Multicomponent homogeneous azeotropic distillation 1. Assessing product feasibility

Abstract

A new method for estimating the feasibility of a pair of product compositions from a single-feed, two-product distillation column is proposed. This method is particularly useful for columns that separate azeotropic mixtures of more than four components, where existing feasibility tests are limited in their applicability. Feasibility is determined using geometric principles, which are expressed numerically. The method therefore does not require visual aids and is applicable to mixtures containing more than four components, where graphical representation is not possible. The new feasibility test is extended to test the feasibility of a proposed class of split, which is defined by the specification of product regions, or sets of product compositions. Classes of splits are used extensively in the development of a column sequence synthesis procedure, which will be presented in a further work.