Distillation - Packed Column  Packed Column

A complete teaching system with comprehensive experiments, data analysis, tutor's and student manuals if desired, and all instruments and controllers.

  • Vacuum or atmospheric operation
  • Batch or steady state distillation
  • Custom designed for technician/undergraduate teaching
  • Complete visual monitoring of the process
  • Easily operated and used
  • No further development work necessary
  • Suitable for project or research work

Specification

A QVF distillation teaching system module comprising an 80mm diameter x 1500mm packed column, 20 liter thermosyphon boiler, vapor condenser, infinitely variable reflux control, distillate cooler and receiver, all manufactured in borosilicate glass. Designed as a batch rectifier or continuous enricher for either atmospheric or vacuum operation. Supplied with all valves, controllers, instrumentation, service lines and supporting structure. Complete with an installation and maintenance manual and tool kit.

Experimental Capabilities

  • Mass and heat balances
  • Vapor/liquid equilibria
  • Determination of vapor and liquid flowrates
  • Determination of heat flows within the plant
  • The effect of varying the reflux ratio
  • Determination of HETP using McCable Thiele and Ponchon Savarit constructions
  • Effect of heat losses on McCable Thiele and Ponchon Savarit constructions
  • Batch distillation with constant reflux control
  • Batch distillation with constant product control

A methanol/water mixture is used in all experiments. Other binary mixtures can also be investigated.

The experiments are also designed to provide training in chemical plant control and operation.

Optional Manuals

The equipment can be supplied with the following manuals:

Tutor's manual: The basis of a lecture course on distillation theory and practice. Also including operating instructions, experiments, typical results and answers to student questions.

Student manuals provide the basics of distillation theory and practice with plant operating instructions.

Experiment booklets provide step-by-step instructions for performing the experiments, data to be recorded and questions to be answered.

Additional copies of the student manuals and experiment booklets can be reordered.

Description

The plant is fitted with either a steam or electrically heated thermosyphon reboiler. Vapor generated in the reboiler rises through the column and is condensed in a Vertical water-cooled condenser. The condensed product leaves the column and passes into an infinitely variable reflux ratio controller incorporating variable area flowmeters.

Reflux is returned to the column and product passes through a cooler and graduated pipe section and can be passed either to a receiving vessel, which allows product removal while operating under vacuum, or back to the boiler.

Vapor and liquid compositions throughout are determined by temperature measurement.

Plant operation is controlled from a free-standing control panel fitted with a mimic diagram, flow controllers, temperature and pressure indicators and services controllers.

All major process items and pipework are manufactured from QVF borosilicate glass with other contact parts in PVDF, PTFE and stainless steel.

Options

Either steam or electric heating.

Electrical System: The electrical system can be designed to meet your local requirements.

Equipment Specification

  • Packed column: 1500mm x 80mm dia filled with 10mm raschig rings
  • Condenser: 100mm dia x 0.5ft2
  • Product cooler: 40mm dia x 0.2ft.2
  • Boiler (steam): 150mm dia x 0.5ft.2
  • Boiler (electric): 6Kw type 316 SS immersion elements
  • Reflux control: Variable area flowmeters infinitely variable
  • Safety: Graphite rupture disc, element temperature sensor, zener barriers (intrinsically safe electricals)

Installation and maintenance manual provides detailed instructions on installing and maintaining the plant.

Instrumentation

  • Water: Control valve, flowmeter, pressure gauge, two temperature indicators
  • Vacuum: Control valve, pressure gauge
  • Steam: Reducer, control valve, pressure gauge
  • or Electricity: Phase angle thyristor power controller, ammeter, voltmeter
  • Process: Reflux controller. four temperature indicators

Utilities Requirements

  • Steam: 20 lb/hr at 1 bar g
  • or Electricity: 6kW, 220/240V, single phase 60Hz
  • Water: 500 L/hr at 1 bar g

Space Requirements

(height x floor area)

5.5 x 2.5 x 1.0 meters


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