NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF COLOMBIA

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
ADVANCED SEPARATION OPERATIONS
MODULE 2

Name: Diego Nicolás Mancera Martínez

Cod: 02245587

- EXCERSICE 1

Evaluating the experimental data with the thermodynamic model

provided by the simulator, the closest model that can validate the
experimental data is NRTL. This model represents in an equal manner
the data, the experimental points are so close to the lines represented by
the thermodynamic model. Plotting experimental vs estimated data, the
validation it is good.

The basic operating conditions for the columns are:

- Column 1:

Pressure: 2.5 bar

Temperature: 93.5 ºC
Feed concentration: 40% Acetone – 60% Chloroform
Top concentration: 30% Acetone – 70% Chloroform
Bottom concentration: 99% Acetone – 1% Chloroform

- Column 2:

Pressure: 0.9 bar

Temperature: 61 ºC
Feed concentration: 30% Acetone – 70% Chloroform
Top concentration: 1% Acetone – 99% Chloroform
Bottom concentration: 35% Acetone – 65% Chloroform

The first column is the highest pressure due to the azeotropic point, it
has a lower concentration of acetone compared with the azeotropic point
at 0.9 bar. The plant limitations are satisfied, and it is possible to get
temperatures between the restrictions. In this configuration, it can get a
high purity of the components, and the bottoms in column 2 should be a
recycle to the first column to increase the performance. Approximately,
the first column requires 30 plates and the second 20 plates.
 - EXERCISE 2

This exercise sought to create a new module for Aspen plus. This
represents a separation membrane for the ethanol-water system. The
membrane was created in Aspen Custom Modeler and it requires the
basic equations like mass balance, component balance, pressure,
temperature, stage-cut and separation factor.

It is necessary to run the simulation in this program, and it gets 0.99

ethanol in purity in the retentate. With this result, the model is export to
Aspen, and connected to the distillation column with the recycle.

The simulation gets 99% ethanol in the retentate again. And 50% ethanol
in the permeate. It is possible to create a module for Aspen in case you
do not have the process that is required to evaluate. For this to be
possible, the basic equations governing the behavior of the equipment
must be inserted. In this case, a membrane is created to separate an
ethanol-water system. By obtaining a high purity of ethanol it can be
concluded that the membrane correctly replaces a second distillation
column in the process.

Thus, membranes are an alternative to replace more expensive

separation columns to build and keep in operation. The important thing
in this type of operation is to develop the appropriate technology to create
membranes more efficient and related to the different compounds that
are wanted to separate.

By implementing a membrane instead of a separation column or other

equipment to separate components, costs can be reduced by obtaining
the same quality of product, or perhaps better than that obtained with a
conventional process.
 - EXCERSICE 3

In this exercise, we sought to design a desalination membrane by reverse

osmosis. With a pressure loss delta of 5 bar and an osmotic pressure of
3.2 bar, it is possible to retain 92% of salt. Then, when feasible, this is
the driving force that makes separation possible. With this, a small flux
is obtained, thus requiring a large contact area to separate the salt from
the water.

A good idea is to have several membranes in series that allow as much

separation as possible. Being a technology that does not need high
operating costs, and high yields are obtained, the necessary amount of
membranes can be implemented for total separation.

To improve the design of this equipment, account should be taken of the

other salts present in sea water, and the variation of viscosity with the
change in salt concentration. The control system that could be
implemented in this equipment should be one that maintains the
pressure loss on the membrane greater than the osmotic pressure to
ensure that the water moves in the direction of the low concentration
solution. It is also important to keep the membrane free of solid waste so
that the separation performance is not diminished and product quality is
ensured. It should also ensure that the water flux remains, as a drop in
flow could cause the salt is not retained properly and could decrease
performance.
Attachments

Figure 1. Experimental data vs thermodynamic model NRTL validation

Figure 2. T-xy diagram Acetone-Chloroform at 0.9 and 2.5 bar