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Principle
Diagram of operation
How operating conditions are manipulated
Ethanol water mixture
Show difference of Homogeneous and heterogeneous azeotropic. Give example to
show difference.
Some binary azeotrope mixtures lose its azeotropic behavior when the system pressure is
changed. In this case, this binary azeotrope mixture can be separated using pressure swing
distillation without using entrainer. Two distillations operate in series both at different pressure.
However, Pressure-swing distillation can only separate a pressure-sensitive azeotrope. For
example, ethanol-water mixture forms binary azeotrope at composition of 95.6 % Ethanol and
4.4% Water at ambient pressure.
Diagram of operation
Let A= Water,
B = Ethanol
As the pressure decreases from P2 to P1, the azeotropic composition shifts to the left, towards a
smaller percentage of A as shown in figure. The feed F 1 with composition XF1 enters the first
column at low pressure P1. Feed F1 is the sum of fresh feed, F and recycled distillate, D 2 from
the second column. The fresh feed is richer in component A than the azeotrope mixture, while
recycled distillate, D2 has composition close to the azeotrope at pressure P2.
The feed F1 is richer in A than the azeotrope at P1, therefore it now can be separated by
distillation. The bottom product from the first column is almost pure A. The distillate, D 1, is
slightly richer in A than the azeotrope at P1 but less rich in A than the azeotrope at P 2. The second
column operates at higher pressure P 2. The bottom product is almost pure B and the distillate is
the recycled distillate,D2.
Method of separation
Homogeneous azeotropic distillation: The entrainer (used to alter the boiling point of mixture)
is completely miscible with the components of the mixture. It may form homogeneous
azeotropes with the original mixture components. The distillation is carried out in a conventional
single-feed column, such as extractive distillation/pressure swing distillation.
Heterogeneous azeotropic distillation: The entrainer forms a heteroazeotrope with at least one
of the original mixture components. The distillation is carried out in a combined column and
decanter system.
Homogeneous azeotropic distillation can be carried out using pressure swing distillation, as
already shown in question 1.
Distillation condition
Homogeneous azeotropic distillation
The entrainer alters the relative volatility of the two azeotropic constituents without inducing
liquid-liquid separation. Some homogeneous azeotropic pressure sensitive component can be
separated using pressure-swing distillation, where two or more distillation columns operating at
different pressures with a recycle stream to achieve the desired separation. However, if the
change in azeotrope composition is small, the pressure-swing distillation will have very large
recycle flowrates, making the process inefficient and uneconomical process. Separation recycle
reflux reaches maximum for some mixture, and it can achieve with the same specifications with
a larger number of trays and requires a larger reflux. At infinite reflux, no separation is achieved.
For some mixture, the only separation yields the intermediate component as a pure distillate,
while the bottom product contains the light and heavy components. Sometimes the separation
yields the intermediate component as a pure bottom product while the distillate contains the light
and heavy components. For a minimum boiling azeotrope, the entrainer selection rules state that
one should use a component that introduces no distillation boundary between the azeotropic
constituents, and either a low or high boiling component that introduces no additional azeotrope
or a component which introduces new minimum boiling azeotropes.
Small changes in bottoms products purity specs can significantly impact the column
temperature profile.
Small changes in the reflux ratio can significantly change the temperature profile.
Small deviation in pressure can move the overhead composition outside the
heterogeneous region, which can cause column failure.