Distillation of Nonideal Ternary Zeotropic Mixtures in Two-Feed Columns

The continuous distillation of ternary nonideal zeotropic mixtures in two-feed columns is modeled. The results obtained are compared with the results of continuous distillation in one-feed columns. The topography of the field of relative-volatility coefficients is considered for various types of zeotropic systems. Possible separation flow sheets are presented for various distillation processes.     

Steady state analysis of snowball effects for reaction–separation–recycle systems with thermally coupled distillation sequences

It is known that the steady and dynamic characteristics of processes with recycles can be significantly different from those without recycle streams. Particular attention has been given to the reactor–separator–recycle (RSR) system; because of the existence of snowball effects, a small load change can translate into a large change in the recycle flowrate, which propagates throughout the whole system. Previous works have analyzed the influence of separators on snowball effects using flash units and conventional distillation columns. This work explores the existence of snowball effects in steady state conditions under the implementation of thermally coupled distillation sequences in RSR systems. In particular, the implementation of coupled systems with side columns (sequences with side rectifiers or side strippers) is considered. A simplified process for ethylbenzene production is taken as a basis, and the effects of implementing thermally coupled systems on snowball effects are compared to those generated by conventional distillation systems.     

Leistungskennwerte verschiedener Gegenstrom-Extraktionskolonnen

Performance indices of various countercurrent extraction columns. The permissible working range and the separation efficiency achievable therein are characteristic indices for the performance of extraction columns. An introductory account of the design principles, especially of columns supplied with mechanical energy, is followed by an illustrative discussion of the influence of operational and constructional parameters and of material properties on the loading range and the separation efficiency attainable therein. Then follows a section comparing the efficiencies of various columns as a function of loadability for a variety of material systems. These comparisons are valid only for certain parameters. Hence, the changes occurring on variation of these parameters are also considered qualitatively. In conclusion, the separation efficiencies of two newly developed columns are examined with a view to establishing whether the dependence upon loading has changed relative to conventional columns.     

PREDICTION OF SOLUTE CONCENTRATION CHANGES ALONG PULSED SIEVE PLATE EXTRACTION COLUMNS

Pulsed columns are one of the most important extraction columns that have extensive application in different industries. Obtaining the solute concentration in different heights of the column has a great influence on achieving the physical property changes of the phases along the column. An experimental work of mass transfer in a pilot pulsed sieve plate extraction column at different operating conditions is carried out in this research, and the solute concentration in different heights of the column is obtained for two different systems with medium and high interfacial tensions. The solute concentration changes along the column are calculated using previous models in the literature and the model presented for achieving the effective diffusivity in a previous work of the present authors. Comparison of the experimental results and the models is made and the best one is suggested.     

Prediction of axial mixing coefficients in rotating disc and asymmetric rotating disc extraction columns

The correlation of axial mixing in the continuous and dispersed phases of rotating disc and asymmetric rotating disc columns is presented. Published experimental results on continuous-phase axial mixing for both single- and two-phase flows, obtained with tracer injection methods and by solute concentration profiles, are considered. The correlation developed is based on 1055 data points for 32 liquid systems obtained by 19 different investigators. The axial mixing in rotating disc columns is found to be up to 20% larger than in asymmetric rotating disc columns. Data for the dispersed phase are harder to correlate than those for the continuous phase. Since the available results are often contradictory, the correlation for the dispersed-phase coefficient is thus less accurate than that for the continuousphase coefficient.     

Conceptual design of single-feed kinetically controlled reactive distillation columns

Reactive distillation, simultaneous reaction and separation within a single unit, represents an exciting alternative to conventional processes, leading to significantly reduced in capital and operating costs. Process design for reactive distillation is facilitated by fast and effective methods for synthesis and conceptual design that take into account reactions that do not instantaneously reach equilibrium. This work presents a new methodology for synthesis and design of single-feed kinetically controlled reactive distillation columns. The design method allows rapid and relatively simple screening of different reactive distillation column configurations. Feasibility is assessed and operating conditions are determined using an extension of boundary-value methods. The approach is limited to systems with four or fewer chemical species. Both fully reactive and hybrid columns are considered. The methodology is illustrated for a metathesis reaction and for MTBE production.     

Conceptual design of single-feed hybrid reactive distillation columns

It is well known that reactive distillation offers benefits by integrating distillation and reaction within a single unit. While there are procedures available for the synthesis of non-reactive distillation processes and of reaction-separation systems, the design of reactive distillation columns is still a challenge. This work presents a new synthesis and design methodology for hybrid reactive distillation columns, featuring both reactive and non-reactive sections; reactive equilibrium is assumed. The approach is based on graphical techniques; therefore it is restricted to systems with two degrees of freedom according to Gibbs phase rule. The design method allows rapid and relatively simple screening of different reactive distillation column configurations. The results are useful for initialising more rigorous calculations. The methodology is illustrated for MTBE and ethyl formate production.     

