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Separation of Vapor-Phase Alcohol/Water Mixtures via Fractional Condensation Using a Pilot-Scale Dephlegmator: Enhancement of the Pervaporation Process Separation Factor
In pervaporation, a liquid mixture contacts a membrane surface that preferentially permeates one of the liquid components as a vapor. Our approach to improving pervaporation performance is to replace the one-stage condenser traditionally used to condense the permeate with a fractionating condenser c...
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Published in: | Industrial & engineering chemistry research 2004-01, Vol.43 (1), p.173-183 |
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Main Authors: | , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | In pervaporation, a liquid mixture contacts a membrane surface that preferentially permeates one of the liquid components as a vapor. Our approach to improving pervaporation performance is to replace the one-stage condenser traditionally used to condense the permeate with a fractionating condenser called a dephlegmator. For example, pervaporation of 5 wt % aqueous ethanol yields a vapor containing 35 wt % ethanol. The separation factor for the process is 10. Condensation of this vapor in a dephlegmator yields a vapor product stream containing 90% of the permeating ethanol at a concentration of 85 wt % ethanol. The net result of the combined pervaporation−dephlegmation process is to transform the 5 wt % ethanol feed into an 85 wt % ethanol condensed product. For the overall process, the separation factor increases 11-fold to 108. Pilot-scale parametric experiments were performed with a plate−fin heat exchanger operated as a dephlegmator. The process was modeled with commercial process simulation software; good agreement between the model and the pilot results was obtained. |
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ISSN: | 0888-5885 1520-5045 |
DOI: | 10.1021/ie0305667 |