Fields in which distillation is used

Improper pressure balance — Distillation columns must pressure balance. The fact is often overlooked by operators but remains a key principle.

These pressure gradients are essential for separation quality and efficiency. Improper column mass balance — Operators should also routinely monitor the column mass balance. The practice can diagnose faulty level controllers, flow meters, and analyze results. Good flow and level instruments are essential for these and other troubleshooting efforts.

Reflux ratio — Every column comes with a critical vapor and liquid ratio in its rectifying section. Operators should know the affects of a varying reflux ratio on the quality of the distillation. Knowing what this ratio should be, as well as monitoring it, can help resolve problems as they arise, or even before.

Regular analysis of the distillation column — Depending on its size, the distillation column may be analyzed via x-ray or gamma scan. The idea is to give operators a better understanding of the physical structure inside. This can be very helpful when diagnosing a mechanical defect involved with weeping, flooding, or other physical damage to the column.

Remember that distillation is one of the most important processes in a refinery or other process plant. AMACS is a trusted equipment contractor that replaces in kind distillation equipment and manufactures custom equipment. Please call or e-mail us with your requirements for responsive service. Some of this liquid is recycled back to the top of the column and this is called the reflux.

The condensed liquid that is removed from the system is known as the distillate or top product. Thus, there are internal flows of vapour and liquid within the column as well as external flows of feeds and product streams, into and out of the column. Part 2: Column Internals. What is a Distillation Column.. Types of Distillation Columns There are many types of distillation columns, each designed to perform specific types of separations, and each design differs in terms of complexity.

Batch Columns In batch operation, the feed to the column is introduced batch-wise. Continuous Columns In contrast, continuous columns process a continuous feed stream. All rights reserved. You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. Mae West. Once the pressure beneath the riser valve reaches a certain level, the riser lifts up and the vapours mix with the liquid on the tray.

Valve trays are sort of a cross between a sieve tray and a bubble cap plate. Instead of having discrete plates inside a column, you can simply pour a bunch of tiny metal, ceramic or plastic pieces into the column. The reflux will flow down the pieces and mix with the rising vapours. In a properly designed randomly packed column, greater separation can be obtained vs bubble caps, valve trays of sieve trays in the same column height.

Usually the random packing is small metal rings. Random packing columns need a plate called a distribution plate or distributor every so often down the column, to ensure reflux is running evenly over all the packed rings and not down the walls. The distrubution plate is generally just a perforated metal plate with central holes.

Structured packing is like a porous piece of metal honeycomb with channels designed in it to flow reflux down the column. They are more expensive than random packing, but can often have higher efficiency than random packing and less pressure drop. For making Seacliff Vodka at our distillery in Wollongong, NSW Australia, we first run a super energy efficient continuous distillation. Our continuous still is tiny compared to industrial versions, but it is packed full of tech!

Pressure sensors, automated valves, thermocouples galore, all plugged into an industrial computer which controls everything called a Programmable Logic Controller PLC and we are proud to say we built and programmed everything ourselves from scratch. The stripping section of the column uses sieve trays, because we still have a small amount of fine solids in the feed and sieve trays handle solids very well. We preheat the feed with both the first condenser and the bottoms waste water through a heat exchanger.

The feed is pumped about half way up the distillation column, already very hot, practically for free. Above the feed we use random packing, made of small stainless steel Pall Rings, with a plug of pure copper mesh in the top of the column.

The bottoms product water with some proteins, husks and other nutrients is concentrated and given to a local farmer as a nutrient rich animal feed. The next distillations are done in batch mode. The sieve trays are removed from the column and repacked with distribution plates and more Pall Rings. For our gin and whisky, the still is rebuilt again into a hybrid pot still mode which allows the alcohol to be taken off at a lower percentage, carrying through more flavour.

The water ethanol azeotrope is at around Spirits for drinking are always classified by alcohol per volume. May the God u worship grant u more wisdom. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

There are two main categories of distillation columns, batch and continuous. Batch distillation Batch refers to a distillation setup where there is one tank called a boiler, just a tank with a heat source which will be filled with a finite amount of material to be distilled and then closed shut. Chandrakant Dixit on May 17, at am. Very useful information ever read. Thanks Reply. Headlands Distilling Co. Thanks Chandrakant!! Murali on November 29, at pm.