Performance Indices to Design a Multicomponent Batch Distillation Column Using a Shortcut Method

Abstract

-In this paper, three quality or performance indices (Luyben's capacity factor, total annual costs, and annual profit) were applied for the design of a batch distillation column working at variable reflux. This work used the Fenske-Underwood-Gilliland short-cut method to solve a problem of four components (benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene, and ortho-xylene) that needed to be separated and purified to a mole fraction of 0.97 or better. The performance of the system was evaluated using distillation columns with 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 theoretical stages with a boil-up vapor flow set at 100 kmol/h. It was found that the annual profit was the best quality index, while the best case for variable reflux was the column with 50 stages. It was confirmed that the best case always required a reflux ratio close to the minimum.

Operational Design and Improvement of Conventional Batch Distillation and Middle-Vessel Batch Distillation

“…Batch distillation is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry to purify and recover highvalue liquid components. It has better operational flexibility and reduces equipment costs compared to continuous distillation (Jimenez et al, 2002;Narvaes-Garcia et al, 2015). Over many years of improvement, batch distillation processes have been developed that can be used in special distillation processes, such as pressure-swing distillation Repke et al, 2007), extractive distillation (Fang et al, 2010;Navarrete-Contreras et al, 2014;Pacheco-Basulto et al, 2012), and reactive distillation (Khazraee and Jahanmiri, 2010;, which are based on different column configurations, including conventional and unconventional column configurations.…”