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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.
For example, if the feed is a saturated liquid, q = 1 and the slope of the q-line is infinite (drawn as a vertical line). As another example, if the feed is saturated vapor, q = 0 and the slope of the q-line is 0 (a horizontal line). [2] The typical McCabe–Thiele diagram in Figure 1 uses a q-line representing a partially vaporized feed.
The apparatus is assembled as in the diagram. (The diagram represents a batch apparatus as opposed to a continuous apparatus.) The mixture is put into the round-bottomed flask along with a few anti-bumping granules (or a Teflon-coated magnetic stirrer bar if using magnetic stirring), and the fractionating column is fitted into the top. The ...
[1] [2] Fractions are collected based on differences in a specific property of the individual components. A common trait in fractionations is the need to find an optimum between the amount of fractions collected and the desired purity in each fraction. Fractionation makes it possible to isolate more than two components in a mixture in a single run.
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Phase diagram (left) and process flow diagram (right) of an apparatus for the azeotropic distillation with "material separation agent". In this case the phase diagram includes a zone where components are not miscible, so following the condensation of the azeotrope, it is possible to separate the liquid components through decantation.
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.
Laboratory distillation set-up using, without a fractionating column 1: Heat source 2: Still pot 3: Still head 4: Thermometer/Boiling point temperature 5: Condenser 6: Cooling water in 7: Cooling water out 8: Distillate/receiving flask 9: Vacuum/gas inlet 10: Still receiver 11: Heat control 12: Stirrer speed control 13: Stirrer/heat plate