DISTILLATION SYSTEM

Distillation - a process in which a liquid

or
vapour mixture of two or more
substances is

separated into its component fractions of

desired purity, by the application and

removal

of heat.

DISTILLATION SYSTEM
 For any liquid, the individual
molecules within the
Atmospheric pressure, P atm liquid are continuously in
motion

A small percentage of these

molecules attain enough
kinetic energy to leave
the liquid phase

This exerts an opposing

pressure on the
Vapor Pressure, P
atmosphere above the
solution known as the
vapor pressure, P

DISTILLATION SYSTEM
 When enough energy, in the form of heat, is
imparted to the solution the vapor pressure
becomes equal to the atmospheric pressure and
the liquid begins to boil

P < P atm P ≥ P atm

DISTILLATION SYSTEM
 The vapor
obtaine
d from a
boiling
liquid,
once
cooled,
will re-
condens
e to a
liquid
known
as the
distillate

The
complet
DISTILLATION SYSTEM e
 Separation of one liquid from another

A + B C + D
bp 60 o C bp 100 oC

Pure C?

Pure D?
C + D
Mixture of C + D?

DISTILLATION SYSTEM
TYPES OF DISTILLATION SYSTEM
 TYPES OF DISTILLATION COLUMNS

Batch Columns
• In batch operation, the feed to the column is introduced
batch-wise.

Continuous Columns

• continuous columns process a continuous feed stream. No

interruptions occur unless there is a problem with the
column or surrounding process units.

TYPES OF DISTILLATION SYSTEM

 CLASSIFICATION OF CONTINOUS
COLUMNS
 Nature of feed
◦ Binary column
◦ Multi component column

 Number of product streams

◦ Multi product column

 Feed exits
◦ Extractive distillation
◦ Azeotropic distillation

 Column Internals
◦ Packed columns
◦ Tray columns

TYPES OF DISTILLATION SYSTEM

 OTHER TYPES
 Simple Distillation

◦ Vapors produced are

immediately channeled
into a condenser which
cools and condenses the
vapors
◦ Used only to separate
liquids whose boiling
points differ by 25C

TYPES OF DISTILLATION SYSTEM

 OTHER TYPES
 Fractional Distillation

◦ Utilizes two or more vaporization

condensation cyclces, in succession,
to effect separation
◦ The fractionating column causes the
vaporization-condensation cycle to
repeat by providing multiple
surfaces for the cycle to take place

TYPES OF DISTILLATION SYSTEM

 Fractional Distillation

As the hot vapors leave the distilling

flask,
they condense on the first cold surface,
completing one vaporization-
condensation cycle.

Vapors from the

Distilling flask

TYPES OF DISTILLATION SYSTEM

Fractional Distillation
•Each vapor-condensation (or mini-
distillation) cycle is known as one theoretical
plate

•The length of distillation column required

to provide one theoretical plate of
separation is known as the height equivalent
theoretical plate (HETP)

This cycle will continue until the top of the

column is reached

Vapors from the

Distilling flask

TYPES OF DISTILLATION SYSTEM

 OTHER TYPES
 Steam Distillation
◦ Methods for distilling compounds which are heat
sensitive
◦ Involves a process using bubbling steam through
heated mixture of the raw material
◦ Applied for aromatic herbs and flowers

 Vacuum Distillation
◦ For compounds that have high boiling points

TYPES OF DISTILLATION SYSTEM

 OTHER TYPES  Air-sensitive
vacuum distillation

◦ For compounds that

have high boiling points
as well as air sensitive

◦ Perkin Triangle
apparatus can be used

TYPES OF DISTILLATION SYSTEM

 OTHER TYPES
 Short Path Distillation
◦ Use for compounds which are unstable at high
temperature
◦ Heating temperature can be considerably lower

 Destructive Distillation
◦ involves the strong heating of solids (often
organic material) in the absence of oxygen (to
prevent combustion) to evaporate various high-
boiling liquids

TYPES OF DISTILLATION SYSTEM

 OTHER TYPES
 Pervaporation Distillation
◦ method for the separation of mixtures of liquids
by partial vaporization through a non-porous
membrane.

 Dry Distillation
◦ a chemical reaction known as pyrolysis in which
solid substances are heated in a strongly reducing
atmosphere and any volatile fractions are
collected.

TYPES OF DISTILLATION SYSTEM

 OTHER TYPES
 Extractive Distillation
◦ distillation in the presence of a miscible, high
boiling, relatively non-volatile component, the
solvent, that forms no azeotrope with the other
components in the mixture

 Flash evaporation
◦ partial vaporization that occurs when a saturated
liquid stream undergoes a reduction in pressure
by passing through a throttling valve or other
throttling device

TYPES OF DISTILLATION SYSTEM

 OTHER TYPES
 Freeze Distillation
◦ analogous method of purification using freezing
instead of evaporation
◦ It is not truly distillation, and does not produce
products equivalent to distillation

 Codistillation
◦ distillation which is performed on mixtures in
which the two compounds are not miscible.

TYPES OF DISTILLATION SYSTEM