Experimental study and thermodynamic modeling of phase equilibrium (liquid-liquid and liquid-vapor) of systems regarding phenol industry

Author(s)

Marcos Rogerio Mafra

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Engenharia Química
• Defense date: 2005-04-29

Examining board members

Maria Alvina Krähenbühl; Lucio Cardozo Filho; Antônio Carlos Luz Lisbôa; Martín Aznar; Ana Lucia Morais

• Advisor: Maria Alvina Krähenbühl

Abstract

Studies concerning physical and chemical phenomena are very important for the chemical industry, form the early stages of design up to full plant operation. Among the many units that make up a chemical plant, the last steps of separation and purification stands as the most expensive. Phenol, used to produce resins as well as other products, is an important feedstock to petrochemical industries. Two distillations columns and one decanter are used to purify phenol and separate cumene in the phenol production process, in which phase equilibrium plays an important role. In a tray distillation tower, one may find two liquid phases and one vapor phase in equilibrium (VLLE). Although possible, attempts to describe this equilibrium condition from two phase equilibrium conditions, either liqui-liquid (LLE) or vapor-liquid (VLE), haven¿t succeed. The objective of this work was to study the LLE and VLE of systems comprising components of the phenol production process, i.e., water, acetone, cumene, phenol and 'alfa¿-methyl styrene, at conditions close to the liquid-liquid-vapor equilibrium. Equilibrium data were successfully obtained at ¿50 DEGREES¿C and ¿60 DEGREES¿C and at 760 mmHg for a variety of compositions. Unfortunately data at high acetone contents could not be obtained due to the high pressure generated in the experimental apparatus... Note: The complete abstract is available with the full electronic digital thesis or dissertations (AU)