Methods are readily available for calculating the behavior of a distillation column on the basis

of ideal or equilibrium trays. However, to determine the performance of an operating column,

the ideal or equilibrium composition change across a tray must be related to the actual change.
The concept of tray efficiencies was introduced to relate the ideal and actual tray.
Determining a tray efficiency is one of the least certain steps in the design of a distillation
column. With growing application of vacuum distillation and use of more expensive materials of
construction, the need for a better understanding of the factors affecting the efficiency is
obvious. Expansion of technology into new and unusual areas has led to demands for an
accurate method of predicting efficiencies.
A great deal of experimental work on tray efficiencies has been done and an increasing number
of factors affecting efficiencies have been found. These investigations have led to several
methods for predicting tray efficiency. Methods in the literature are concerned with
correlations for the overall column efficiency or the Murphree 1 2 tray efficiency averaged to an
overall efficiency. These correlations were developed almost exclusively for binary systems, but
most industrial distillations involve more than two components.
The purpose of this study was to obtain data from trays in an operating distillation column.
employing a ternary system and to calculate and evaluate the tray performance with these
data.
The specific objectives. included the following: to review and evaluate the various tray
efficiency concepts and prior work; to obtain the experimental data necessary for tray efficiency
calculations from an operating column; to calculate the Murphree tray efficiencies for these
data and to develop a procedure for and to calculate the generalized tray efficiencies defined
by Standard; and to determine if these efficiencies can be correlated as a function of the
variables studied.
In order to carry out these objectives, a 12-inch diameter distillation column with 10 valve trays
was operated at a steady state, total reflux condition. The ternary system benzene-toluene
para-xylene was used. System composition and column loading were varied. · Data from this
equipment were analyzed by gas chromatography and reduced by a set of computer programs
developed to calculate the tray efficiencies, On the basis of these results, comments and
recommendations were made as to the value and applicability of the generalized efficiencies as
compared to Murphree efficiencies.
INTRODUCTION
On the basis of ideal or equilibrium trays, methods for calculating the behavior of a distillation
column are easily available. However, the ideal or equilibrium composition change throughout
a tray must be related to the actual change in order to determine the performance of an
operating column. To correlate the ideal and actual tray, the concept of tray efficiency was
established.
One of the least certain steps in the design of a distillation column is determining tray
efficiency. With the increased usage of vacuum distillation and the use of more expensive
construction materials, it is certain that a deeper understanding of the factors affecting
efficiency is needed. As technology has expanded into new and odd areas, has led to demands
for an accurate method of predicting efficiencies.
Tray efficiencies have been the subject of a lot of experimentation, and a growing number of
factors affecting efficiencies have been discovered. As a result of these studies, numerous
approaches for determining tray efficiency have been developed. In the literature, correlations
for overall column efficiency or Murphree 1 2 tray efficiency averaged to an overall efficiency
are discussed. Although these correlations were almost entirely developed for binary systems,
most industrial distillations have more than two components.