Upload
lengoc
View
227
Download
4
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING Chemical, Biological & Environmental Engineering
IMPROVED UNIT OPERATIONS
DISTILLATION COLUMN LAB
What is distillation? Conclusions
What do current senior chemical
engineers work with?
Improvement options
Column requirements
Key challenge – Fit the column
in Johnson Hall
New column progress
Future work
Acknowledgements
• Andy Brickman – design advice and oversight, column
assembly and machining
• John Cochran – reboiler system advice and oversight,
column assembly and cooling water connections
• Greyson Termini – Part machining and structural consult
• Bill Crocker – Written report on original column
operation
• Jason Lundy – Steam connection
• Dr. Phil Harding – project supervisor, column assembly
guidance and support
• Install feed and bottoms pumps with associated
plumbing
• Repair and reinstall large reboiler
• Boil water and collect temperature data for
steam inlets and outlets, feed, bottoms, and
distillate streams
• Modify column as needed, and record
adjustments for future operators
• Prepare column and inventory for move to
Johnson Hall
• Column scale-down was successful, will fit in
Johnson Hall and will provide an outstanding
experiential learning opportunity for students
• Large reboiler, when repaired, has a heat duty of
13.6 kW and will produce 0.1 L/min of 70 wt.%
ethanol distillate
• Estimated start-up time is 50 minutes
• Reflux ratio is electronically controllable
• Fits inside 11’4” x 2’4” x 8’4” space designated
in Johnson Hall
• Designed for students to operate safely with
regards to high temperature steam usage and
sample collection at elevated heights
• Start-up, operation, and shutdown take less
than 3 hour lab time
• Produces distillate at 0.1 L/min of 70 wt.% EtOH
• Various feed locations and controllable reflux
ratio
Figure 2. Current distillation column
for senior chemical engineers
Distillation is a chemical separation technique
prevalent throughout industry in processes such as:
• Acrylic acid production
• Petroleum manufacturing
• Pollution control
Chemical separation is achieved by vaporizing the
chemical with the highest volatility, that is, the
lowest boiling point, and leaving the other
chemical in the liquid phase. The more volatile
chemical will exit via the distillate, while the less
volatile will leave in the bottoms.
Matthew Bates, Mohammed Al-Yaarubi, Taylor Petersen
Figure 1. General distillation column with distillate and
bottoms streams containing the high and low volatility
chemicals, respectively.
• Column is 21” tall
with a 1” ID
• Two equilibrium
stages
• Limited separation
• Cannot control or
adjust reflux
Figure 4. Original column space (blue)
and Johnson Hall space (black)
Figure 5. Solid Works model of the new distillation
column design showing current progress and fluid flow
within the column.
Figure 6. Current distillation column progress with
medium sized reboiler (0.5 m2 area). The column will
move from Gleeson to Johnson Hall this fall.
Figure 7. Large reboiler
(1.5 m2 area) has the
heat duty to produce 0.1
L/min distillate
Figure 8. Condenser and reflux
sections condense the vapor
and split the flow between the
distillate and reflux
How do we reduce the column height from 20’ to
11’ and depth from 7’ to 28”?
• Cut from 9 ideal stages to 5
• Reconfigure feed and reboiler pots to sit at the
same height
Figure 3. Designated column space in
Johnson Hall outlined in blue. Space is
11’4” x 2’4” x 8’4”
One option for distillation column improvement was
to modify the column shown in Figure 2, another was
to purchase a new column. The last option was to
resurrect the Corning distillation column which
formerly stood in Gleeson Hall. The Corning column
uses tray based separation, has little cost, and will
make a great addition to the new lab space when
Johnson Hall opens in September, 2016.
Condenser
Reflux
Column
Reboiler