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De-Ethanizer Distillation Operating Pressure: Atifprocessengineer

This document discusses the operating pressure of a de-ethanizer distillation column for LPG production. Several members provided responses to the original poster's question about calculating a feed pressure lower than the bottom pressure. They explained that this is not possible, as there needs to be a pressure driving force through the column. They advised checking the bubble point calculations and reviewing distillation principles. Subsequent responses provided additional details on typical operating pressures for de-ethanizer columns ranging from 25-32 bar, and factors that influence the pressure like available condenser cooling and propane slip in the overhead.

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Guillermo Gonzales Amaya
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80 views4 pages

De-Ethanizer Distillation Operating Pressure: Atifprocessengineer

This document discusses the operating pressure of a de-ethanizer distillation column for LPG production. Several members provided responses to the original poster's question about calculating a feed pressure lower than the bottom pressure. They explained that this is not possible, as there needs to be a pressure driving force through the column. They advised checking the bubble point calculations and reviewing distillation principles. Subsequent responses provided additional details on typical operating pressures for de-ethanizer columns ranging from 25-32 bar, and factors that influence the pressure like available condenser cooling and propane slip in the overhead.

Uploaded by

Guillermo Gonzales Amaya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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De-Ethanizer Distillation Operating Pressure

Started by atifprocessengineer, Jun 16 2010 04:09 AM

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#1 atifprocessengineer

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3 posts

Posted 16 June 2010 - 04:09 AM

Hi,

I have a final year project regarding LPG production.

I have designed a de-ethanizer coloumn whose function it is to separate the


Methane and Ethane from the feed mixture of C1 to C9 hydrocarbons.

I have calculated the feed pressure by the buble point method and this results as
80 atm. But when I calculated the bottom pressure, this comes out lower then the
feed pressure.

Is this possible?

If yes, then what are its disadvantages?


#2 Art Montemayor

Gold Member


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5,378 posts

Posted 22 June 2010 - 06:36 AM

atif:

I had to edit and correct your original script because it was hard to understand and
it was full of "texting" script - which only makes it more difficult to read and
interpret. Please stick to conventional, correct, spell-checked, and proper english
script. Now to what I believe is your basic question(s):

If what you mean is that you have taken the thermal and compositon conditions of
your feed stream and calculated a "feed" pressure, then I believe that by applying
a bubble point calculation you have identified the pressure condition on the feed
tray - NOT "the feed". You must be specific in engineering; otherwise, you will get
all mixed-up and confused. The feed stream to a distillation column has to be at a
pressure higher than that existing on the feed tray. This is fairly obvious and makes
common sense because otherwise you would not be able to have feed stream
flowing into the distillation column at the feed tray.

Your bubble point results are not possible in real life. You must have a driving force
(a pressure difference) through the entire distillation column, and it is this driving
force that enables the vapors generated in the reboiler to ascend up the column
and out to the overheads condenser. This means, in other words, that the vapor
pressure existing on the intermediate feed tray has to be an intermediate pressure
- some value between the reboiler vapor pressure and the overheads condenser
vapor pressure. This, of course, assumes that you have located the feed tray in an
intermediate height.

Check your bubble point calculations. Your reboiler temperature has to be much
higher than your feed tray temperature and this contributes to a higher vapor
pressure within the reboiler. Go back and review the principles of distillation and
focus on WHAT, exactly, is happening inside the column in a physical manner. This
type of engineering analysis will guide you to make and apply the correct
mathematical relationships.
Good luck.

#3 Zauberberg

Gold Member


ChE Plus Subscriber


2,670 posts

Posted 25 June 2010 - 02:14 AM

Just to add a few important issues on top of what Art has said:

- Basically it's impossible to design De-C2 towers to operate at pressures above 30-
35 barg. The main reason is that the critical pressure of LPG components will be
exceeded in the reboiler, which means they cannot be recovered as liquid product.

- Operating pressure of the tower will depend on 2 things: one of them is the
available temperature of cooling medium in the overhead condensers, and the
second one is requirement for C2- gas (De-C2 overhead product) compression. In
practice, you normally want to run the tower at the highest possible pressure and
thus avoid expensive refrigeration in the overhead condensers, and also the
additional C2 compression cost (if there is any).

Best regards,

#4 Padmakar Katre

Gold Member


ChE Plus Subscriber


958 posts
Posted 28 June 2010 - 01:11 AM

Dear,
Addition to the above two comments, the operating pressure is always a function of the
propane plus components(C3+) slip in de-ethanizer overhead and the available chilling
medium. The industrial operating pressure for any de-ethanizer column is in the range of 25-
32(32.5 max Reference is 'Steady state modeling of refining processes by Gerald Kaes') bar
with marginal propane slip. Again it depends the ovhd condenser configuration, as the product
is at its dew point or bubble point.You can go for lower pressure with lesser theoretical trays
and higher column diameter as well the lower pressure steam/lower temperature heating
medium but the condenser temperature is also very low so consider the propane or propylene
refrigeration.

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