following sections for the simple case of steady-state mass transfer through a stagnant gas layer or film of known thickness. The effects of transient diffusion and laminar or turbulent flow are taken up later. 

Abstract This document creates a McCabe-Thiele Diagram for a binary distillation using the constant molal overflow assumptions. It assumes ... 

The McCabe-Thiele constructions described in Chapter 8 embody rather restrictive tenets. The assumptions of constant molal overflow in distillation and of interphase transfer of solute only in extraction seriously curtail the general utility of the method. Continued use of McCabe-Thiele procedures can be ascribed to the fact that (a) they often represent a fairly good engineering approximation and (b) sufficient thermodynamic data to justify a more accurate approach is often lacking. In the case of distillation, enthalpy-concentration data needed for making stage-to-stage enthalpy balances are often unavailable, while, in the Case of absorption or extraction, complete phase equilibrium data may not be at hand. 

The distillate rate for nCj is very close to the value of 2.63 computed in Example 12.4, if we assume a Class 1 separation. The internal minimum reflux ratio at the rectifying pinch point is considerably less than the value of 389 computed in Example 12.4 and is also much less than the true internal value of 298 reported by Bachelor. The main reason for the discrepancy between the value of 219.8 and the true value of 298 is the invalidity of the assumption of constant molal overflow. Bachelor computed the pinch-point region flow rates and temperatures shown in Fig. 12.9. The average temperature of the region between the two pinch regions is 152°F (66.7°C), which is appreciably lower than the... 

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