DESIGN OF HEAT EXCHANGERS AND ADSORPTION COLUMNS FOR ETHANOL DEHYDRATION

Abstract

Introduction:
In this work, some of the necessary equipment for an ethanol dehydration plant is designed to meet the country's demand.
Objective:
To design the heat exchangers and adsorption columns needed for 100 hL/d ethanol dehydration plant.
Materials and Methods:
The consumption of steam and cooling water was determined, with Aspen Hysys v10.0. The methodology for the design of the heat exchangers in Aspen EDR was established and the adsorption columns with zeolite 3A were dimensioned using equations reported in the consulted bibliography.
Results and Discussion:
For the maximum capacity of the plant, 100 hL/d, 248.68 kg/h of steam and 6221 kg/h of cooling water are consumed. The design of seven heat exchangers was obtained; all of them meet the requirements of the allowable pressure drop and the fouling or obstruction factor. In the case of the adsorption columns the result was that the height is 3.5 m and a diameter of 0.3 m.
Conclusions:
With the Aspen EDR tool heat exchangers design for the specified operating conditions were done in a simple way. Adsorption column with synthetic zeolite 3A produce dehydration ethanol with the required quality.