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Distillation processes are often plagued by problems that affect product purity and
capacity. Product purity is very important to the company because off specification
products can not be sold leading to entire batches of product being wasted. This
constitutes a waste of energy, time, and raw materials. Product capacity also affects a
companies bottom line because the more product that is produced the more that can be
sold. Problems in product purity and capacity may often be remedied fairly easily in
engineers alike to follow losses incurred from off specification products and reduced
capacity may be minimized. Thus the design group for this particular process will outline
a guide to remedy problems incurred during start-up and normal operation of the column.
This guide will list common problems, their “symptoms”, and steps to remedy the
the column are also given. This is an owner’s manual of sorts for the process.
Start-up
It is very important that the distillation process be brought online very slowly. In
particular the steam system for the reboiler may suffer severe damage if brought online
too quickly. Steam velocities are highest during start-up. Newly fitted pipes may contain
weld, mill slag, dirt, and rust. These solid particles combined with the high steam
velocities at start-up may cause damage due to corrosion and erosion19. Also during
start-up steam pipes are usually cold depending on ambient weather conditions. These
cold pipes lead to excessive condensation in the steam lines. Condensation already
present in a steam line acts as a barrier to heat transfer. Also condensation leads to
erosion due to water hammer10. Water hammer is damage caused by a fluid hitting a
valve, pump, or pipe wall with too much momentum. Finally non-condensibles are
usually present in their highest concentrations during start-up. Air entered the system
during installation and must be removed before optimal system performance will be
obtained.
Starting up the process slowly also helps to prevent damage to centrifugal pumps.
Centrifugal pumps create a region of low pressure at their impellers. This causes the
liquid to vaporize. As the stream moves through the pump regions of higher pressure are
encountered, causing the vapor bubbles to implode. This causes a form of damage
known as cavitation18. Slow start-ups help to ensure the pumps have enough net positive
Auxiliary Equipment
care will increase auxiliary equipment life and effectiveness. Reboilers mostly suffer
from corrosion and fouling problems. Tube side vaporization of product may leave
deposits on the tube increasing the thermal resistance of the system and leading to
decreased heat transfer. Technicians may watch for this behavior by closely monitoring
the reboiler temperature and pressure needed to maintain a given heat input. Rises in
pressure and temperature indicate fouling. Regular backwashing and choice of proper
Low and high liquid levels in the column are also of concern. Liquid levels in the
reboiler and condenser should be monitored periodically. Low liquid levels reduce
efficiency and are usually caused by flooding in the column. Low liquid levels also
increase vaporization induced fouling. Low liquid levels may be remedied by lowering
the vapor flow rate. Low liquid levels in the reboiler may be due to blockage of the tray
downcomers. Foreign objects in downcomers or improper feed treatment may cause this
blockage.
High liquid levels are also a problem. High liquid levels are characterized by
increases in column pressure drop. Dumping in the column may cause high liquid levels
in the reboiler. These high levels flood the vapor disengagement space throughout the
Condensers usually do not suffer from severe fouling. Solids are mostly removed
in the column during vaporization of the more volatile components. However low
coolant temperatures may lead to freezing of the product which will plug the product line.
Fouling may be a concern on the coolant side due to low fluid velocities, however this
phenomenon may be prevented with regular backwashings of the coolant lines. Other
common problems occur from product liquid back up in the condenser system. This may
behavior may be remedied by installing the process drain in a nearly vertical arrangement
Design specifications are set so that these fluctuations do not lead to off specification
products. If large changes in heating and cooling loads are observed to achieve a given
separation steps should be taken to bring the system back to its original operating
conditions. Flooding is one cause of column inefficiencies. Jet flooding is when liquid
on a particular tray is carried to higher trays by the vapor flow or as a result of foaming.
Technician may assume a column is jet flooding if increases in pressure drop across a
tray are observed or if surges of liquid are observed in the overhead product19. Flooding
may also be observed in the downcomers of the column. Excessive liquid flow may be to
blame for downcomer flooding. Feeds that are introduced at low temperatures may flash
caused by loose tools or loose tray parts may block the downcomer and cause the liquid
to back up. If a particular tray exhibits an unusually large pressure drop the downcomer
Weeping is when liquid flows down the column through the tray orifices or holes
and not over the weirs at the end of a tray. Weeping may be characterized by a reduction
in pressure drop across a tray. Increasing vapor flow rates within the column will
counteract weeping.
Effect to Cause
• Effect: Surges in overhead product, falling base liquid level, high column
• Effect: High boil-up rate, off specification product, and excessive reflux rate.
• Cause: Inadequate liquid and vapor contact, poor disengagement