Evaporation and pervaporation of a binary mixture from an inert carrier liquid

Abstract

AbstractBench‐Scale experiments were carried out with the ternary mixture 2‐propanol/water/glycerol. In a cylindrical vessel, the stirred and thermostated liquid was exposed to a preheated and either dry or humidified air stream. The mixture was evaporated either from a free surface or from the surface of a porous plate. On evaporating the mixture from a porous plate into a dry air stream, the less volatile component water escapes preferentially; in the case of evaporation from a free surface, water is retained in the mixture. In the former case, selectivity is liquid diffusion controlled, in the latter, the gas‐side mass transfer and the thermodynamic equilibrium are the controlling mechanisms. On reducing the gas flow rate, the more volatile alcohol evaporates preferentially in both cases; the selectivity is controlled only by thermodynamic equilibrium. Humidification of the air stream with water vapour causes preferential evaporation of the alcohol at an increased rate. Furthermore, instabilities in the liquid boundary layer due to density gradients and surface tension effects may affect the selectivity of evaporation. Experimental results show that the selectivity of evaporation can be manipulated by choosing appropriate evaporation conditions. The theory, which applies the generalized Stefan‐Maxwell equations to diffusion in the liquid, can describe these effects.