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In the industrial applications of classical distillation, the term distillation is used as a unit of operation that identifies and denotes a process of physical separation, not a chemical reaction; thus an industrial installation that produces distilled beverages, is a distillery of alcohol. These are some applications of the chemical ...
Distillation replicates the way nature makes rain. The sun's energy heats water to the point of evaporation. As the water evaporates, its vapour rises, condensing into water again as it cools. This process leaves behind impurities, such as salts and heavy metals, and eliminates microbiological organisms. The result is pure (potable) water.
Image 1: Typical industrial distillation towers Image 2: A crude oil vacuum distillation column as used in oil refineries. Continuous distillation, a form of distillation, is an ongoing separation in which a mixture is continuously (without interruption) fed into the process and separated fractions are removed continuously as output streams.
Figure 5: Section of fractionating tower of Figure 4 showing detail of a pair of trays with bubble caps Figure 6: Entire view of a Distillation Column. In industrial uses, sometimes a packing material is used in the column instead of trays, especially when low pressure drops across the column are required, as when operating under vacuum.
This is known as continuous, steady-state fractional distillation. Industrial distillation is typically performed in large, vertical cylindrical columns known as "distillation or fractionation towers" or "distillation columns" with diameters ranging from about 0.65 to 6 meters (2 to 20 ft) and heights ranging from about 6 to 60 meters (20 to ...
The concept of theoretical plates in designing distillation processes has been discussed in many reference texts. [2] [3] Any physical device that provides good contact between the vapor and liquid phases present in industrial-scale distillation columns or laboratory-scale glassware distillation columns constitutes a "plate" or "tray". Since an ...
Everyday applications and examples [ edit ] Boiling tea leaves in water extracts the tannins, theobromine, and caffeine out of the leaves and into the water, as an example of a solid-liquid extraction.
Often these raw materials must go through a separation before they can be put to productive use, making separation techniques essential for the modern industrial economy. The purpose of separation may be: analytical: to identify the size of each fraction of a mixture is attributable to each component without attempting to harvest the fractions.