Thermodynamical estimation of the limit potentialities of irreversible binary distillation

The limit capacity of binary distillation is considered for conventional heat supply to the column bottom and heat removal from the refluxer and for heat supply and removal distributed over the column height. The form of operating line, appropriating to the minimum of irreversible loss for adjusted productivity and limited transfer coefficients, was found. The expression for possible capacity limit of the distillation column was obtained, depending on flow composition and heat and mass transfer coefficients.