Prediction of multicomponent distillation efficiencies

The prediction of multicomponent distillation efficiencies from binary data is highly desirable as it is physically impossible to perform the experimental study of all the systems of industrial importance.In the present work a new method of predicting ternary efficiencies is presented. The validity of the method is assessed comparing experimental ternary distillation lines with predicted distillation lines. Experimental results obtained in a 38mm diameter seven plate sieve-plate column with the binary systems cyclohexane/n-heptane, cyclohexane/toluene and n-heptane/toluene and the ternary system cyclohexane/n-heptane/toluene are used for such comparison.Experimental results obtained with the ternary system show the existence of Murphree efficiencies greater than unity for the intermediate component. Such interesting physical situations are also predicted using the new method.