Chapter 4

Total Reflux and Minimum Reflux Ratio

a. Total Reflux. In design problems, the desired separation is specified and a column is
designed to achieve this separation. In addition to the column pressure, feed
conditions, and reflux temperature, four additional variables must be specified.
Specified Variables
Designer Calculates
D, B: distillate and bottoms flow rates
Case A
1. xD
QR, QC: heating and cooling loads
2. xB
N: number of stages, Nfeed: optimum feed plate
3. External reflux ratio L0/D DC: column diameter
4. Use optimum feed plate
xD, xB = mole fraction of more volatile component A in distillate and bottoms, respectively

The number of theoretical stages depends on the reflux ratio R = L0/D. As R increases, the
products from the column will reduce. There will be fewer equilibrium stages needed since
the operating line will be further away from the equilibrium curve. The upper limit of the
reflux ratio is total reflux, or R = . The rectifying operating line is given as
yn+1 =

R
1
xn +
xD
R +1
R +1

When R = , the slop of this line becomes 1 and the operating lines of both sections of the
column coincide with the 45o line. In practice the total reflux condition can be achieved by
reducing the flow rates of all the feed and the products to zero. The number of trays required
for the specified separation is the minimum which can be obtained by stepping off the trays
from the distillate to the bottoms.

Figure 4.4-8 Minimum numbers of trays at total reflux.

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Total
condenser
xN+1

yN
N
yN-1, VN-1

x N, L N
N-1

2
y1 x2
1
x1

y0

Total
reboiler
Figure 4.4-9 Distillation column operation at total reflux.
The minimum number of equilibrium trays can also be approximated by Fenske equation,

x 1 xB
log D

1 xD xB
Nm =
log ( ave )

(4.4-22)

In this equation ave = (1B)1/2 where 1 is the relative volatility of the overhead vapor and
B is the relative volatility of the bottoms liquid. We can derive Fenske equation using the
notation shown in Figure 4.4-9 where stages are numbered from the bottom up. The vapor
leaving stage N is condensed and returned to stage N as reflux. The liquid leaving stage 1 is
vaporized and returned to stage 1 as vapor flow. For steady state operation with no heat loss,
heat input to the reboiler is equal to the heat output from the condenser. From material
balance, vapor and liquid streams passing between any pair of stages have equal flow rates
and compositions, for example, VN-1 = LN and yN-1 = xN. In general, molar vapor and liquid
flow rates will change from stage to stage unless the assumption of constant molar overflow
is valid. At stage 1, the equilibrium relation is written as
y1 = K1x1

(4.4-23)

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From the material balance

y1 = x2

(4.4-24)

Combine Eqs. (4.4-23) and (4.4-24)

x2 = K1x1

(4.4-25)

Similarly for stage 2

y2 = K2x2

(4.4-26)

Combine Eqs. (4.4-25) and (4.4-26)

y2 = K2K1x1

(4.4-27)

The procedure can be repeated to stage N where

yN = KNKN-1K2K1x1

(4.4-28)

Similarly for the less volatile component i

1 yN = Ki,NKi,N-1K i,2K i,1 (1 x1)

(4.4-29)

Dividing Eq. (4.4-8) by Eq. (4.4-9), we have

yN
x
= NN-121 1
1 yN
1 x1

(4.4-30)

Kk
= relative volatility between the two components on stage k.
Ki , k
Rearranging Eq. (4.4-30) we obtain

In this equation k =

yN
1 yN
=
x1
1 x1

N min

k or
k =1

xN +1 1 xN +1
=
x1
1 x1

N min

k =1

(4.4-31)

Since xN+1 = xD, x1 = xB, and assuming constant relative volatility, Eq. (4.4-31) becomes

N =
min

xD 1 xB
1 xD xB

(4.4-32)

Solving for the minimum number of equilibrium trays gives

x 1 xB
log D

1 xD xB

Nmin =
log ( )

(4.4-33)

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Eq. (4.4-33) is the Fenske equation (4.4-22) where = ave = (1B)1/2

x 1 xB
log D

1 xD xB
Nm =
log ( ave )

(4.4-22)

b. Minimum reflux ratio. As the reflux ratio is reduced, the distance between the
operating line and the equilibrium curve becomes smaller. The minimum reflux ratio
Rm is the limiting reflux where the operating line either touches the equilibrium curve
or intersects the equilibrium curve at the q-line. The minimum reflux ratio will
require an infinite number of trays to attain the specified separation of xD and xB.
Figure 4.4-10 shows an equilibrium plate n with streams Ln-1 and Vn+1 entering and
streams Ln and Vn leave the plate. If the two steams Ln-1 and Vn+1 are at equilibrium
there will be no net mass transfer between the liquid and vapor streams. The
equilibrium curve will touch or intersect the operating line at this point.

n-1
L n-1

Vn
n

Ln

Vn+1
n+1

Figure 4.4-10 Equilibrium plate n with vapor and liquid streams.

Given q, xD and xF, the feed line is fixed and the upper operating line depends on the reflux
ratio R. At total reflux, the operating line coincides with the 45o line. As R is decreased, the
slope of the enriching operating line R/(R + 1) is decreased. The operating line will rotate
clockwise around the point (x = xD, y = xD ) until it is tangent to the equilibrium curve or it
intersects the q-line at the equilibrium point whichever comes first. The location where the
operating line touches or intersects the equilibrium curve is called the pinch point. The
enriching operating line at minimum reflux is then defined.
yn+1 =

Rm
1
xn +
xD
Rm + 1
Rm + 1

The minimum reflux Rm can be obtained from either the intercept of the slope of the
enriching operating line. The operating flux ratio is between the minimum Rm and total
reflux. Usual value is between 1.2Rm to 1.5Rm. Figure 4.4-11 shows the pinch points for case
1 where the operating line intersects the equilibrium curve and case 2 where the operating
line touches the equilibrium curve.

