there are three independent

Tower pressure
Reflux rate, or reflux ratio
Reboiler duty
Tower-top temperature
Tower-bottom temperature
Overhead product rate
Bottoms product rate
Overhead product composition
Bottoms product composition

DRIVEN TOWER
A distillation column is also a machine, driven
by a reboiler.
Raising the top reflux
rate will lower the tower-top temperature, and reduce the amount of the
heavier component,
We increase the reflux flow, the vapor rate from the top of the tower must
increase.
The statement that the mass, or weight flow of vapor through the trays,
increases as the refluxed rate is raised is based on the reboiler being on
automatic temperature control
Conclusion
The flow of vapor leaving the top tray of the tower is equal to the flow
of reflux, plus the flow of the alcohol overhead product.
The overhead condenser heat-removal duty is proportional to the
reboiler heat duty.
The weight flow of vapor in a tower is controlled by one factor, and one
factor only: heat.
An increase in reflux rate
This increases both the total tray pressure
drop and the height of liquid in the trays downcomer, then will always
push the tray closer to, or even beyond, the point of incipient flood.
The term specific heat refers to the sensible-heat content of either vapor
or liquid. The specific heat is the amount of heat needed to raise the
temperature on one pound of the vapor or liquid by 1F
the heat of condensation is equal to the heat of vaporization. The sum of the
sensible heat, plus the latent heat, is called the total heat content, or enthalpy.

 The condenser duty is usually a little smaller than the reboiler duty.
Most of the reboiler heat duty usually goes into generating reflux.
The flow of vapor up the tower is created by the reboiler.
FEED PREHEATER
INcreasing the heat duty on the feed preheater will reduce the reboiler duty
the portion below the feed inlet, is called the stripping section. The upper part of the
tower, that is,
the portion above the feed inlet, is called the absorption section..
As the flow of vapor through the absorption section trays is unaffected
by feed preheat, the fractionation efficiency of the trays in the upper part
of the tower will not change as feed preheat is increased.
Since both the reflux flow and the overhead product flow are constant in
this problem, it follows that the weight flow of vapor leaving the top tray
is also constant, regardless of the feed preheater duty
Another way of saying this is that the heat input to the
tower above the feed tray is a constant.
When we increase feed preheat and the reboiler duty is automatically
reduced, dumping increases, but entrainment decreases
Varying the enthalpy, or heat content, of the feed is an additional
independent variable that an operator, or process design engineer, can use
to optimize fractionation efficiency. An additional benefit of feed preheat
is that a lower-level temperature heat source can be used
Crude Preflash Tower
Characteristic

the top reflux rate is small compared

to the overhead product, and the overhead product itself consists of a
dozen widely different chemical compounds.
no reboiler in this flash tower
heat input
comes from the partially vaporized crude
When the operator raises the top reflux rate, the weight flow of vapor going to the
top tray INCREASE
The main reason why the vapors leaving the top tray are cooler is vaporization; in
other words, the sensible-heat content of the flowing vapors is converted
to latent heat of vaporization.

Reduced molecular weight

A reduction in tower-top temperature of 20F would increase the weight

flow of vapor by roughly 10 percent.
This results in a substantial increase in the top- tray
pressure drop, which can, and often does, cause the top tray to flood

Internal reflux evaporation

Most of the reduced sensible-heat content of the
flowing gas is converted to latent heat of evaporation of the downflowing
reflux
This means that the liquid flow, or internal reflux rate, decreases as
the liquid flows down the column. The greater the temperature drop per
tray, the greater the evaporation of internal reflux
We say that the lower trays, in
the absorption section of such a tower, are drying out
REBOILER

Once-through thermosyphon reboilers

Circulating thermosyphon reboilers
Forced-circulation reboilers
Kettle or gravity-fed reboilers

almost as many towers flood because of reboiler problems as because of tray

problems.
THERMOSYPHONE

source of energy that drives the circulation in a thermosyphon reboiler is the

heating medium to the reboiler

Once-through thermosyphon reboilers

The driving force
to promote flow through this reboiler is the density difference between the
reboiler feed line and the froth filled reboiler return line
Characteristic
All the liquid from the bottom tray flows to the reboiler.
None of the liquid from the bottom of the tower flows to the reboiler.
All the bottoms product comes from the liquid portion of the reboiler
effluent.
None of the liquid from the bottom tray flows to the bottom of the
tower.

Loss Circulation
Inability to achieve normal reboiler duty.
Low reflux drum level, accompanied by low tower pressure, even at a
low reflux rate.
Bottoms product too light.
Reboiler outlet temperature hotter than the tower-bottom temperature.
Opening the steam or hot-oil inlet heat supply valve does not seem to get
more heat into the tower.
The typical causes of this problem are
Bottom tray in tower leaking, due to a low dry tray pressure drop.( open startup
line)
Bottom tray, seal pan, or draw-off pan damaged.
Reboiler partially plugged. (Not help)
Reboiler feed line restricted.
Reboiler design pressure drop excessive.
Tower-bottom liquid level covering the reboiler vapor return nozzle.

a circulating thermosyphon reboiler

The reboiler outlet temperature is always higher than the tower-bottom
temperature.
Some of the liquid from the reboiler outlet will always recirculate back
into the reboiler feed.
Some of the liquid from the bottom tray drops into the bottoms product.
The tower-bottom product temperature and composition is the same as
the temperature and composition of the feed to the reboiler.
For a circulating thermosyphon reboiler, the rate of circulation can be
increased by
Increasing the steam or hot-oil flow through the reboiler. This reduces
the specific gravity or density of the froth or foam in the reboiler
effluent line.
Increasing the tower bottoms liquid level. However, should this level
reach the reboiler return nozzle, thermosyphon flow will be restricted, or
even stop. Then, the reboiler heat duty will be reduced, and the tower
pressure will drop.
Different

- Once through : rola a theorical

separation, composition of out let
lighter than bottom liquid
- Circulating: High temperature outlet
difficult transfer . Dont role a

theorical separation, composition the

same bottom
Forced-Circulation Reboilers
Most often, forced circulation is used with fired reboilers
Kettle Reboilers
Stab-in reboiler

because it makes it more difficult to fix a leaking or fouled reboiler, without

opening the tower
itself.
the static head pressure, in the tower that drives the kettle reboiler. That is
why we call it a gravity-fed reboiler.
Also, the pressure in the kettle will always be higher than the pressure in
the tower. This means that an increase in the reboiler heat duty results in
an increase of liquid level in the bottom of the tower.