Height of column

The equation below can be used to predict the height of the distillation column:

Hc = (N+1)*Hs+H+plate thickness
Equation 21: Determination of Column Height

Where:

N: The actual number of plates (stages) required = 27

Hs: The tray spacing = 800mm (0.8m) (choose a value between 0.5-1.2 m)
H: The distance of liquid holdup and vapour disengagement = 2m (assume)
Plate Thickness = 5mm (0.005m)

Substitution of all values gives a column height of: [(27 + 1) 0.8] +2 + 0.005 =
24.405 m

The height of the column is therefore predicted to be approximately 24.4 m tall.