Nonequilibrium cell model for packed distillation columns -- The influence of maldistribution

In this paper we present a nonequilibrium model for studying the effects of flow maldistribution in packed columns. The model consists of a set of mass and energy balances along with a set of mass- and energy-transfer correlations. Maldistribution is treated by means of the zone/stage approach, as developed by Zuiderweg et al. Simulations show that, for binary mixtures, packing HETPs are a function of the height of the packing. It should be noted that in some cases the behavior of HETPs is not intuitive, even for binary mixtures. For ternary mixtures, cases were found in which differences in maldistribution patterns can result in substantial differences in column behavior; in some cases completely different column products can be obtained.