CHE 306

Chapter 2: Flash Distillation

Dr. Mohammed Qasem

 DISCLAIMER!
 The materials presented in lecture
presentations are only summaries of the text
materials
 The material covered in these presentations
can be incomplete
 Students will be examined according to the
text materials presented in the textbook and
handouts
2
 Flash Distillation
 One of the simplest processes
 Feed is vaporized partially and the liquid
and vapor in equilibrium with each other are
separated
 The more volatile component will be more
concentrated in the vapor
 L and V are in equilibrium because of the
contact between both phases
3
Flash Distillation Types
• Adiabatic flash: A liquid feed is heated
under pressure and flashed across a
valve adiabatically to a lower pressure
resulting in the creation of a vapor
phase that is separated from the liquid
in the flash drum.

• Isothermal flash: The valve is omitted

and a low pressure liquid can be
partially vaporized in the heater and
then separated in the flash drum.

4
 Flash Distillation System
V, y, HV
Tdrum
Pdrum
TF , PF , hF
demister
Tdrum
feed Pdrum to prevent liquid
entrainment by
F, z, Tl, Pl pump heater valve the vapor

L, x, hL
Tdrum
Pdrum 5
 Form and Source of
Equilibrium Data
 Available from many sources including:
 Perry’s Handbook (all editions)
 Literature (see Table 2-1, p. 18, Wankat)
 Industry monographs (often hard to obtain)
 Thermodynamic methods based upon vapor
pressures, activity coefficients, etc. (such as the
methods available in Aspen).
 Actually perform the experiment and determine
the equilibrium data
6
Graphical Representation of Binary VLE:
x-y diagram for ethanol-water system

Azeotrope

7
Minimum-Boiling Azeotrope

8
 Maximum-Boiling Azeotrope

When the azeotrope boiling point is more than pure

component boiling points. Example: Water-formic acid
9
Graphical Representation of Binary VLE:
T-x-y diagram for ethanol-water system

Vapor

Isotherm
Liquid

10
xE or yE
 Drawing Isotherms on the
Enthalpy-Composition Diagram

T-x-y
diagram
y-x diagram

H/h-x-y
diagram

11
Enthalpy-Composition
Diagram for Ethanol-Water
P = 1 kg/cm2

Isotherm and Auxiliary

Line 12
 Binary Flash Distillation (1)
 Overall mass/mole balance: F V  L
 Mass/mole balance on the more volatile
component: Fz Vy  Lx
 Energy balance: FhF  Q flash VHV  LhL

 Adiabatic flash: Q flash 0

13
 Binary Flash Distillation (2)
 For ideal mixture of two components (A and B):
hF (TF , x)  z AC PL , A TF  Tref  z B C PL , B TF  Tref 

HV (T , y )  y A  A  CPV , A T  Tref   yB  B  CPV , B T  Tref 

Latent heat of
Mole fraction of A in vapor phase vaporization

hL (T , x)  x AC PL , A T  Tref  xB C PL , B T  Tref 

Mole fraction of A in liquid phase

14
Graphical Representation of Binary VLE:
x-y Diagram for Methanol-Water System

15
 Graphical Representation of Binary VLE:
T-x-y Diagram for Methanol-Water System

100 T-x
Vapor
T-y
90
Liquid+Vapor Dew point curve

80
T (⁰C)

70
Liquid
Bubble point curve
60

50
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
16
Mole fraction of methanol in liquid x and in vapor y
 Antoine Equation
 B yA
log10 p A 
T C KA 
xA
yB 1- yA
KB  
 x B 1- x A

17
Binary Flash Distillation (3)

18
 Sequential Solution
Procedure (1)
From equilibrium relationships
x  xL ( y, pdrum )
If y is specified
or equilibrium data, find Tdrum T ( y, pdrum )

From equilibrium relationships

y  yV ( x, pdrum )
If x is specified
or equilibrium data, find Tdrum T ( x, pdrum )

From equilibrium relationships

y  yV (Tdrum , pdrum )
If T is specified
or equilibrium data, find x  xL (Tdrum , pdrum )