Decentralized temperature control of a pilot dividing wall column

The technology of dividing wall columns offers to save high amounts of operating and investment cost compared to conventional distillation columns and their configurations. The practical application is still limited due to a lack of experience and high interactions among the process variables.The present work deals with the development and test of a control system for a pilot dividing wall column. Within this, decentralized temperature control systems are designed by a systematic approach. Furthermore, these systems are evaluated concerning the process stability, the providing of defined product purities and the respective requirement of energy in case of disturbances. The focus is on simulative and experimental investigations in order to assure the practicability of the developments. The presented results show the effectiveness of the applied methods.     

Controllability analysis of alternate schemes to complex column arrangements with thermal coupling for the separation of ternary mixtures

Thermally coupled distillation systems (TCDS) have been proposed to perform distillation separation tasks with the incentive of achieving lower energy consumption levels with respect to conventional distillation sequences. In particular, the presence of recycle streams for TCDS schemes has influenced the notion that control problems might be expected during the operation of those systems with respect to the rather well-known behavior of conventional distillation sequences. That has been one of the main reasons for the lack of industrial implementation of thermally coupled distillation schemes. Recently, some alternatives to thermally coupled distillation arrangements that might provide better operational properties than the complex columns have been proposed. In this work, we analyze the control properties of two alternatives to the coupled systems. The results indicate that a reduction in the number of interconnections in alternate configurations does not necessarily provide an improvement of controllability properties.     

Surface tension effects in binary and multicomponent distillation

Surface tension effects play an important role in the performance of distillation columns. In the present work they are analysed using experimental resIt is shown that marked differences exist between the behaviour of the different binary systems and that the observed binary efficiency differences canSo far as the ternary system is concerned it is clear that for most of the experimental duration lines two distinct zones have to be considered as theIt is pointed out that in the ternary diagram the region of high values of foam height corresponds to the region of larger values of component efficien     

PREDICTION OF MASS TRANSFER COEFFICIENTS IN REGULAR PACKED COLUMNS

Developments in the area of packed columns, particularly structured packed columns, are ongoing, specifically in the area of liquid-liquid extractions. Accurate predictions of mass transfer coefficients lead to more accurate design of columns. In the present study, mass transfer coefficients were measured experimentally for packed columns of different heights to study the effect of packing height and specific area. Two experimental pilot regular packed extraction columns were examined using toluene/acetic acid/water and n-butyl acetate/acetic acid/water systems. Based on the results, a novel model for prediction of effective diffusivity has been proposed that is a function of column height and specific area. The mass transfer coefficients obtained by this prediction were compared with other models. The results of this new model are in good agreement with the experimental data. Therefore, this new model can be used to design better regular packed columns.     

An experimental study of non-newtonian fluid flow in fluidized beds: minimum fluidization velocity and bed expansion characteristics

In this work, new experimental measurements of the minimum fluidization velocity and velocity-voidage characteristics are reported for a variety of liquid-particle systems in glass columns of two different diameters. Three types of liquids, namely, Newtonian, visco-inelastic, and visco-elastic fluids, were used to fluidize the beds of glass particles of four different sizes (1.27–15.8 mm). The results obtained with Newtonian liquids conform to the expected behaviour. The applicability of a variety of equations has been examined with a view to predicting the values of the minimum fluidization velocity and fluidization index for non-Newtonian systems. The experimental results reported herein embrace the following ranges of conditions: 1.27 < D_p < 15.8 mm; D_T = 50.8 and 101.6 mm, and 0.382 n 1.00.     

RGA ANALYSIS FOR DISTILLATION CONTROL

This paper presents the relative gain analysis of two industrial distillation columns. Both columns involve multicomponent separation and the purpose of the relative gain analysis has been to find proper pairing of manipulated and controlled variables. The matrix oriented method of Wang and Henke has been employed in the study, The study has investigated the effects of single-precision versus double-precision programming, step-size, and tightness of convergence, upon the relative gain array. The results with single-precision programming and double-precision programming have yielded significantly different results. The results confirm that a considerable reduction in the step-size of the manipulated variables may be necessary in some cases to achieve meaningful results. They also indicate that tight convergence may be required for some columns at a considerable expense in terms of CPU time while for others, loose convergence and moderate step-sizes may be adequate, The results of this study will be useful to those who are interested in the design of distillation control systems.     

Influence of structured packing on gas holdup in a three-phase bubble column

In this work, the influence of structured packing on gas holdup in gas-liquid-solid dispersions has been studied. The experiments were carried out in an empty column and in column containing structured packing operating under identical conditions. Glass beads and silicon carbide particles were used as the solid material and the volumetric fraction of solids was varied from 0% to around 10%. The liquid viscosity was strongly modified using water, CMC solution and glycerol. The experimental results obtained with both columns were compared with previous results obtained in two-phase bubble columns. The influence of structured packing on the total gas holdup for different superficial gas velocities was found to be similar with and without suspended solids. Therefore, the results obtained in this work were analysed on the basis of correlations derived earlier for gas-liquid dispersions. Excepting the results obtained with glycerol, these correlations can predict the gas holdup of three-phase bubble columns with reasonable accuracy.     

