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Batch distillation refers to the use of distillation in batches, meaning that a mixture is distilled to separate it into its component fractions before the distillation still is again charged with more mixture and the process is repeated. This is in contrast with
continuous distillation Continuous distillation, a form of distillation, is an ongoing separation in which a mixture is continuously (without interruption) fed into the process and separated fractions are removed continuously as output streams. Distillation is the sep ...
where the feedstock is added and the distillate drawn off without interruption. Batch distillation has always been an important part of the production of seasonal, or low capacity and high-purity chemicals. It is a very frequent separation process in the
pharmaceutical industry The pharmaceutical industry discovers, develops, produces, and markets drugs or pharmaceutical drugs for use as medications to be administered to patients (or self-administered), with the aim to cure them, vaccinate them, or alleviate symptoms. ...
.


Batch rectifier

The simplest and most frequently used batch distillation configuration is the batch rectifier, including the
alembic An alembic (from ar, الإنبيق, al-inbīq, originating from grc, ἄμβιξ, ambix, 'cup, beaker') is an alchemical still consisting of two vessels connected by a tube, used for distillation of liquids. Description The complete disti ...
and pot still. The batch rectifier consists of a pot (or
reboiler Reboilers are heat exchangers typically used to provide heat to the bottom of industrial distillation columns. They boil the liquid from the bottom of a distillation column to generate vapors which are returned to the column to drive the distillatio ...
), rectifying column, a condenser, some means of splitting off a portion of the condensed vapour (distillate) as
reflux Reflux is a technique involving the condensation of vapors and the return of this condensate to the system from which it originated. It is used in industrial and laboratory distillations. It is also used in chemistry to supply energy to reactions ...
, and one or more receivers. The pot is filled with liquid mixture and heated. Vapour flows upwards in the rectifying column and condenses at the top. Usually, the entire condensate is initially returned to the column as
reflux Reflux is a technique involving the condensation of vapors and the return of this condensate to the system from which it originated. It is used in industrial and laboratory distillations. It is also used in chemistry to supply energy to reactions ...
. This contacting of vapour and liquid considerably improves the separation. Generally, this step is named start-up. The first condensate is the ''head'', and it contains undesirable components. The last condensate is the ''feints'' and it is also undesirable, although it adds flavor. In between is the ''heart'' and this forms the desired product. The head and feints may be thrown out, refluxed, or added to the next batch of mash/juice, according to the practice of the distiller. After some time, a part of the overhead condensate is withdrawn continuously as distillate and it is accumulated in the receivers, and the other part is recycled into the column as reflux. Owing to the differing vapour pressures of the distillate, there will be a change in the overhead distillation with time, as early on in the batch distillation, the distillate will contain a high concentration of the component with the higher relative volatility. As the supply of the material is limited and lighter components are removed, the relative fraction of heavier components will increase as the distillation progresses.


Batch stripper

The other simple batch distillation configuration is the batch stripper. The batch stripper consists of the same parts as the batch rectifier. However, in this case, the charge pot is located above the stripping column. During operation (after charging the pot and starting up the system) the high boiling constituents are primarily separated from the charge mixture. The liquid in the pot is depleted in the high boiling constituents, and enriched in low boiling ones. The high boiling product is routed into the bottom product receivers. The residual low boiling product is withdrawn from the charge pot. This mode of batch distillation is very seldom applied in industrial processes.


Middle vessel column

A third feasible batch column configuration is the middle vessel column. The middle vessel column consists of both a rectifying and a stripping section and the charge pot is located at the middle of the column.


Feasibility studies

Generally, the feasibility studies of batch distillation are based on analyses of the following maps: * Residue curve map * still path map * distillate path map * different column profile maps During the feasibility studies, the following basic simplifying assumptions are made: * infinite number of equilibrium stages * infinite reflux ratio * negligible tray hold-up in the two column sections * quasi-steady state in the column * constant molar overflow Bernot ''et al.'' used the batch distillation regions to determine the sequence of the fractions. According to Ewell and Welch, a batch distillation region gives the same fractions upon rectification of any mixture lying within it. Bernot ''et al.'' examined the still and distillate paths for the determination of the region boundaries under high number of stages and high reflux ratio, named maximal separation. Pham and Doherty in pioneering work described the structure and properties of residue curve maps for ternary heterogeneous azeotropic mixtures. In their model, the possibility of the phase separation of the vapour condensed is not taken into consideration yet. The singular points of the residue curve maps determined by this method were used to assign batch distillation regions by Rodriguez-Donis ''et al.'' and Skouras ''et al.'' Modla ''et al.'' pointed out that this method may give misleading results for the minimal amount of entrainer. Lang and Modla extended the method of Pham and Doherty and suggested a new, general method for the calculation of residue curves and for the determination of batch distillation regions of heteroazeotropic distillation. Lelkes ''et al.'' published a feasibility method for the separation of minimum boiling point
azeotrope An azeotrope () or a constant heating point mixture is a mixture of two or more liquids whose proportions cannot be altered or changed by simple distillation.Moore, Walter J. ''Physical Chemistry'', 3rd e Prentice-Hall 1962, pp. 140–142 This ...
s by continuously entrainer feeding batch distillation. This method has been applied for the use of a light entrainer in the batch rectifier and stripper by Lang ''et al.'' (1999) and it applied for maximum azeotropes by Lang ''et al.'' Modla ''et al.'' extended this method for batch heteroazeotropic distillation under continuous entrainer feeding.


See also

* Azeotropic distillation * Extractive distillation *
Fractional distillation Fractional distillation is the separation of a mixture into its component parts, or fractions. Chemical compounds are separated by heating them to a temperature at which one or more fractions of the mixture will vaporize. It uses distillation to ...
*
Heteroazeotrope A heteroazeotrope is an azeotrope where the vapour phase coexists with two liquid phases. Sketch of a T-x/y equilibrium curve of a typical heteroazeotropic mixture Examples of heteroazeotropes *Benzene - Water NBP 69.2 °C *Dichloromethane - Wa ...
*
Steam distillation Steam distillation is a separation process that consists in distilling water together with other volatile and non-volatile components. The steam from the boiling water carries the vapor of the volatiles to a condenser; both are cooled and re ...
*
Vacuum distillation Vacuum distillation is distillation performed under reduced pressure, which allows the purification of compounds not readily distilled at ambient pressures or simply to save time or energy. This technique separates compounds based on differences i ...
* Theoretical plate


References


Further reading

* * * * Hilmen Eva-Katrine, ''Separation of Azeotropic Mixtures:Tools for Analysis and Studies on Batch Distillation Operation'', Thesis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology Department of Chemical Engineering, (2000). *


External links


Batch distillation program online
Batch distillation of the hydrocarbon compounds. {{Distillation Distillation