19-Jul-20

Distillation Basics
Ahmed Yehia
Process Engineer

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Ahmed Yehia – Process Engineer

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Contents
• Principles of Distillation
• Distillation system configuration
• Condenser configuration
• Reboiler configuration
• Distillation column configuration
• Column internals
• Reflux
• Troubleshooting
Ahmed Yehia – Process Engineer

Principles of distillation
• Distillation is a separation process requires differences to be
recognized and utilized.
• Separation by distillation implies a difference in boiling points
of two or more materials.
• We separate many things by detecting a difference in a physical
properties.

color, size, weight, shape

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Principles of distillation
The basic principle of distillation is simple:
• When a solution of two or more components is boiled,
• The lighter component vaporizes preferentially.

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Principles of distillation
Therefore, to purify the distillate product, we may have to conduct
a second distillation.

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Principles of distillation
• This is called Flash Vaporization.

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Principles of distillation

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Distillation system configuration

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System components condenser

• OVHD gas
• OVHD vapour
• vent
Rectification
section reflux  OVHD liquid
 distillate
Reflux drum Overhead outlets/products
column feed/inlet

column
reboiler

Stripping drum
section

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bottom product

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System stages

stages

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Atmospheric
distillation column OVHD gas

OVHD liquid

column feed

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bottom product

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Vacuum
distillation column OVHD gas

OVHD liquid

column feed

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bottom product

Vacuum distillation column

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Vacuum distillation column

Continuity equation

A1V1=A2V2
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Vacuum distillation column

Bernoulli equation

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Vacuum
distillation column OVHD gas

OVHD liquid

column feed

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bottom product

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Vacuum distillation column

OVHD gas

OVHD liquid

column feed

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bottom product

Vacuum distillation column

Stage 1 Stage 2

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Pressurized
distillation column OVHD gas

OVHD liquid

column feed

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bottom product

Binary
distillation column OVHD gas

A
OVHD liquid

column feed

A+B

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B
bottom product

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Multicomponent
distillation column OVHD gas

A+B
OVHD liquid

column feed

A+B+
C+D+
….

C + D + ….
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bottom product

Distillation column OVHD gas

A+B
Inlet steam/s OVHD liquid

column feed
side draws/products
A+B+
C+D+
….

C + D + ….
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bottom product

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Fractionating column OVHD gas

A+B
OVHD liquid

column feed

A+B+
C+D+
….

C + D + ….
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bottom product

Azeotropic
distillation column OVHD gas

A+C
OVHD liquid

column feed

A+B+C

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B
bottom product

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Extractive
distillation column OVHD gas

A
OVHD liquid

column feed

A+B+C

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B+C
bottom product

Stabilizer column
OVHD gas

A
OVHD liquid

column feed

A + A*

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A*
bottom product

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Stabilizer column
OVHD gas
A
column feed

A + A*

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A*
bottom product

Stabilizer column
OVHD gas
A
column feed

A + A*

steam

bottom product A*
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One day my mother served me a bowl of mushroom

soup which I didn’t want to eat. I disliked mushroom
soup
Norman I hated the taste of mushrooms
Mother I’ve spent all day cooking. You’re not going
outside till you eat that soup.
Norman Mom, the soup is too hot. I’ll burn my
tongue.
Mother Norman, blow across the soup to cool it off.
Norman Mom, why will blowing across the soup cool
it off? How does that work?
At this point your typical mother would slap the kid
in the head and say, “Children in Europe are
starving. Shut up and eat your soup.” But not my
mother.

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Stabilizer column
OVHD gas
A
column feed

A + A*

steam

bottom product A*
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Stripper column
OVHD gas

column feed

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bottom product

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Scrubber column
OVHD gas

column feed

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bottom product

Rectifier column
OVHD gas

OVHD liquid

column feed

bottom product

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Absorber column
OVHD gas

liquid feed

gas feed

bottom product

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Liquid liquid extraction distillation column

OVHD product (liquid)

liquid feed

liquid feed

bottom product

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Distillation column with Side stripper

Steam stripped Reboiled

steam

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Distillation column with Side rectifier

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Condenser configuration

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OVHD gas
Condenser
Partial
OVHD liquid

OVHD gas

Full reflux

Total
OVHD liquid

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Condenser
OVHD gas

OVHD liquid

OVHD gas OVHD gas OVHD gas

heavy light light heavy heavy light

liquid liquid liquid liquid liquid liquid
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Reboiler configuration

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Reboiler – heat exchanger or fired heater

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Reboiler - kettle type heat exchanger

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Reboiler – thermosiphon heat exchanger

natural
circulation

forced
circulation

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Reboiler – thermosiphon heat exchanger

natural
circulation

• The reboiler shell is like the fish tank.

• The reboiler vapor is like the air.
• The reboiler return pipe is like the riser tube.
• The distillation tower is like the filter.

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Distillation column configuration

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Distillation column

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Column internals
• Trays
• Packing
• Bottom Strainer
• Reflux distributor
• Top tower demister
• Vortex breaker

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Trays

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Trays

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Trays
Downcomers
• Reflux flows down from one tray to
the next through downcomers.
• Downcomers must be large
enough to allow for drainage from
one tray to the next or flooding
might occur on some of the trays.