Optimal Designs of Multiple Dividing Wall Columns

Since the optimal design of dividing wall columns (DWC) is a highly nonlinear and multivariable problem, an appropriate solving tool is required. In this paper a multi‐objective genetic algorithm with restrictions is considered to design columns with dividing walls. Also, a methodology is proposed for sizing the DWC. The proposed design methodology allows achieving appropriate designs for columns with two dividing walls. As expected, the physical structures that allow the use of one or two dividing walls are not so different from each other and, as a consequence, the difference in the total annual costs for both systems depends mainly on the energy requirements.     

Analysis of composite steel and concrete columns at high temperatures

The growing demand for knowledge about the effect of fire on structures has stimulated research worldwide. This article presents experimental results of short, composite columns made of steel and concrete when submitted to high temperatures in furnaces, with and without axial compression loading, as well as a numerical analysis of the temperature distribution in these columns. The columns were modeled as concrete‐filled tubes with three thicknesses and two diameters considered. In addition, standard fire temperature–time curves were obtained experimentally for use in the numerical calculations. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Aqueous Surfactant Two‐Phase Systems for the Continuous Countercurrent Cloud Point Extraction

Aqueous nonionic surfactant solutions split into two phases if the temperature is increased beyond a certain temperature, the so‐called cloud point temperature. Presently many different types of nonionic surfactants are produced commercially, out of these numerous have been considered as potential solvent for the cloud point extraction. In this work the crucial thermophysical properties of nonionic surfactants are investigated to determine the potential of surfactant systems for extraction processes. Phase equilibria of the binary system Triton X‐114/water and the ternary system Triton X‐114/water/phenol were measured. Based on these data the cloud point extraction was implemented in a continuous stirred extraction column. It was found, that increasing temperature within the column reduces the loss of surfactant and leads to an increasing enrichment factor. This work demonstrates that surfactant/water systems represent a suitable alternative to conventional solvents and can effectively be processed in continuous extraction columns.     

AIRLIFT REACTORS: CHARACTERISTICS, APPLICATIONS AND DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

Bioreactors of the airlift type are a promising design for aerobic fermentations. The basic knowledge required for understanding and predicting the performance of these reactors is only now beginning to emerge. In this review we present our observations and those of other investigators in an attempt to build up a coherent picture of airlift devices. All the major aspects—mixing and hydrodynamics, mass and heat transfer—in these reactors are considered. Comparisons between bubble columns and airlift systems are made where analogies, similarities and/or differences between them provide insight into airlift systems. Throughout, the areas of particular concern and those in need of further research in this field are mentioned. Extensive work on all forms of airlift reactors, particularly in non-Newtonian media—homogeneous and suspensions—remains to be done. Current knowledge does not permit airlift reactor design with a high degree of confidence. However, the technical feasibility of all types of fermentations—plant cell, tissue culture, bacterial, fungal, and those utilizing yeasts—in airlift vessels has been demonstrated.     

Exact Analysis of Field-Flow Fractionation

Abstract

A rigorous convective diffusion theory is formulated for the predictive modeling of field-flow fractionation (FFF) columns used for the separation of colloidal mixtures. The theory is developed for simulating the behavior of a colloid introduced into fluid in time-dependent flow in a parallel plate channel across which a transverse field is applied. The methodology of generalized dispersion theory is used to solve the model equations. The theoretical results show that the cross-sectional average concentration of the colloid satisfies a dispersion equation with time-dependent coefficients. The results of this work, in principle, are valid for all values of time since the introduction of the colloid. It is shown that these results asymptotically approach those of the nonequilibrium theory formulated by Giddings for large values of time.

Illustrative numerical results are obtained for the case of steady laminar flow and a uniform initial distribution. The behavior of the coefficients in the dispersion equation is explained on physical grounds. Of particular interest is the fact that at large values of the transverse Peclet number P, Taylor dispersion in the FFF column is very small. Under these conditions, axial molecular diffusion as well as Taylor dispersion in the connecting tubing could make a substantial contribution to the axial dispersion observed in practical FFF columns.

The theoretical predictions are compared with the experimental data of Caldwell et al. and Kesner et al. on electrical FFF columns. The comparisons indicate that the theory has potential in predicting the performance of such systems.     

Extraparticle diffusional effects in gel permeation chromatography. I. Theory

A systems approach is applied to the analysis of chromatogram resolution dispersion, or zone broadening, in gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Three possible sources of dispersion are considered; these are: the packed columns; the empty tubing between pump and columns, columns and detector, etc.; and the detection system, viz., the differential refractometer cell. It is shown that empty tubing can contribute significantly to the degree of dispersion and to skewness of elution curves and that this dispersion should depend on molecular weight of solute (polymer) and diameter and length of the tubing. The importance of dispersion in the empty tubing is compared with that in the packed columns and refractometer cell.