Lecture5:IsothermalFlashCalculations

Inthelastlecturewe:
Describedenergyandentropybalancesinflowingsystems
Definedavailabilityandlostwork
DeriveaGibbsPhaseRuleforflowingsystems
Describedsystemspecification
ShowedhowDePriesterchartsareusedtotabulateKvaluedatafor
hydrocarbonsystems
Inthislecturewell:
Describeanisothermalflashseparation
DerivetheRachfordRiceequation
ShowhowtouseNewtonsmethodtofindtherootsoftheRRequation
UsetheRachfordRiceprocedure,includingNewtonsmethodand
DePriesterequilibriumdatatosolveahydrocarbonisothermalflashproblem.

IsothermalFlashConfiguration
Considerthefollowingoperationwhichproducesaliquidvaporequilibriumfroma
liquidfeed:
FlashDrum
Vaporout

LiquidFeed

V,yi,TV,PV,hv

F,zi,TF,PF,hF

Liquidout

L,xi,TL,PL,hL

Foreachstream:
n:molarflowrate:F,L,V
zi:compositionvariables:x,y,z
T:temperature
P:pressure
h:enthalpy
Q:heattransfer

IsothermalFlashVariables
FlashDrum
Vaporout

LiquidFeed

V,yi,TV,PV,hv

F,zi,TF,PF,hF
Q

Liquidout

L,xi,TL,PL,hL

Forthissystemthereare3C+10variables: F,V,L,TF,PF,TV,PV,TL,PL,Q,{xi,yi,zi}C
WeshowedinthelastlecturethatthereareC+5degreesoffreedom.
IfwespecifyF,zi,TF,PFwehavespecified(C+3)variablesand
wecanspecifytwoadditionalvariables.
CommonSpecifications:
TV,PV
IsothermalFlash
V/F=0,PL BubblePointTemperature
V/F=1,PV DewPointTemperature
V/F=0,TL BubblePointPressure
V/F=1,TV DewPointPressure
Q=0,PV AdiabaticFlash
Q,PV
Nonadiabaticflash
V/F,PV PercentVaporizationFlash

IsothermalFlashEquations
Ifwespecifythe F

C 5

Thenremaining C 1

variablesF,Tv,Pv,TF,PF,Zi

3 2C 5

Equations
A)molefractionsummations

B)KValuerelationships
C)Massbalances

D)Energybalance

variablesmustbefoundfrom:

1C

E)Thermalandmechanicalequilibrium
Total

NotethatifTandPofeach
productstreamarenot
consideredasvariables,then
wewouldnthaveequations
forthermalandmechanical
equilibriuminthedrum.

2 1

2C 5

IflessthanC+5variablesarespecified,thenthesystemisundetermined(underspecified).
IfmorethanC+5variablesarespecificed,thenthesystemisoverdetermined(overspecified).

IsothermalFlashEquations
Wehave2C+5variablestodeterminefrom2C+5equations.Theexpression

C 1
givesthetotalnumberofequationsforthissystemof2C+3(thesystemcreatesatwo
phaseequilibrium).Thetwoadditionalequationsweneedcomefromourassumption
ofthermalandmechanicalequilibriuminthedrum.

TL TV
Wehavetotalmaterialbalance:

PL PV
FVL

Wehavecomponentmaterialbalances,oneforeachcomponent:

FZi VYi LXi

Wehavethemolefractionsummationsforeachphase(orstream):

Xi 1
i

Yi 1
i

Zi 1
i

Inequilibrium,wehaveaKvaluerelationshipforeachcomponent:

kiL,V

YiV

XiL

RachfordRiceDerivation
ItisconvenienttodefinetheVaporFractionasfollows:

V
F

Substitutingintoourtotalmaterialbalance:
L F F
Forthecomponentmaterialbalances:

FZi VYi LXi

Zi

V
F F
Yi
Xi
F
F

Zi Yi Xi Xi

UsingtheKValueandsolvingfortheliquidphasemolefraction:

Zi Yi Xi Xi
Yi K i Xi

Zi Ki Xi Xi Xi

Zi
Xi
K i 1

WeusetheKValuetoget:

Yi

Ki Zi
K i 1

RachfordRiceEquations
Weusethemolefractionsummations:

Xi 1
i

Yi 1
i

Yi Xi 0
i

Substitutinginourexpressionsforthemolefractions:

Zi
Xi
K i 1

Ki Zi
Yi
K i 1

GivesustheRachfordRiceEquation:

K i Zi
Zi

0

i K i 1 K i 1

Zi K i 1
0
i K i 1

f ( )

Therootsofthisequationgiveusthecompositions,andvaporfractionofthe
IsothermalFlashoperation.
Tosolvethisequation,weneedtousesomeprocedureforfindingtheroots:
Iterative
Graphical

