Effect of Two Liquid Phases on the Separation Efficiency of Distillation Columns

Abstract

Distillation is one of the oldest and most important separation processes used in the chemical and petrochemical industries. On the other hand, it is a process the thermodynamic efficiency of which is very low, and therefore reducing the consumption of energy is one of the targets of research studies on distillation. This article arose from seeking to reduce energy consumption in a distillation train of 1,2-dichloroethane (ethylene dichloride-EDC) of a commercial plant producing vinyl monochloride (VMC), which involves an azeotropic distillation column. The reduction in the reboiler heat duty caused significant changes in concentration and temperature profiles throughout the column due to the formation of two liquid phases. The results show that, although very small in percentage terms (less than 2.5%), the appearance of the 2 nd liquid phase causes significant changes in the operation of the column and the separation achieved.