Pressure and Vacuum Distillation Column

The versatile pressure and vacuum column from ILUDEST® enables detailed investigations and process development for distillation, rectification, absorption, reactive distillation, and extraction. The column can be equipped with various industry-standard structured packings or random packings to provide ideal industry-relevant conditions for your process.

Typical application areas for the column:

• reactive distillation using commercial catalyst packings (Power-to-MEDME project)
• various distillation processes for the production of sustainable jet fuels (SAFari project)
• purification of biogenic feedstocks and synthetic fuels such as methanol, DME, oxymethylene ether, gasoline, ethanol, and kerosene
• separation of valuable products (e.g., CO₂) from waste gases using absorption

Operation:

Continuous evaporation of the medium in the column sump and condensation in the head of the column result in a thermal separation of the fed material mixture on the separation packings in the column.

Advantages:

• very large operating range is possible
• precise measurement of all operating parameters (energy requirement, cooling requirement, reflux ratio, temperature and concentration profile, etc.) using sophisticated integrated measurement technology
• automated processing and evaluation of the measurement data, as well as integration of the measurement data with simulations according to industry standards (Aspen Plus)
• full automation enables 24/7 operation of the system
• choice of various commercial column internals

Technical details:

• inner diameter: 50 mm (DN50)
• pressure: 5 mbar vacuum up to 40 bar(a) overpressure (PN40)
• temperature: -40 to 250 °C (condenser: -90 to 200 °C)
• up to 50 theoretical separation stages, depending on the selected packing
• educt feed: 100 g/h up to 5 kg/h
• 17 temperature measuring points (Pt-100)
• 9 sampling points (liquid sample)

We offer:

• Development and optimization of processes for the efficient production of synthesis products
• Integrated analysis, accompanying simulation, and validation of data
• Support with the pilot testing of new separation processes
• Separation of the desired fraction from customer substance mixtures (from 10 L total volume)

Research and development services for:

• technology providers and plant operators from the chemical and refinery industry
• industry partners within the renewable fuels industry
• academic partners in the field of Power-to-X and biomass valorization