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How Are Flash Temperature And/Or Pressure Determined?

1) Flash separation involves heating or expanding a liquid mixture to vaporize some components or cooling or compressing a vapor mixture to condense some components. 2) Vapor-liquid equilibrium is central to flash separation and distillation, where the temperature, pressure, and chemical potentials are equal between vapor and liquid phases. 3) Equations relating the distribution of components between vapor and liquid phases (K-values) can be used to derive equations for calculating vapor and liquid flow rates and compositions in a flash separation. 4) The Rachford-Rice equation, derived from component mole balances and equilibrium relationships, is solved to determine the fraction of feed vaporized and subsequently other flash separation variables.

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35 views7 pages

How Are Flash Temperature And/Or Pressure Determined?

1) Flash separation involves heating or expanding a liquid mixture to vaporize some components or cooling or compressing a vapor mixture to condense some components. 2) Vapor-liquid equilibrium is central to flash separation and distillation, where the temperature, pressure, and chemical potentials are equal between vapor and liquid phases. 3) Equations relating the distribution of components between vapor and liquid phases (K-values) can be used to derive equations for calculating vapor and liquid flow rates and compositions in a flash separation. 4) The Rachford-Rice equation, derived from component mole balances and equilibrium relationships, is solved to determine the fraction of feed vaporized and subsequently other flash separation variables.

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bcghgfckh
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HOW ARE FLASH TEMPERATURE AND/OR PRESSURE DETERMINED?

Aims for flash separation: high purity and high recovery

Vapour
Liquid mixtures

Feed Liquid mixtures are heated and/or expanded

Liquid

Vapour
Vapour mixtures

Feed Vapour mixtures are cooled and/or compressed

Liquid
VAPOUR LIQUID EQUILIBRIUM IS CENTRAL TO DISTILLATION
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNLOo2RDhj0

vapour phase When vapour and liquid phases are at equilibrium:

liquid phase • Temperature is same in both phases


• Pressure is same in both phases
• Chemical potential is same in both phases

Ideal mixtures: Raoult’s law is applicable for these mixtures. If total pressure is 𝑃, mole fractions in gas and
liquid phases of component, i, are 𝑦𝑖 and 𝑥𝑖 , respectively, 𝑃𝑖𝑠𝑎𝑡 𝑇 is vapour pressure at temperature T, then,

𝑃𝑦𝑖 = 𝑃𝑖𝑠𝑎𝑡 𝑇 𝑥𝑖
𝑦𝑖 𝑃𝑖,𝑠𝑎𝑡
Sometimes, 𝐾𝑖 = = , for ideal solutions, is also used to describe and calculate equilibrium data
𝑥𝑖 𝑃

Evidently, 𝐾 is a distribution factor for component 𝑖. It is the ratio of mole fraction of component 𝑖 in
vapour phase to its mole fraction in liquid phase. 𝐾 is a function of temperature and pressure. This kind of
equilibrium representation using 𝐾𝑖 is more prevalent for mixtures containing highly volatile and very low
volatile components. A couple of examples are: mixture of hydrogen/benzene and methane/octane. Here,
hydrogen is extremely volatile compared to benzene and methane is exceedingly volatile compared to
octane.
DE PRIESTER CHARTS HELP FIND VALUES OF K
Watch video at this link to learn more about these charts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KxjtCCawII

K is a function of both temperature and pressure


Equations are also available for K in terms of T and P

Is a high value or low value for K good for separation?


High value of K implies good separation can be achieved
DERIVATION OF EQUATIONS FOR FLASH SEPARATION
A feed mixture to be separated by flash separation is flowing at 𝐹 kmol/h with 𝑧𝑖 as composition of 𝑖𝑡ℎ
component 𝑖 = 1,2,3, … , 𝑛 . The flash separator is operated at a temperature, 𝑇, and pressure, 𝑃. That is, the
feed stream’s conditions have been changed to 𝑇 and 𝑃 from the conditions it was made available for
separation. The operating conditions of the separator generate a vapour phase flowing out at 𝑉 kmol/h and a
liquid phase flowing out at 𝐿 kmol/h. The vapour and liquid streams are assumed to be at equilibrium with
each other.
Let the composition of 𝑖𝑡ℎ component in liquid and vapour phases produced in the separator be 𝑥𝑖 and 𝑦𝑖 ,
respectively.