NewtonsIterativeMethod
TosolvetheRachfordRiceequationwecanuseNewtonsmethodtofind:
Newtonsmethodestimatesabetter
rootusingthelastguessandtheratio
ofthefunctiontoitsderivativeatthat
guess:

k 1 k

f ' k
f k

Zi K i 1

FortheRachfordRiceEquation
thisbecomes:

k
Ki 1 1
k 1 k i
2

Zi K i 1

i k Ki 1 1

RachfordRiceProcedure
TheRachfordRiceprocedureusingNewtonsmethodisthen:
Step1:

TL TV

Thermalequilibrium

Step2:

PL PV

Mechanicalequilibrium

Step3:
SolveRachfordRiceforV/FwheretheKvaluesaredeterminedby
TL,andPL.

Zi Ki 1
0

i
i

Step4:
Steps5and6:
Step7:
Step8:

V F
Zi
Xi
K i 1

L F F
Q Vhv Lhl Fh f

CanuseNewtonsmethodhere.

DetermineV

Ki Zi
Yi
K i 1
DetermineL
DetermineQ

Example:RachfordRice
Aflashchamberoperatingat50Cand200kPaisseparating1000kgmoles/hrofa
feedthatis30mole%propane,10%nbutane,15%npentane,and45%nhexane.
Whataretheproductcompositionsandflowrates?
1)UsingtheDepriesterChartwedeterminethat:
K1(propane)=7.0
K2(nbutane)=2.4
K3(npentane)=0.80
K4(nhexane)=0.30
2)WefirstwritetheRachfordRiceEquationandsubstituteinthecompositionandKvalues:

V
Z i Ki 1
f
F i K i 1 1

V
0.37.0 1
0.1 2.4 1
0.150.8 1 0.45 0.3 1
f

F 7.0 1 1 2.4 1 1 0.8 1 1 0.3 1 1

DepriesterDeterminationofKValues

Example:RachfordRice
WecaneitherplottheRachfordRiceEquationasafunctionofV/ForuseNewtonsmethod:

V
Z K 1
f i i
F i K i 1 1

V
0.37.0 1
0.1 2.4 1
0.150.8 1 0.45 0.3 1
f

F 7.0 1 1 2.4 1 1 0.8 1 1 0.3 1 1

GuessV/F=0.1

0.37.0 1
0.1 2.4 1
0.150.8 1
0.450.3 1
f 0.1

0.8785
0.17 1 1 0.1 2.4 1 1 0.10.8 1 1 0.10.3 1 1
ToobtainanewguessweneedthederivativeoftheRRequation:

V
0.37.0 12
0.12.4 1 2
0.150.8 1 2
0.450.3 12
f '

F 7 1 12 2.4 1 12 0.8 1 12 0.3 1 12

0.37.0 12
0.1 2.4 12
0.150.8 12
0.450.3 12
f' 0.1
2
2
2
2 4.631
0.17 1 1 0.12.4 1 1 0.10.8 1 1 0.10.3 1 1

Example:RachfordRice
Soournextguessis

2 0.1

f 0.29

0.879
0.29
4.631

0.37.0 1
0.12.4 1
0.150.8 1
0.450.3 1

0.329
0.297 1 1 0.292.4 1 1 0.290.8 1 1 0.290.3 1 1

ToobtainanewguessweneedthederivativeoftheRRequation:
2

0.37.0 1
0.12.4 1
0.150.8 1
0.450.3 1
f' 0.29

2
2
2
2 1.891
0.29
7

1
0.29
2.4

1
0.29
0.8

1
0.29
0.3

3 0.29
f 0.46 0.066

4 0.46

0.329
0.46
1.891
f ' 0.46 1.32
0.066
0.51
1.32

f 0.51 0.00173

Example:RachfordRice
So:

Using:

V / F 0.51
Zi
Xi
K i 1
X1(propane)=0.0739
X2(nbutane)=0.0583
X3(npentane)=0.1670
X4(nhexane)=0.6998

V 510kg / hr
Ki Zi
Yi
Ki 1

Y1(propane)=0.5172
Y2(nbutane)=0.1400
Y3(npentane)=0.1336
Y4(nhexane)=0.2099

Summary
Inthislecturewediscussed:
Variables,Equationsanddegreesoffreedomforanisothermalflashseparation
Anisothermalflashconfiguration
ThederivationandsolutionoftheRachfordRiceequation
NewtonsiterativeproceduretosolvefortherootsoftheRRequation
Anumericalexampletodemonstratethisapproach.

NextLecturewillcover:
BubblepointpressureandDewPointtemperaturecalculations