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Trays
Inlet Weirs
• These contribute to the uniform
distribution of liquid as it enters
the tray from the down comer.
• It is not recommended for fluids
that are dirty or tend to foul
surfaces.

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Trays
Outlet Weirs
• These are necessary to maintain
seal on the tray, thus insuring
bubbling of vapors through liquid.

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Trays
Weep Holes
• Holes for drainage must be adequate to drain the tower
in a reasonable time, yet not too large to interfere with
tray action.

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Trays
Flow Pass
• In a one-pass system, liquid
flows completely across
each tray.
• In the two-and three-pass
systems, liquid flows across
the trays in different
direction(s).

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Trays
Flow Pass

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Trays
Drawoff Pan (trapout pans)
• trays where a side stream is
being drawn off.
• The risers on a tray are much
taller than normal to prevent
vapor-liquid contact on this tray.
• These low areas on trays are
called trapout pans.
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Trays
Sieve tray
• This tray is a sheet of light metal
with a large number of holes.
• Because the sieve deck tray has
fixed openings and does not
have covers over the holes, it
does not perform well if tower
loads are constantly changing.

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Trays
Valve Tray
• A valve tray has a variable
opening for vapors to flow
through.
• The hole has a cover that
consists of a cap held in place by
guides which go down through
the plate, or tray and hook
underneath it.
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Trays
Bubble Cap Tray
• The vapor is broken into small bubbles which increases
the surface area for vapor-liquid contact.
• The bubble cap sits on top of a riser.
• The riser channels vapors into the bubble cap.

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Trays
Comparison between Common Conventional Trays.
# Factors Sieve Valve Bubble-Cap
1 Capacity High medium medium
2 Efficiency High medium medium
3 Turndown ~50% ~25-30% 10%
4 Entrainment Low medium High
5 Pressure Drop Low medium High
6 Cost Low ~1.5 times ~ 2-3 times
7 Maintenance Low medium High
8 Fouling Low medium High
Effects of
9 Low medium High
Corrosion

Sieve tray
• Efficiency: As high as bubble caps in
region of design, but falls to
unacceptable values when capacity
reduces below 60% (approximately)

Bubble Cap
• Efficiency: most data are for this
type, as high as other tray designs.

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Ahmed Yehia – Process Engineer

Packing

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Packing
Advantages of Packed Columns
• Used for corrosive liquids.
• The liquid hold-up is lower in a packed column than a
plate column.
• More suitable for handling foaming systems.
• Lower pressure drop.
• Packing should always be considered for small
diameter columns, say less than 0.6 m.
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Bottom Strainer
• During the operation of a tower:
 The bubble caps,
 Bolts, and
 Other foreign objects
• may be dislodged and carried
along with bottom stream.

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Reflux distributor
• Reflux entering the top of the tower should be spread
evenly across the top tray to avoid dead spots.
• The min flow is determined during spray test

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Top tower demister

• Sometimes small drops of
liquid suspended in vapor are
carried up from one tray to
the next or into the overhead
vapor line.
• This is called entrainrnent.
• Demisters are constructed of
fine-gauge wire knitted into
mesh.
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Vortex breaker
• A vortex breaker is a device
used in engineering to stop the
formation of a vortex when
• The formation of vortices
can entrain vapor in the liquid
stream, leading to poor
separation in process steps such
as distillation or excessive pressure drop, or
causing damage of downstream pumps.
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Reflux
• The word reflux is defined as: "flowing back“
• reflux is: The liquid flowing back down the tower from each
successive stage.
• Kinds of Reflux
Cold Reflux Hot Reflux
Internal Reflux Circulating / Side Reflux

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Cold Reflux
• The liquid that is
supplied at temperature
a little below that at the
top of the tower.
• Each pound of this reflux
removes a quantity of
heat equal to the sum of
its: latent and sensible
heat

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Hot Reflux
• It is the reflux that is
admitted to the tower at
the same temperature as
that maintained at the
top of the tower.
• It is capable of removing
the latent heat because
no difference in
temperature is involved.

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Internal Reflux
• It is the liquid that overflow from
one plate to another in the tower,
and may be called hot reflux
because it is always substantially
at its boiling point.
• It also capable of removing the
latent heat only because no
difference in temperature is
involved.
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Circulating / Side Reflux

• It is able to remove only the
sensible heat which is
represented by its change Side pump around
in temperature as it
circulates.
• The reflux is withdrawn and
is returned to the tower
after having been cooled.

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Circulating / Side Reflux (Back wash)

Run back

Pump back Pump back

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Vapor bypass / over flash / over vaporization

Vapor

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Reflux Ratio
• It is defined as the amount of internal reflux divided by the amount of top
product. It is denoted by R which equals L/D.
The Importance of Reflux Ratio
• In general, increasing the reflux:
 Improves overhead purity, and
 Increases recovery of the bottom product.
• The number of stages required for a given separation will be dependent
upon the reflux ratio used.

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Troubleshooting
• Flooding
• Dry Trays
• Damaged trays
• Water in column
• Foaming
• Condenser fogging
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Flooding

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Dry Trays

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Damaged trays

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Water in column

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Foaming

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Condenser fogging

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Hydraulic plot

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Hydraulic plot

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Distillation Basics
Ahmed Yehia
Process Engineer

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