CEN 314 Separation Processes

2021-2022 Summer
Assoc.Prof.Dr. Suna ERTUNÇ

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 Methods of Distillation

Equilibrium or Simple (Batch) Rectification or

Flash Distillation or Differential Fractionation
Rayleigh
Distillation

• After understanding the vapor-liquid equilibria, now the

distillation methods used in the practice can be considerd. There Mc Cabe-Thiele
are three basic methods of distillation used in industry.
• They are given from simple to complicated order.

Ponchon-Savarit

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 Equilibrium or Flash Distillation
• The simplest of all three distillation methods is known as flash
vaporization /dist. or equilibrium vaporization/dist.
• This method is carried out continuously (sometimes batch) as a
single stage operation in two different ways in practice;
• Under constant pressure F, xF HF
• Reducing the pressure of the heated liquid
• If a sufficiently hot liquid mixture is throttled into a vessel, a part of it
will vaporize. The vapor produced will be richer in the more volatile
component(s) and thus partial separatian of the desired
component(s) will be achieved.
• Heater may be a conventional tubular heat exchanger or heated
tubes of a fuel-fired furnace.
• A schematic sketch of a flash vaporization unit is shown in Fig.
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Equilibrium or Flash Distillation
• The feed is first heated in a heat exchanger under pressure and then led to a
flash drum by throttling where partial vaporization of the feed occurs under
F, xF HF
reduced pressure.

• Feed has both the vapor and the liquid portions including more and less volatile
components.The liquid portion of the feed mixture is thrown by centrifugal
forces to the outer of wall and leaves at the bottom, while the vapor rises
through the central chimney and leaves at the top and is condensed to get the
top product.

▪ Liquid droplets are formed when a part of the liquid flashes into a vapor vigourously. The flash drum should have
internals like baffles plates in order to reduce entrainment of liquid droplets in the outgoing vapor stream.
▪ Fraction of having a higher concentration of the less volatiles leaves the drum as liquid bottom product.
▪ It is often assumed that the liquid (W) and vapor (D) streams leaving the flush drum are in equilibrium. But
the phases may not reach equilibrium in reality.
▪ Flash vaporization is a single-stage operation. However the bottom product (or even the condensed top
product) from the flash drum may be heated and flashed again in a second unit to obtain purer product.
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Equilibrium or Flash Distillation
▪ Flow rate, composition and enthalpy values of the streams;

Feed ( F, xF, HF )
Distillate (condensed top product) ( D, xD, HD )
Bottom liquid product ( W, xW, HW )

▪ Q is the rate of heat supply to the heat exchanger, we may write the
following material and energy balance equations for a steady-state
equilibrium vaporization unit. The vapor leaving the flash chamber is
condensed into a liquid so its composition is denoted by xD

(a)
xF (b)
xF (c)
(d)
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Equilibrium or Flash Distillation
▪ If fractional vaporization (or vapor fraction of feed) is defined by

𝑫
f = (e)
𝑭
• Then with the elimination of W between Eqs. (a) and (b) also between (a) and (d)

𝒙𝑭 −𝒙𝑾 (𝑯𝑭 −𝑯𝑾 )+𝑸ൗ𝑭

f = = (f)
𝒙𝑫 −𝒙𝑾 (𝑯𝑫 −𝑯𝑾 )
• Binary flash vaporization can be solved by graphical method for this above equation
extremely useful. The left hand side of this equation can be written as;

𝟏−𝒇 𝒙𝑭
xD = − 𝒙𝑾 + (g)
𝒇 𝒇

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Equilibrium or Flash Distillation
𝟏−𝒇 𝒙𝑭
xD = − 𝒙𝑾 + (g)
𝒇 𝒇

▪ From this equation the relationship between the compositions of top

and bottom product are defined.

▪ Because the top and bottom products are in equilibrium relation,

(x,y) curve of the binary system define the relationship between the
compositions of top and bottom product

▪ Eq. (g) is a straight line on xy diagram and drawn starting from the
𝟏−𝒇
point F (xF;xF) according to its slope − for fixed f value
𝒇

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Equilibrium or Flash Distillation
▪ Our aim is to find the top and bottom product compositions and flow
rates for a given feed stream conditions (F, xF and f)

▪ For this purpose the straight line given Eq. (g) is drawn on the VL
diagram, intersection points P (xW, xD) are read from the garph.

▪ If the enthalpy-conc. diagram is available, the heat energy needed for

the operation by using Lever-arm rule.

▪ In order to calculate the flow rates of the top and bottom products,
total and component mole balances can be used

▪ In any mass transfer operation, the recovery of the product next to

the purities is also important.
𝑫𝒙𝑫 𝒙𝑫
Percentage recovery of MVC P.R. = 𝑭𝒙𝑭
∗ 𝟏𝟎𝟎 = 𝒇
𝒙𝑭
∗ 𝟏𝟎𝟎 8