Stepwise periodic distillation—II: Separation of a binary mixture

Abstract Stepwise periodic operation of a distillation column in which a binary feed is separated in top and bottoms product is described. A simple but realistic model, both for stepwise periodic and controlled cycling operation and a simulation algorithm are proposed. The results of an extensive parametric study of stepwise periodic operation are presented along those for ideal controlled cycling (no axial mixing). Although in some cases inferior to controlled cycling, it is shown that, for reasonable tray efficiencies and difficult separations, stepwise periodic operation can compare favorably or be superior to ideal controlled cycling.