Vapour, V, yi
Vapour mixtures

Feed, F, zi

Liquid, L, xi

Write overall mole balance for the flash separation: 𝐹 =𝐿+𝑉

Write mole balance for component 𝑖: 𝐹𝑧𝑖 = 𝐿𝑥𝑖 + 𝑉𝑦𝑖


DERIVATION OF EQUATIONS FOR FLASH SEPARATION Contd…
𝑦𝑖
𝐹 =𝐿+𝑉 𝐹𝑧𝑖 = 𝐿𝑥𝑖 + 𝑉𝑦𝑖 Represent equilibrium relation by 𝐾𝑖 =
𝑥𝑖

Let’s derive useful relationships that allow us to solve a flash problem

Use 𝑖𝑡ℎ component balance in conjunction with overall mole balance, eliminate 𝐿 and then get an equation
for 𝑥𝑖 in terms of 𝑧𝑖 , 𝐾𝑖 and 𝑉Τ𝐹. The last variable represents fraction of the feed vapourized. Call 𝑉Τ𝐹 = ∅.

𝑧𝑖 𝐾𝑖 𝑧𝑖
𝑥𝑖 = 𝑦𝑖 = 𝐾𝑖 𝑥𝑖 =
1 + ∅ 𝐾𝑖 − 1 1 + ∅ 𝐾𝑖 − 1

The mole fractions in the liquid and the vapour phases add to unity
𝑛 𝑛 𝑛 𝑛
𝑧𝑖 𝐾𝑖 𝑧𝑖
෍ 𝑥𝑖 = ෍ =1 ෍ 𝑦𝑖 = ෍ =1
1 + ∅ 𝐾𝑖 − 1 1 + ∅ 𝐾𝑖 − 1
𝑖=1 𝑖=1 𝑖=1 𝑖=1
DERIVATION OF EQUATIONS FOR FLASH SEPARATION Contd…
𝑦𝑖
𝐹 =𝐿+𝑉 𝐹𝑧𝑖 = 𝐿𝑥𝑖 + 𝑉𝑦𝑖 Represent equilibrium relation by 𝐾𝑖 =
𝑥𝑖

Let’s derive useful relationships that allow us to solve a flash problem

Use 𝑖𝑡ℎ component balance in conjunction with overall mole balance, eliminate 𝐿 and then get an equation
for 𝑥𝑖 in terms of 𝑧𝑖 , 𝐾𝑖 and 𝑉Τ𝐹. The last variable represents fraction of the feed vapourized. Call 𝑉Τ𝐹 = ∅.

𝑧𝑖 𝐾𝑖 𝑧𝑖
𝑥𝑖 = 𝑦𝑖 = 𝐾𝑖 𝑥𝑖 =
1 + ∅ 𝐾𝑖 − 1 1 + ∅ 𝐾𝑖 − 1

The mole fractions in the liquid and the vapour phases add to unity
𝑛 𝑛
𝑧𝑖 𝐾𝑖 𝑧𝑖
෍ 𝑥𝑖 = =1 ෍ 𝑦𝑖 = =1
1 + ∅ 𝐾𝑖 − 1 1 + ∅ 𝐾𝑖 − 1
𝑖=1 𝑖=1

Any one of these two equations can be solved for ∅

Once ∅ is known, 𝑥𝑖 , 𝑦𝑖 , 𝐿 and 𝑉 can be computed


DERIVATION OF EQUATIONS FOR FLASH SEPARATION Contd…

It is shown that the solution of this equation gives reliable results


𝑛 𝑛

෍ 𝑥𝑖 − ෍ 𝑦𝑖 = 0
𝑖=1 𝑖=1

Substituting equations for 𝑥𝑖 and 𝑦𝑖 , final equation for flash separation is obtained

𝑛
𝐾𝑖 − 1 𝑧𝑖
෍ =0 RACHFORD-RICE EQUATION FOR FLASH SEPARATION
1 + ∅ 𝐾𝑖 − 1
𝑖=1

This equation is solved for ∅ for a given 𝑧𝑖 , 𝑇, 𝑃. Then, 𝐿, 𝑉, 𝑥𝑖 , 𝑦𝑖 can be determined

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