Distillation is the most widely used industrial method for separating liquid mixtures into their constituents. In chemical plants and petroleum refineries, distillations are normally carried out in vertical columns containing devices for bringing the flowing liquid mixture into intimate contact with a flowing vapor mixture that is generated by partial vaporization of the liquid. This article covers the fundamental physical and mathematical relationships that are needed for the design of new distillation columns as well as the analysis of existing columns.
The article is divided into four main topics: vapor‐liquid equilibria; distillation processes; distillation columns, both plate and packed; and distillation as a separation method. Minor divisions include such special topics as steam distillation, molecular distillation, distillation literature sources, and economics. Sufficient information is given to enable the user to carry out preliminary designs of a variety of systems, and guidance is provided for cases where additional resources might be needed.