Separation Process Engineering: Includes Mass Transfer Analysis, 4th Edition

Chapter 11. Economics and Energy Conservation in Distillation

There are an estimated 40,000 distillation columns in the United States, which have a combined capital value in excess of $8 billion. These columns are estimated to have at least a 30-year life, and they are used in more than 95% of all chemical processes. The total energy use of these columns is approximately 3% of total U.S. energy consumption (Humphrey and Keller, 1987). Thus, estimating and, if possible, reducing capital and operating costs of distillation are important.

11.0 Summary—Objectives

This chapter briefly explores distillation economics, energy reduction, and multicomponent separation cascades. After completing this chapter you should be able to satisfy the following ...