Cyclic rectification technology in alcohol production

Abstract

Alternate changing of the steaming periods and liquid overflow allows to intensify mass transfer between liquid and steam and to reduce the specific consumption of heating steam in the process of separation of multicomponent mixtures. The authors propose a technology for rectification, which involves the cyclic motion of the liquid without interrupting of the supply of heating steam and the construction of a rectification column for its implementation. The purpose of the work was to research the effectiveness of the proposed technology in the process of rectification of alcohol-containing fractions and to establish the specific flow rate of steam in the impurity concentration column. The investigations were carried out in the production conditions of the Chudniv branch of SE “Zhytomyr liquor producer ”. To ensure a cyclic mode, the column was equipped with movable liquid transfer devices connected to actuating mechanismes, which acted according to the controller program, and perforated (scale-shaped) trays. The primary task was to determine the hydrodynamic mode of operation of the contact devices - the lower and upper the critical vapor velocity of at which the liquid is retained on the plates and there is its entrainment. It is established that the vapor velocity in the free section of the column can reach 1.2 m/s or more, and in the openings of the scales must exceed the first critical velocity of 6.5-7.5 m/s. The weeping of the tray occurs at the vapor velocity in the holes of 1.5-1 m/s. It is experimentally proved that in the process of rectification of alcohol-containing fractions, the main impurities are removed completely, the degree of extraction of higher fusel alcohols is increased by 38%, methanol - by 15.6%, the multiplicity of concentration of the main impurities is increased by 25%, the higher alcohols - by 40%, methanol – by 34%, acrolein – by 36%. The costs of heating steam are reduced by 30% compared to typical installations and do not exceed 13 kg / dal of absolute alcohol introduced with feed. Exempted from the key impurities the bottom liquid of the impurity concentration column should be used for hydroselection in the purifying column.