Modelling, design and flexibility analysis of rotating packed beds for distillation

Abstract Chemical production plants need to be more flexible to react on changing raw materials quality and plant capacity. The high gravity technology (HiGee) for separation of mixtures into components meets those needs since its separation efficiency can be easily adjusted by changing of rotational speed. This paper is devoted to development of a comprehensive model and integrated design method for the centrifugal distillation in rotating packed beds (RPBs). The model uses known correlation equations for hydrodynamics as well as new correlations for mass transfer. Novel concepts of equiareal discretisation and integrated centrifugal acceleration are developed and implemented. The model is the core of an integrated design method for calculation of structural and operating variables for distillation in RPBs for analysis during conceptual process design. It also predicts the power consumption, required equipment space and investment and operating costs. The integrated design method is applied to a flexibility analysis of RPBs for compensation of fluctuations in feed compositions of distillation processes by adjusting the rotational speed. Heuristic rules and flexibility indicators using flexibility maps are developed and applied. Results show the applicability of the design method and prove the suitability of RPBs for highly flexible distillation processes.

[1]  Gautam Biswas,et al.  Gas-Phase Mass Transfer in a Centrifugal Contactor , 2001 .

[2]  Nitin Kaistha,et al.  Limiting Gas Liquid Flows and Mass Transfer in a Novel Rotating Packed Bed (HiGee) , 2011 .

[3]  Yong Luo,et al.  Mass Transfer Studies in a Rotating Packed Bed with Novel Rotors: Chemisorption of CO2 , 2012 .

[4]  Richard S.H. Mah,et al.  MODELING LIQUID MASS TRANSFER IN HIGEE SEPARATION PROCESS , 1985 .

[5]  Tsung-Jen Ho,et al.  Distillation in a Rotating Packed Bed , 2002 .

[6]  Chia-Chang Lin,et al.  Structural analysis and catalytic activity of Fe3O4 nanoparticles prepared by a facile co-precipitation method in a rotating packed bed , 2014 .

[7]  Partha S. Goswami,et al.  Process Intensification in Rotating Packed Beds (HIGEE): An Appraisal , 2004 .

[8]  Noboru Murata,et al.  Regions of Unusually High Flexibility Occur Frequently in Human Genomic DNA , 2013, Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry.

[9]  Siddhartha Datta,et al.  Distillation studies in rotating packed bed with split packing , 2012 .

[10]  Xiuping Li,et al.  Continuous Distillation Experiment with Rotating Packed Bed , 2008 .

[11]  Yu-Shao Chen,et al.  Correlations of Mass Transfer Coefficients in a Rotating Packed Bed , 2011 .

[12]  Lei Shao,et al.  High-gravity process intensification technology and application , 2010 .

[13]  Chia-Chang Lin,et al.  Removal of VOCs from Gaseous Streams in a High-Voidage Rotating Packed Bed , 2004 .

[14]  J. S. Rowlinson,et al.  Molecular Thermodynamics of Fluid-Phase Equilibria , 1969 .

[15]  Chung-Sung Tan,et al.  CO2 capture by alkanolamine solutions containing diethylenetriamine and piperazine in a rotating packed bed , 2012 .

[16]  Chia-Chang Lin,et al.  Feasibility of ozone absorption by H2O2 solution in rotating packed beds. , 2009, Journal of hazardous materials.

[17]  Ara Cho,et al.  Vapor-liquid equilibria of water+monoethanolamine system , 2009 .

[18]  Chung-Sung Tan,et al.  Removal of CO2 from indoor air by alkanolamine in a rotating packed bed , 2011 .

[19]  D. P. Rao,et al.  Characteristics of Flow in a Rotating Packed Bed (HIGEE) with Split Packing , 2005 .

[20]  Chia-Chang Lin,et al.  Mass Transfer Characteristics of a High-voidage Rotating Packed Bed , 2007 .

[21]  Hwai-Shen Liu,et al.  Mass Transfer in a Rotating Packed Bed with Viscous Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Fluids , 2005 .

[22]  Hwai-Shen Liu,et al.  Absorption of VOCs in a Rotating Packed Bed , 2002 .

[23]  Lianbin Xu,et al.  Selective Absorption of H2S from a Gas Mixture with CO2 by Aqueous N-Methyldiethanolamine in a Rotating Packed Bed , 2010 .

[24]  Colin Ramshaw,et al.  Carbon dioxide absorption and desorption in aqueous monoethanolamine solutions in a rotating packed bed , 2007 .

[25]  Lei Shao,et al.  Recent Advances in Nanoparticles Production by High Gravity Technology—from Fundamentals to Commercialization , 2007 .

[26]  James R. Fair,et al.  Distillation Studies in a High-Gravity Contactor , 1996 .

[27]  Peter Veelaert,et al.  Flexibility maps: A formalisation of navigation behaviours , 1999, Robotics Auton. Syst..

[28]  Wenchuan Wang,et al.  Efficient capture of carbon dioxide with novel mass‐transfer intensification device using ionic liquids , 2013 .

[29]  Hiroshi Takeuchi,et al.  MASS TRANSFER COEFFICIENTS BETWEEN GAS AND LIQUID PHASES IN PACKED COLUMNS , 1968 .

[30]  Xiaohua Li,et al.  Pressure Drop Model on Rotating Zigzag Bed as a New High-Gravity Technology , 2013 .

[31]  S. Ergun.  Fluid flow through packed columns , 1952 .

