Activity 3: Distillation with side stream

Problem

A rectification column is fed 1000 kmol/h of a mixture of 50 mol% benzene and 50 mol% toluene at
101.325 kPa absolute pressure. The feed enters the tower at 95 degrees Celsius. The distillate is to
contain 90 mol% benzene and the bottoms 5 mol% benzene. The reflux ratio is 1.5 times the minimum
reflux.

1. Determine the minimum reflux ratio.

2. Determine the feed condition and the value of q.
3. If a side stream with a composition of 70 mol% benzene is withdrawn from the column as a
saturated liquid at the same rate with that of the distillate,
a. How many equilibrium stages are required?
b. At what stage should the side stream be withdrawn?
c. What is the optimal feed stage?
4. If an additional side stream with a composition of 20 mol % benzene is withdrawn as a saturated
vapor at half the rate of the bottom’s flow rate,
a. How many equilibrium stages are required?
b. At what stage should the side stream be withdrawn?
c. What is the optimal feed stage?
 Activity 4: Distillation using Ponchon-Savarit Method

Problem 1

A mixture of 40 mol% benzene and 60 mol% toluene is to be separated by distillation at atmospheric

pressure into products of 98% purity using a reflux ratio two times the minimum value. If the feed enters
at (a) 25 0C, (b) at its boiling temperature and (c) 100 0C, determine

1. Minimum reflux ratio (using McCabe-Thiele Method)

2. Feed condition and q-value
3. Number of equilibrium stages required for the separation (using Ponchon-Savarit Method)
4. Reboiler duty
5. Condenser duty

Problem 2

A saturated liquid feed of 200 mol/h at the boiling point containing 42 mol% heptane and 58% ethyl
benzene is to be fractionated at 101.325 kPa abs to give a distillate containing 97 mol% heptane and a
bottoms containing 1.1 mol% heptane. The reflux ratio used is 2.5:1. Calculate

1. Distillate flow rate

2. Bottoms flow rate
3. Optimum feed stage
4. Number of equilibrium stages (using Ponchon-Savarit Method)
5. Reboiler duty
6. Condenser duty

Equilibrium data for Heptane-Ethyl Benzene is given below.

Temperature (0C) xA yA
136.1 0 0
129.4 0.08 0.23
119.4 0.25 0.514
110.6 0.485 0.73
102.8 0.79 0.904
98.3 1.00 1.00