PSA Consultants Ltd

Process Systems Associates

Distillation
Operation troubleshooting and Principles of Design
Course Objectives:
The course is designed to give a thorough understanding of the
subject and it will help process engineers and operations personnel
to acquire confidence in understanding this branch of Chemical
Engineering.
The course provides a clear knowledge of this branch of unit
operations in Heat and mass transfer, for better operation of
distillation columns. All the variables of column design, choice of
column internals and the various interactions of the process
variables that lead to poor distillation operations are explained. The
course emphasizes through numerous examples the troubleshooting
parameters and ways to circumvent operational problems.

Course Duration:
Five Days

Who Should Attend:

The course is primarily directed at refinery operators as well as
fresh graduate engineers who are concerned with Distillation,
Operation and troubleshooting.

First Day
Introduction to distillation: Design, Operation, Control
The concept of Unit Operations.
Vapor-liquid equilibria
Distillation operating variables
Column and tray design and efficiencies
Second Day
Mass Transfer, Distillation equipment.
McCabe Thiele design method
Factors affecting Distillation operation:
Feed condition, internal flow conditions, reflux, column
diameter, state of trays and packing
Efficiency and operating range of trays / downcomers:
Flooding, weeping, dumping, blowing, foaming, downcomer back-
up
Third Day
Distillation column control
Objectives of distillation column control
 Structure of distillation column control
Advanced column techniques
Fourth Day
Mass transfer - tray columns
Commercial contacting devices: trays
Mass transfer - packed columns
Commercial contacting devices: packing random & structured
Packing requirements for continuous-contact distillation
Fifth Day
Distillation software review
Distillation column rating and performance calculations
Distillation economics and optimization
Troubleshooting
Example calculations