The separation of liquid mixtures is one of the basic operations in thermal process engineering. Multi-stage distillation belongs to the most important processes for the continuous, energy-efficient separation of liquid mixtures.
Technical applications:
Multi-stage distillation plants are versatile in application. The most important fields are:
- Production of fuels
- Air separation based on the Linde process
- Solvent recovery
- Waste water treatment
- Production of lubricants
- Production of Whiskey
- General material separation in the chemical and food industry
Specifications of the plant:
- Multi-stage distillation plant with enriching and exhausting sections
- Height of column: 6m
- Diameter of column: 100mm
- Material of column: borosilicate glass
- Number of stages: 16 chrome steel bubble-cap trays
- Operation under ambient pressure or vacuum
- Possibility for taking samples
- Column heated with steam
- Content of feed tank : 50l
- Feed inlet at 30%, 50% or 70% of the column height
Separable mixtures of substances (examples):
- Methanol/water
- Ethanol/N-propanol
- Hexane/heptane
The Multi-stage distillation plant at the Lucerne School of Engineering and Architecture allows deeper insight into material separation, simultaneous heat and material transfer, apparatus and plant engineering, process control, control engineering and safety engineering.
