SAMPLE PROBLEM #8:

A charge of 250 lb of 70 mol% benzene and

30 mol% toluene is subjected to batch differential
distillation at atmospheric pressure. Determine the
compositions of the distillate and residue after
one-third of the original mass is distilled off.
Assume the mixture forms an ideal solution and
apply Raoult’s and Dalton’s laws with vapor-
pressure data.
SOLUTION
V=1/3L1

condenser

L1 = 250lb
1 ATM D
x1 = 0.7
L, x
Assume mixture is ideal
still pot solution
Apply Raoult’s and Dalton’s
XD , X = ? law with VP data
• Given the vapor pressure data
P
RAOULT’S LAW: C6H6  x P 
C6H6 C6H6

DALTON’S LAW: PC6H6  PC7H8  P

- Combining Dalton and Raoult’s Law we get:

 
PC 6H6 x C6H6  PC 7H8 1 x C6H6  P
P  PC7H8

therefore: x C 6H6
PC 6H6  PC 7H8

PC6H6 PC 6H6 x C6H6

y C 6H 6  
P P
 • Vapor-pressure data
P
C6H6 , kPa C7H8 , kPa
P 
x y
123.3 48.7 0.7054 0.8584
125.0 49.4 0.6868 0.8473
126.8 50.2 0.6674 0.8352
128.7 51.0 0.6477 0.8227
130.6 51.9 0.6280 0.8095

Using the equation below, we could solve for x & y simultaneously

P  PC7H8 PC 6H6 x C6H6
x C 6 H6  and y C H 
PC 6H6  PC 7H8 6 6
P
• Graphical representation

6.8

6.4
AREA 1
6
1/(y-x)

AREA 2
n1
5.6 AREA 3 n2
AREA 4
5.2 n3
n4
4.8
0.628 0.6674 0.7054
x
Using Rayleigh Equation
x ?
 dx L  32 L 0 
  ln   ln   0.4055
x 0 0.7 y  x  L0   L0 
Using the data obtained from Table 1 we could
solve for 1/(y-x)
1 1
  6.5363
 y - x   0.8584    0.7054 
Using the graph we could solve for the total
area using Trapezoidal Rule:
f  x0  f  xn 
  k 
n 1
Tn  h{  f x }
2 k 1
2
• by graphical integration
x y 1/(y-x) Total Area
0.7054 0.8584 6.5363
0.6868 0.8473 6.2312 -0.1187
0.6674 0.8352 5.9593 -0.2370
0.6477 0.8227 5.7148 -0.3522
0.6280 0.8095 5.5112 -0.4626
• Interpolating the values at the total area
x ?
 dx
=   0.4055, x = 0.6382
x 0 0.7 y  x

Using Material Balance

L 0 x 0  Lx L 0 x 0  32 L 0 x
x D,av  
L0  L L 0  32 L 0

L 0  0.7   32 L 0  0.6382 
therefore: x D,av   0.8236
L0  3 L0
2

xD = 0.8236
x = 0.6382