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A fractionating column or fractional column is equipment used in the distillation of liquid mixtures to separate the mixture into its component parts, or fractions, based on their differences in volatility. Fractionating columns are used in small-scale laboratory distillations as well as large-scale industrial distillations.
Industrial distillation [41] [49] is typically performed in large, vertical cylindrical columns known as distillation towers or distillation columns with diameters ranging from about 0.65 to 16 metres (2 ft 2 in to 52 ft 6 in) and heights ranging from about 6 to 90 metres (20 to 295 ft) or more.
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 ...
The McCabe–Thiele method is a technique that is commonly employed in the field of chemical engineering to model the separation of two substances by a distillation column. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] It uses the fact that the composition at each theoretical tray is completely determined by the mole fraction of one of the two components.
Proper reboiler operation is vital to effective distillation. In a typical classical distillation column, all the vapor driving the separation comes from the reboiler. The reboiler receives a liquid stream from the column bottom and may partially or completely vaporize that stream. Steam usually provides the heat required for the vaporization.
Inside the column, the downflowing reflux liquid provides cooling and condensation of the upflowing vapors thereby increasing the efficiency of the distillation column. The more reflux provided for a given number of theoretical plates, the better is the column's separation of lower boiling materials from higher boiling materials. Conversely ...
The two major types of distillation columns used are tray and packing columns. Packing columns are normally used for smaller towers and loads that are corrosive or temperature-sensitive or for vacuum service where pressure drop is important. Tray columns, on the other hand, are used for larger columns with high liquid loads.
The pressure at the top is maintained at 1.2–1.5 atm [2] so that the distillation can be carried out at close to atmospheric pressure, and therefore it is known as the atmospheric distillation column. [3] The vapors from the top of the column are a mixture of hydrocarbon gases and naphtha, at a temperature of 120 °C–130 °C.