[32]  João Varajão,et al.  Concept Maps for the Modelling of Controlled Flexibility in Software Processes , 2010, IEICE Trans. Inf. Syst..

[33]  Yong Luo,et al.  Characteristics of a two-stage counter-current rotating packed bed for continuous distillation , 2012 .

[34]  A. Underwood,et al.  Fractional Distillation of Multicomponent Mixtures , 1949 .

[35]  M. Praveen Kumar,et al.  Studies on a High-Gravity Gas-Liquid Contactor , 1990 .

[36]  Sarat Munjal,et al.  Mass-transfer in rotating packed beds—I. Development of gas—liquid and liquid—solid mass-transfer correlations , 1989 .

[37]  Chia-Chang Lin,et al.  VOCs absorption in rotating packed beds equipped with blade packings , 2009 .

[38]  Thomas K. Sherwood,et al.  Flooding Velocities in Packed Columns , 1938 .

[39]  Ding Yigang,et al.  A MODEL FOR THE MASS TRANSFER COEFFICIENT IN ROTATING PACKED BED , 2000 .

[40]  R. A. Ashworth,et al.  Removal of volatile organic compounds from groundwater using a rotary air stripper , 1992 .

[41]  Yong Luo,et al.  Distillation studies in a two-stage counter-current rotating packed bed , 2013 .

[42]  Nitin Kaistha,et al.  Process Intensification in HiGee Absorption and Distillation: Design Procedure and Applications , 2010 .

[43]  Colin Ramshaw,et al.  PROCESS INTENSIFICATION: HIGEE SEAWATER DEAERATION , 1998 .

[44]  Guang Q. Wang,et al.  A New Crossflow Rotating Bed, Part 2: Structure Optimization , 2014 .

[45]  Lei Shao,et al.  Determination of Mass-Transfer Coefficient of CO2 in NH3 and CO2 Absorption by Materials Balance in a Rotating Packed Bed , 2012 .

[46]  Sigurd Buchholz,et al.  Future manufacturing approaches in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry , 2010 .

[47]  Donald R. Woods,et al.  Rules of Thumb in Engineering Practice , 2007 .

[48]  G. Wallis.  One Dimensional Two-Phase Flow , 1969 .

[49]  Chia-Chang Lin,et al.  Removal of carbon dioxide by absorption in a rotating packed bed , 2003 .

[50]  Chung-Sung Tan,et al.  CO2 capture by piperazine mixed with non-aqueous solvent diethylene glycol in a rotating packed bed , 2013 .

[51]  M. J. Lockett,et al.  Flooding of rotating structured packing and its application to conventional packed columns : Distillation , 1995 .

[52]  Pen-Chi Chiang,et al.  Modeling ozone contacting process in a rotating packed bed , 2004 .

[53]  Zhenzhen Zhang,et al.  An Innovative Approach of the Effective Mass Transfer Area in the Rotating Packed Bed , 2014 .

[54]  David Trent,et al.  Intensifying the process , 2003 .

[55]  Chia-Chang Lin,et al.  Packing Characteristics for Mass Transfer in a Rotating Packed Bed , 2006 .

[56]  Philip Lutze,et al.  Reactive and membrane-assisted distillation: Recent developments and perspective , 2013 .

[57]  J. Pereira,et al.  Experimental study of a rotating packed bed distillation column , 2009 .

[58]  Ignacio E. Grossmann,et al.  An index for operational flexibility in chemical process design. Part I: Formulation and theory , 1985 .

[59]  Chia-Chang Lin,et al.  Binary VOCs absorption in a rotating packed bed with blade packings. , 2012, Journal of environmental management.

[60]  Guang Q. Wang,et al.  A New Crossflow Rotating Bed, Part 1: Distillation Performance , 2014 .

[61]  Trevor Kletz.  Inherently safer plants: An update , 1991 .

[62]  P. L. T. Brian,et al.  The influence of gravitational force on gas absorption in a packed column , 1965 .

[63]  Maria Regina Wolf Maciel,et al.  Computational Study of a Rotating Packed Bed Distillation Column , 2012 .

[64]  Ying Wang,et al.  Distillation in a Counterflow Concentric-Ring Rotating Bed , 2014 .

[65]  Guang Q. Wang,et al.  Progress on Higee distillation—Introduction to a new device and its industrial applications , 2011 .

[66]  Fen Guo,et al.  Synthesis of Nanoparticles with Novel Technology: High-Gravity Reactive Precipitation , 2000 .

[67]  Nitin Kaistha,et al.  Mass transfer studies on split-packing and single-block packing rotating packed beds , 2013 .

[68]  Lei Shao,et al.  Modeling and experimental studies on absorption of CO2 by Benfield solution in rotating packed bed , 2009 .

[69]  Guang Q. Wang,et al.  New HIGEE-Rotating Zigzag Bed and Its Mass Transfer Performance , 2008 .

[70]  L. Sieg,et al.  Flüssigkeit-Dampf-Gleichgewichte in binären Systemen von Kohlenwasserstoffen verschiedenen Typs , 1950 .

[71]  Gürkan Sin,et al.  Computer-Aided Modeling Framework for Efficient Model Development, Analysis, and Identification: Combustion and Reactor Modeling , 2011 .

[72]  M. Keyvani,et al.  Operating characteristics of rotating beds , 1988 .

[73]  Yi-Hung Chen,et al.  Removal of naphthalene in Brij 30-containing solution by ozonation using rotating packed bed. , 2007, Journal of hazardous materials.