Chemical engineeringLesson 2 of 5 in the course Separation processes

Distillation: Equilibrium, Column Design, Laboratory Methods, and Applications

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

Save course
Lesson progress
0 / 5

Your progress is kept in this browser only.Sign up to save it

Summary

Distillation is a widely used separation process that takes advantage of differences in how readily substances vaporize. This lesson introduces its basic purpose, distinguishes physical separation from chemical change, and traces key milestones in its history.

Distillation separates the components of a liquid mixture by selectively vaporizing part of the mixture and then condensing the vapor in a still. The condensed liquid is called the distillate. The liquid left behind is commonly called the residue or bottoms.

All flashcards

What is distillation?
A separation process in which part of a liquid mixture is selectively vaporized and the vapor is condensed, producing a distillate with a composition different from the remaining liquid.
What is relative volatility?
A measure of how readily one component vaporizes compared with another. Greater relative volatility differences generally permit easier separation.
Why is distillation a physical separation?
In classical industrial distillation, substances are separated by phase changes rather than intentionally converted into different chemicals.
Name several broad applications of distillation.
Examples include beverage production, desalination, petroleum refining and stabilization, cryogenic air separation, and purification in chemical synthesis.
What is distillation’s major energy trade-off?
Vaporization and condensation require substantial heat transfer, so distillation can consume a large amount of industrial energy.

Quiz questions

  1. For an ideal liquid solution, what does Raoult’s law relate?Answer: A component’s partial pressure to its liquid mole fraction and pure-component vapor pressure.
  2. What does Dalton’s law state for a gas mixture?Answer: The total pressure equals the sum of the component partial pressures.
  3. In batch distillation of a binary mixture, what happens to the remaining liquid as vapor enriched in the more volatile component is removed?Answer: It becomes richer in the less volatile component.
  4. At an azeotrope, why can ordinary distillation not change the mixture’s composition?Answer: The vapor and liquid have the same composition at that condition.
  5. What does a theoretical stage represent in distillation design?Answer: An ideal vapor–liquid contact that reaches equilibrium.

Based on the Wikipedia article Distillation, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

More in Chemical engineering

All Chemical engineering lessons
Chemical engineeringAbsorption in Phase Separation and Material Moisture5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Chemical engineeringMass Balances: Components, Reactions, and Reactor Models5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Chemical engineeringChemical Reactor Models, Catalysis, and Heat Management5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Chemical engineeringLiquid–Liquid Extraction: Equilibrium, Methods, and Process Design5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Chemical engineeringReaction Engineering: Reactor Systems, ISCRE, and Field Awards5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Chemical engineeringSeparation Processes: Principles, Purposes, and Common Methods5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →