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In the case of Acme Pharmaceuticals, batch distillation should be employed since it is

mainly used for small volume processing of specialty chemicals, pharmaceutical intermediates

and solvent recycling & recovery. Continuous distillation, on the other hand, is more commonly

used for fractional distillation of petroleum, bulk petrochemicals, and chemicals where the

composition to the column does not change dramatically from day to day.

Many plants choose batch distillation out of a matter of ease. Batch distillation allows for

a high level of chemical purity and maximum flexibility which are necessary in pharmaceutical

industries. The biggest advantage of batch processing is that it provides a large amount of

flexibility. A single system will handle a wide variety of chemicals and varying compositions. A

single column can separate multiple chemicals, with each going to it’s own receiver

tank. Depending on the chemicals you are using, a batch can be run daily for a week and then

changed out for another completely different batch quickly and efficiently. In addition, batch

processes can be fully automated when combined with advanced process control using ChemCad

In most cases, two (2) or three (3) receiver tanks and one column with a still pot is needed to

complete a job. If mistake was made when switching from one distillation receiver to another,

then all the impurities in a given cut can be recycled back to the still pot for the next batch.

Typically, the primary control variables in operating the column will be the reflux ratio and the

temperature of the still pot.

Moreover, batch distillation process will typically be cheaper than a continuous system. A

rule of thumb for continuous distillation is that the number of columns required is N-1 where N is

the number of components to be separated. Therefore, a multicomponent feed will require

multiple columns, each with its own reboiler, condenser and reflux system and this increases the

cost of continuous distillation.

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