Abstract
An energy performance comparison between a novel thermosyphon-assisted falling film distillation unit and a conventional tray unit was carried out for three mixtures with different relative volatilities: ethanol-water, acetone-isopropanol, and acetone-water. Experimental data from the pilot-scale plant were used as targets in the simulation runs through the Hysys® software. Thus, the separation performed in the falling film unit was reproduced in a conventional tray column. The thermosyphon-assisted falling film unit required less energy, with reductions of 24% for acetone-isopropanol, 30% for ethanol-water, and 55% for the acetone-water mixture. The energy-use ratio also showed that for each kW consumed in the falling film unit, the conventional unit would consume 1.33 kW for acetone-isopropanol, 1.44 kW for ethanol-water, and 2.21 kW for acetone-water, based in the same separation. Therefore, this novel distillation apparatus is more advantageous as an energy-saving viable option for separating mixtures with different relative volatilities.
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