Distillation of a Complex Mixture. Part II: Performance Analysis of a Distillation Column Using Exergy

To analyze the performance of the separation process, we have introduced the thermodynamic concept of exergy through the exergetic efficiency of the column. The simulation results show that the exergetic output is relatively low and that the produced irreversibility fluxes are distributed throughout the whole column in a non-uniform manner. They are particularly significant in the condenser, boiler and tray feed. The influence of the various operating parameters (temperature, concentration and irreversibility in both sections of the column) is also established. To emphasize the results, the relation in equation 17, is presented graphically to evaluate the cumulative irreversibilities from the overhead to the bottom. This presentation is equivalent to the Grassmann diagram.