CATEGORY: DISTILLATION COLUMNS
International Journal of Engineering and
Technology Volume 3 No. 8, August, 2013
Determination
of Plate Efficiency of Rectification Column in Refinery Operations
A. Ujile, L. G. Amagbo
Rivers State University of Science & Technology, Department of
Chemical/Petrochemical Engineering, PMB 5080, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
ABSTRACT
The
determination of plate efficiency of rectification column for the separation of
Bonny Light Crude Oil into its fractions was studied. The atmospheric
distillation column of a typical Refinery (PHRC) was used in determining the
efficiencies of the bubble-cap plate of the column. It was observed that the
efficiency of the plates below the feed plate varies, but above the feed plate,
it increases up the top of the column and was highest at top plate. The total
number of ideal and actual plates was found to be 7. The Murphree equation for
plate efficiency was used to determine the overall efficiency of the column
with the aid of the McCabe-Thiele diagram to be 93.9 %. This work has shown the
efficiency, reliability and integrity of the plant.
Plate efficiency plays an important role in the design of
distillation column. For the desired separation of mixtures to be achieved in a
distillation process, the vapour leaving a plate in the column must be equal to
the liquid leaving that plate. Therefore, the actual number of plates required
for a particular separation duty is determined by the efficiency of the plate.
This implies that any factor that causes a decrease in the efficiency of plate
will definitely change the performance of the column. So, it is important to
determine the efficiency of plate column before carrying out the actual
construction/installation of distillation column for separation of mixture of
crude oil in the refinery. By so doing, it is possible to separate crude oil
mixtures that will yield the required product purity.
The objective of this work is to determine the plate efficiency of
rectification column in Port Harcourt Refinery for the separation of crude oil
fractions, owing to the demand for high product purity, such that when produced
it will meet the required set standards, whether sale-oriented or process
oriented. It is worth noting that the actual number of plates required for a
particular separation duty is determined by the efficiency of the plate. Thus,
any factor that causes a decrease in plate efficiency will also change the
performance of the column. Plate efficiency is affected by fouling, wear and
tear as well as corrosion, and the rate at which these occur depends on the
properties of the liquids being processed. Thus plate should not only be
designed and constructed with appropriate materials specified, but also
monitored closely the reliability and performance of prevailing process design
parameters.
Free Full Text Source: http://iet-journals.org/archive/2013/august_vol_3_no_8/599473137146614.pdf
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