MAXIMUM FRACTIONATION BY DISTILLATION OF SYSTEMS WITH CONSTANT RELATIVE VOLATILITIES

This paper addresses the problem of shortcut simulation of a continuous distillation column. A computationally inexpensive approach is presented which considers the separation of a given feed in a column with an infinite number of stages in both the enriching and the stripping sections. The results so obtained represent the maximum fractionation that can be achieved for the given mixture at the given operating conditions. Reference is made to multicomponent systems with constant relative volatilities, and the classical Underwood equations are used. Examples are presented that show a good agreement with the results obtained in the case of a column with a limited number of theoretical stages. Due to its simplicity, the method appears to be an attractive tool for preliminary studies on distillation column design, operability, and control.