Fractionating condensation and evaporation in plate‐fin devices

A model that describes fractionation with condensation and evaporation in a plate-fin device has been formulated. It is capable of evaluating profiles of composition, temperature, and flow rate for both liquid and vapor streams in an extended surface device. The device may be adiabatic or nonadiabatic and the surface may be incompletely wetted. Compared to experimental measurements, the model predictions showed ± 1 number of transfer unit deviation along the length of the device. The predictions of the top and bottom flow rate ratio showed a 5–10% deviation for adiabatic and condensation runs and a 25% deviation for evaporation runs.