4-44

Figure 4.4-11 The pinch points for minimum reflux.

Example 4.4-4 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------A distillation column receives a feed that is 40 mole % n-pentane and 60 mole % n-hexane.
Feed is saturated liquid with a flow rate of 2,500 lbmol/hr. The column is at 1 atm. A
distillate of 90 mole % n-pentane is desired. A total condenser is used. Reflux is a saturated
liquid. Bottoms from the reboiler is 98 mole % n-hexane. Determine the minimum number of
equilibrium trays and the minimum reflux ratio.
Data: Vapor pressure, Psat, data: ln Psat = A B/(T + C), where Psat is in kPa and T is in K.
Compound
A
n-pentane (1) 13.9778
n-hexane (2) 14.0568

B
2554.6
2825.42

C
36.2529
42.7089

Heat of evaporation for n-pentane, C5 = 11,369 Btu/lbmol, CpL,C5 = 39.7 Btu/lbmoloF

Heat of evaporation for n-hexane, C6 = 13,572 Btu/lbmol, CpL,C6 = 51.7 Btu/lbmoloF

Solution -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(a) Minimum number of equilibrium trays

The equilibrium data for n-pentane and n-hexane at 1 atm are listed in Table 4.4-4. The data
were generated with the Matlab codes listed in Table 4.4-5 assuming ideal solution.

4-45

Table 4.4-4 Equilibrium data for n-pentane and n-hexane system at 1 atm.
x = mole fraction of n-pentane in the liquid
y = mole fraction of n-pentane in the vapor

x=
x=
x=
x=
x=
x=
x=
x=
x=
x=
x=
x=
x=
x=
x=
x=
x=
x=
x=
x=
x=

0.00000 ,
0.05000 ,
0.10000 ,
0.15000 ,
0.20000 ,
0.25000 ,
0.30000 ,
0.35000 ,
0.40000 ,
0.45000 ,
0.50000 ,
0.55000 ,
0.60000 ,
0.65000 ,
0.70000 ,
0.75000 ,
0.80000 ,
0.85000 ,
0.90000 ,
0.95000 ,
1.00000 ,

y=
y=
y=
y=
y=
y=
y=
y=
y=
y=
y=
y=
y=
y=
y=
y=
y=
y=
y=
y=
y=

0.00000,
0.12705,
0.23699,
0.33263,
0.41626,
0.48975,
0.55462,
0.61214,
0.66335,
0.70911,
0.75016,
0.78711,
0.82048,
0.85070,
0.87816,
0.90317,
0.92601,
0.94692,
0.96610,
0.98374,
1.00000,

T(K) =
T(K) =
T(K) =
T(K) =
T(K) =
T(K) =
T(K) =
T(K) =
T(K) =
T(K) =
T(K) =
T(K) =
T(K) =
T(K) =
T(K) =
T(K) =
T(K) =
T(K) =
T(K) =
T(K) =
T(K) =

342.06
339.40
336.91
334.58
332.39
330.32
328.38
326.53
324.79
323.14
321.56
320.07
318.64
317.28
315.97
314.72
313.53
312.38
311.28
310.22
309.20

The minimum number of trays required is obtained by stepping off between the 45o line and
the equilibrium curve from xB = 0.1 to xD = 0.9. The answer is 4.1 equilibrium trays.

Figure E-1 Minimum numbers of trays at total reflux.

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The minimum number of trays can also be estimated by Fenske equation,

x 1 xB
0.9 1 0.1
log D
log

log ( 81)
1

x
x
1 0.9 0.1
D
B

Nm =
=
=
log ( ave )
log ( ave )
log ( ave )
In this equation ave = (DB)1/2 where D is the relative volatility of the overhead vapor and
B is the relative volatility of the bottoms liquid.

Total
condenser
x N+1

yN
N
yN-1, VN-1

x N, LN
N-1

2
y1 x2
1
x1

y0

Total
reboiler
Figure E-2 Distillation column operation at total reflux.
From the notation in Figure E-2, at the top yN = xD = 0.9 0.9032, xN = 0.75000. At the
bottoms x1 = xB = 0.1, y1 = 0.237 (equilibrium data from Table 4.4-4).

D =

y N / xN
0.9032 / 0.7500
=
= 3.1102
(1 yN ) / (1 xN ) (1 0.9032 ) / (1 0.7500 )

B =

y1 / x1
0.237 / 0.100
=
= 2.7955
(1 y1 ) / (1 x1 ) (1 0.237 ) / (1 0.100 )
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ave = (DB)1/2 = (3.11022.7955)1/2 = 2.9487

Nm =

log ( 81)
log ( 81)
=
= 4.1
log ( ave ) log ( 2.9487 )

(b) Minimum reflux ratio.

Figure E-3 The pinch point for minimum reflux.

Since feed is saturated liquid, the feed-line is vertical and intersects the equilibrium curve at
the point x = 0.4, y = 0.6633. The enriching operating line for minimum reflux passes
through this point (x = 0.4, y = 0.6633) and the point (x = xD = 0.9, y = 0.9). The slope of the
rectifying operating line is given by
Rm
0.9000 0.6633
=
= 0.4734
Rm + 1 0.9000 0.4000
The minimum reflux ratio is then
Rm =

0.4734
= 0.90
1.0000 0.4734

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