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condenser A distillation column, as shown in the figure to the right s a device

ID: 532081 • Letter: C

Question

condenser A distillation column, as shown in the figure to the right s a device used to separate components with different volatilities. In a specific process, a distillation column is used to separate a feed stream containing 0.5100 mo ethan reflux overhead product and 0.4900 mol water/mol into two product streams: an overhead stream that is ethanol-rich and a bottoms stream that is water-rich. Vapor containing feed Distillation 0.8280 mol ethanollmol (and 0.1720 mol water/mol) Column eaves the top of the distillation column and enters a condenser, where the stream condenses completely boilup nto a liquid. This stream is then split, the reflux returns to the column and the overhead product leaves the process. The ratio of the flow rates of reflux to overhead product is given by the reflux ratio reboiler flow rate of reflux bottoms product flow rate of overhead product and for this particular process, R- 1.54. Liquid leaving the bottom of the distillation column enters a reboiler, where a fraction of the stream is vaporized and returns to the distillation column as boilup, while the quid fraction leaves the process as bottoms product. The composition of the boilup and the bottoms product streams are governed by the relative volatility, a, of ethanol and water xp

Explanation / Answer

F = 3 = D + B = 2 + B B = 1 mol/unit time

50 = 0.90D + 0.10B D = 50 kmol/h,

B = 50 kmol/h

Operating line yV + xBB

= xL

y = xL/V xBB/V = 1.5x 0.02×1/2 = 1.5x 0.01

Overall balance yDD + xBB = xFF yD = xFF/D xBB/D = 0.1×1.5 0.02×1/2 = 0.14

The number of theoretical plates required can be determined from the following Matlab codes: