【MTBE】MTBE process operation
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This post was last edited by Xiao Gong 1985 on 2016-4-3 10:00. In the MTBE process, regarding the operation of the reactive distillation column, what is the boiling point of the methanol-carbon tetrafluoride azeotrope? Is it lower than that of carbon tetrafluoride, higher than that of methanol, or somewhere in between?
The boiling point of an azeotrope is related to pressure, and it is lower than that of tetrahydrocarbons.
In the operation of a reactive catalytic distillation column, the boiling points of methanol and the tetrahydrocarbon azeotrope are dependent on the operating pressure as well as the ratio of methanol to tetrahydrocarbons. The specific relationship between boiling points, pressure, and this ratio can be found online! There is one thing you should know: the characteristic of an azeotrope is that its boiling point is lower than the boiling points of the two substances involved at the same pressure. Therefore, the boiling point of the methanol and tetrahydrocarbon azeotrope is lower than that of both methanol and tetrahydrocarbon alone!
:):):):):):):):)
Here’s a more useful piece of data that can be found on the forum. Azeotrope composition of methanol at different pressures. 0.7 MPa is approximately 7.4%; the methanol content in the feed should not exceed 5% to prevent methanol from accumulating at the bottom of the tower
The azeotrope ratio of the two varies with pressure; specific details can be found in literature.