Development of a unique modular distillation column using 3D printing

CATEGORY: 3D PRINTING
Development of a unique modular distillation column using 3D printing

Type	Journal Article
Author	Saeed Mardani
Author	Leo S. Ojala
URL	http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0255270116301842
Volume	109
Pages	136-148
Publication	Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification
Date	November 2016
Abstract	Presents the design and manufacture of a modular distillation column using 3D printing. The flexibility and freedom in 3D model designs and the challenges for developing a small scale distillation column are demonstrated. The column was designed in a coil shape with modular structure to overcome the printing area limitation of the used 3D printer. The chemical compatibility of the printed polymer with several common solvents was examined. A 3D printable packing, and a commercially available stainless steel spring packing were used in the distillation. The column was used to distill a binary mixture of hexane + cyclohexane in full reflux and continuous mode. The heat loss of the column was also measured at the boiling points of hexane and cyclohexane. The composition of reflux and boilup streams were analyzed online using a gas chromatograph equipped with two sampling valves.