Sensitivity testing with the predictive thermodynamic models NRTL, UNIQUAC, ASOG and UNIFAC in multicomponent separations of methanol-acetone-chloroform
✍ Scribed by B.P. Cairns; I.A. Furzer
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1988
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 569 KB
- Volume
- 43
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0009-2509
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✦ Synopsis
The separation of multicomponent mixtures by distillation can be difficult when the system VLE is non-ideal and azeotropes are present. Then there are severe problems in even estimating the products that can be obtained from a distillation column. It is found that the simulated separation at total reflux is dependent on the predictive thermodynamic package. Extensive results using NRTL, UNIQUAC, ASOG
and UNIFAC
show the wide range of separations that can be obtained. These differences become more severe when the liquid-phase behaviour becomes highly non-ideal. The limitations of these predictive methods must be considered in the design and retrofit ofdistillation columns. There would appear to be a major difficulty in selecting one thermodynamic model as the "best", as the choice may be system-dependent.