College
College of Engineering and Polymer Science
Date of Last Revision
2023-05-05 21:49:50
Major
Chemical Engineering
Honors Course
4200:297
Number of Credits
2
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Date of Expected Graduation
Spring 2022
Abstract
Proper distillation of spirits is key in maximizing resource value and producing a consumable liquid. A local brewery owner is considering entering the distilling market, and he requested information regarding a small-scale continuous column. This project used CHEMCAD to determine an operating design for continuous distillation of ethanol at a few different feed compositions. Since this model was limited to CHEMCAD, it had to build off of previous research and engineering parameters without an experimental verification. The project determined that an eight stage distillation column produced 40-58% ethanol product when the feed ranged from 7.5-12% ethanol. Eight stages produced even temperature profile for 170-180°F preheated ethanol feed entering on stage four and product extracted on stage three. The columns approximate height was four feet with a six-inch diameter. The column produced approximately 13-16% product for the given feed. The feed rate was approximately 42.5 gallons per hour. Heat integration was used to preheat the feed and condense the ethanol product. This reduced the heating exchanging utility requirement and the reboiler duty.
Research Sponsor
Paul D. Schreuders, Ph.D.
First Reader
Bi-min Zhang Newby, Ph. D.
Second Reader
Edward Evans, Ph. D.
Honors Faculty Advisor
Zhenmeng Peng, Ph. D.
Recommended Citation
Syme, Julia, "Designing a distillation process for a local brewery" (2022). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 1564.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/1564
Signature Page
Comments
Special thank you to my sponsor, Dr. Schreuders, and my first reader, Dr. Newby, who dedicated many hours made this project a success.