Solve mass/mole balances to find V and L

F L  V
Fz Vy  Lx
19
 F V  L
Sequential Solution
Fz Vy  Lx
Procedure (2) L Fz
y  x
If: V V
Find oper
f (f=V/F) is specified at in g l in e 1 f z
q (q=L/F) is specified Find o y  x
p erating
lin e
f f
q z
sx y  x
l o t yv 1 q 1 q
P
The intersection of the operating
line with the equilibrium curve
gives y and x
Find Tdrum

from Tdrum T ( x, pdrum )

or from Txy diagram 20
 Sequential Solution
Procedure (3)
With known Tdrum, x and y V, y, HV
Tdrum
Pdrum
TF , PF , hF
demister
Tdrum
Find hL and HV feed Pdrum to prevent liquid
entrainment by
F, z, Tl, Pl pump heater valve the vapor

Use energy balance equation to find hf L, x, hL

Tdrum
Pdrum

Find Tf from:
hF (TF , x)  z AC PL , A TF  Tref  z B C PL , B TF  Tref 

Find the amount of energy required from:

Qh FhF (TF , z )  Fh1 (T1 , z ) 21

 Sequential Solution
Procedure (4)
 K A yA / xA
Relative volatility:  AB  
K B y B / xB
 For binary system:  AB  y A (1  x A ) /[ x A (1  y A )]
 AB x A
 Equilibrium equation: y A 
1  ( AB  1) x A
 If f is specified, then x is a solution of the
following quadratic equation:
 1 f  2  1  f 1   z  z
  1  x       x  0
 f   f f  f 22
 Example 2-1
A flash distillation chamber operating at 101.3 kPa is
separating an ethanol-water mixture. The feed mixture is 40
mol% ethanol and F = 100 kmol/h.
(a) What is the maximum vapor composition?
(b) What is the minimum liquid composition that can be
obtained if V/F is allowed to vary?
(c) If V/F =2/3, what are the liquid and vapor compositions?
(d) Repeat step c, given that F is specified as 1000
kmol/h.

23
Solution (1)

24
 Solution (2)

If we solve for the y = x

intersection, we find it at
y = x = z = 0.4 for all
cases. Thus we can plot
three operating lines
through y = x = z = 0.4,
with slopes of –∞, –1/2
and 0. These operating
lines were shown in the
figure 25
Solution (3)

26
 Simultaneous Solution
Procedure (1)
If TF is given You can calculate: hF

But we cannot find hL and HV because V, L, x, y and Tdrum are unknowns

We must solve simultaneously mass and energy

balances and equilibrium relationships

There will be 7 unknowns: x, y, L, V, Tdrum, hL and HV

These can be
Solve using trial and error procedure replaced with
their equations
 Simultaneous Solution
Procedure (2)
With given TF Calculate: hF

For binary systems: Guess one of the 7 variables (e.g., Tdrum)

Calculate x and y from equilibrium relations or graphically from Txy diagram

Find V and L (from mass balances)

hL (T , x)  x AC PL , A T  Tref   
H V (T , y )  y A   C PV , A T  Tref 
Calculate hL and HV
 xB C PL , B T  Tref  
 y B   C PV , B T  Tref  
Yes Is the energy balance satisfied? No
FhF VHV  LhL
Finished The same procedure can be followed for any other variable
 Simultaneous Solution Procedure
using Enthalpy-Composition Diagram
With Calculate: hF
given TF
Plot feed point

Guess y (or x)

Draw the isotherm (tie) line

Yes Does the tie line pass

through the feed point? Lever-arm rule:
Finished FV L
 F L  V
No FL V

Calculate L and V
 Multicomponent VLE
 Equilibrium relations are usually written in
terms of K values (not graphical form).
yi K i xi
Where K i  f ( pdrum , Tdrum , all xi ) (general case)
 If K is independent of composition
(approximation), then:
K i  f ( pdrum , Tdrum )

30
 DePriester Chart

ln K aT 1 / T 2  aT 2 / T  aT 6
 a p1 ln p  a p 2 / p 2  a p 3 / p

T is in °R and p is in psia

The above equation is valid for:

-70 °C ≤ T ≤ 200 °C
101.3 kPa ≤ p ≤ 6000 kPa

The values of the constants are

Listed in Table 2-3 for some
components

31
 Alternative Way to Find K-Value

* B
Antoine equation: log( pi ) A 
T C
*
Raoult’s law: pi  xi pi

Dalton’s law: y i  pi / p
*
Combining: yi  xi pi /p
*
K i  pi / p Ideal systems
K-value:
*
K i i pi / p Nonideal systems
32
 Multicomponent Flash
Distillation
Component Balance: Fzi Vy i  Lxi
yi K i xi
Fzi Fzi zi
xi   
L  VK i F  V  VK i 1  ( K  1) V
i
F

K i zi
yi 
V
1  ( K i  1)
F

33
 Multicomponent Flash Distillation: pdrum and
Tdrum (or one liquid or one vapor) are given

Usually F and feed composition (zi) are given

If pdrum and Tdrum (or one liquid or one vapor) are also given

Use sequential procedure

Solve simultaneously mass balances and equilibrium relationships

Obtain V and L
Solve energy balance Obtain HV and hL

You have to solve many equations (e.g., 32 equations for 10

components system) simultaneously
Complex and tedious for hand calculations. Alternative?
 For 3 Components
 B1 
 A1  
10  T  C1
There are 11
Fz1 Vy 1  Lx1 K1 
p equations to
Fz2 Vy 2  Lx2 
 A2 
B2 
 be solved
 T C 2 
Fz3 Vy 3  Lx3 10
K2  simultaneously
p
x1  x2  x3 1  B3 
 A3  
y1  y2  y3 1 K3 
10  T C3 

p
y1 K1 x1
y 2  K 2 x2 For each component you add,
y3 K 3 x3 there will be 3 more equations
added to the above list of equations
 Multicomponent Flash Distillation by Trial-
and-Error: pdrum and Tdrum (or one liquid or one
vapor) are given
C C
zi zi
xi 
V
 x i 1 
V
1  K i  1 i 1 i 1
1  K i  1
F F
C C
K i zi K i zi
yi 
V
  yi 1 
V
1  K i  1 i 1 i 1
1  K i  1
F F
C
yi  xi  0 
C
 K i  1zi V 
 V
f 
 F 
i 1 i 1
1  K i  1
F
Rachford-Rice equation
 Solving the Rachford-Rice Equation Using
Newton’s Method (1): pdrum and Tdrum (or one
liquid or one vapor) are given
V 
f   0 Our target
F  V  
f    
V  V    F k 
    
 F  k 1  F  k '  V  
f    
  F k 

V 
f    
'
C
K i  1 zi
2

2
F i 1  V
 1  K i  1 
 F
 Solving the Rachford-Rice Equation Using
Newton’s Method (2): pdrum and Tdrum (or one
liquid or one vapor) are given
Solve the Rachford-Rice Equation

Find V/F

Find L and V from mass balances

zi K i zi
xi  yi 
V V
1  K i  1 Find xi and yi 1  K i  1
F F
C
hL (T , x)  xi C PL,i T  Tref  Solve energy balance C

H V (T , y )  yi i  C PV ,i T  Tref 
i 1
and find hL and HV i 1

Find hF Find TF
 Solving the Rachford-Rice Equation Using
Newton’s Method (3): pdrum and V/F are given

Guess Tdrum

Calculate Ki

Yes No
Is Rachford-Rice equation satisfied?
C
K i  1zi 0
Stop iteration  V
i 1
1  K i  1
F

Perform mass balances Find V and L

Use enthalpy relations Find HV and hL

Perform Energy balance Find hF and TF

 Example 2-2
A flash chamber operating at 50°C and 200 kPa is separating
1000 kmol/h of a feed that is 30 mol% propane, 10 mol% n-
butane, 15 mol% n-pentane and 45 mol% n-hexane. Find the
product compositions and flow rates.

40
From the DePriester
chart (Fig. 2-11) at
50 °C and 200 kPa,
we find:

41
Solution (2)

42
Solution (3)

43
Solution (4)

44
Solution (5)

45
End of Chapter 2

46