What to do if there is too much heavy fraction at the top of the distillation tower?
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The distillation column in our facility is an 18-stage floating-valve column. The boiling points of the two components to be separated are 100 degrees Celsius and 196 degrees Celsius, respectively. Currently, the temperature at the bottom of the column is set at 177 degrees Celsius, while the temperature of the sensitive plate is controlled at 104.5 degrees Celsius. The pressure at the bottom of the column is between 60–80 kPa, and the pressure at the top is between 20–30 kPa. It has been observed that there is an excessive amount of the heavier component at the top of the column, although the amount of the lighter component at the bottom is within the required range. How can the parameters be adjusted to reduce the amount of the heavier component at the top of the column?
The most direct approach is to increase the reflux ratio.
The most direct approach is to increase the reflux ratio.
Are there any differences in the parameters compared to normal production before? It’s difficult to determine the cause based solely on the information above. You might try increasing the reflux ratio and see.
The flash volume might be too high; try reducing the feed temperature. Of course, the distillation column is interconnected with other components, so corresponding adjustments must also be made to maintain phase equilibrium
Increase the reflux ratio to enhance the distillation section
Is the feed temperature too high? If the feed temperature is increased while all other parameters remain unchanged, it will also disrupt the composition at the top of the tower; this is evident in extractive distillation based on my experience. Hope this can help you:victory:
First, increase the reflux ratio, change the feed position, and adjust the rectification section and stripping section. If there are side streams for removing other trace impurity components, these can be tapped periodically for testing purposes.
If the reflux ratio is increased, there will be too many light components at the bottom of the tower
This happens as soon as I start the machine. I thought carefully about it – could it be that my current production volume is much lower than the capacity designed for by the distillation tower, which is why there is leakage?
If the processing volume is too small, a dry plate may form, resulting in a loss of the distillation effect.