ACHEMA 2018

•••8••• Innovationen The camera system measures whether there is a high degree of droplet formation, which can negatively affect the separation of components. In the future, this technology could take counter- measures whenever the relevant measurement data change – and can also save energy. During distillation, liquids are evaporated and then separated into their constituents following the subsequent condensation of the vapour. A well-known exam- ple can be found in the refining of crude oil, where the crude oil is separated into high-boiling heavy oil, diesel and petroleum, as well as into lower-boiling kerosenes or gasolines. “This common procedure in- volves a high amount of energy consumption,” says Jonas Schulz, who examines this procedure as part of his doctoral studies at the chair of separation science and technology under Professor Dr. Hans-Jörg Bart. In the United States alone, distillation is respon- sible for half of the energy costs associated with thermal separa- tion processes in the chemical in- dustry. This incurs costs in excess of USD 100 billion every year. The engineers at the TUK are de- veloping a technology that will improve energy efficiency in the future. Their approach is based on a camera system that moni- tors the process. “Distillation in the chemical industry takes place in what are known as ‘fractionat- ing columns’,” explains Markus Lichti, who is also involved in the project. These columns are cylin- drical installations that contain a series of distillation plates. These can be configured in a variety of ways, depending on the applica- tion, including plates with a sieve- like surface. Separation occurs as part of a continuous process in which va- pour is produced at the very beginning by adding the corre- sponding mixture into the middle of the column. It runs downwards through the individual plates and is heated in the lower section of the column. It then rises to the top as vapour. Mixture is regularly fed into the system to prevent the reaction from stopping. “In turn, the vapour heats the liquid, which then begins to boil and rise as va- pour,” adds Schultz, while explain- ing the principle. “It then cools again and collects in liquid form on the next highest plate.” As a result, the constituents of the liq- uid that have a lower boiling point evaporate again and move up to the next distillation plate in the column. This process continues over several levels, until the liq- uid with the lowest boiling point has accumulated on the highest plate. “Contamination occasion- ally occurs during distillation, since the liquid does not separate properly into the individual com- ponents,” Lichti continues. This can be caused by a range of dif- ferent factors, such as a distinctly increased vapour flow, excessive pressure or insufficient liquid in the system. For instance, it is possible for the liquid and vapour to mix on the plate to such a degree that the vapour carries away some of the droplets from the liquid phase. Ex- perts refer to this as entrainment. The droplets move up to the next plate where they remain; in the refining of crude oil, for exam- ple, some of the heavy oil can ac- cumulate with the diesel, thereby changing its chemical properties. The camera system developed by the researchers at Kaiserslautern may provide a solution to this in the future. The camera is inte- grated into a probe – a stainless- steel tube – which protects it against the hot vapour. The probe is inserted into the fractionating column through an access slot. This access slot resembles the principle of a drawer in which the probe is fixed in place. A glass plate allows the camera to look into the interior of the column. High-contrast images are enabled by means of lighting technology housed in another access slot di- rectly opposite. New camera system monitors distillation Researchers are developing a technology that will improve energy efficiency in the future The system monitors distillation and helps to save energy. Photo: TUK / Thomas Koziel Continued from page 1 microfilter gmbh, Halle 6.0, Stand D63: Die „Filter-Technologieführer aus Baden-Württemberg“ vergrößern die Möglichkeiten - verkleinern die Bauform. Seit 1973 ist die Firma microfilter gmbh Hersteller von Filtergehäusen und Einsätzen für flüssige und gas- förmige Medien, von Kleinmengen bis zu Serienferti- gungen. Das Arbeitsfeld der mf microfilter gmbh ist so vielseitig und komplex wie das breite Spektrum der Anwendungsgebiete der Kunden. Durch die Flexibilität und kundenorientierte Ausrich- tung finden die Produkte europaweit in zukunftswei- senden Branchen ihre Anwendung: Maschinen- und Anlagenbau, Rennsport-, Luft- und Raumfahrttechnik, Medizintechnik, Chemie- und Pharmaindustrie. Zwar bedeutet der Firmenname „microfilter“ nicht, dass sich die Produktpalette auf kleine Filtertypen beschränkt – der Leistungsbereich der T-Filter er- streckt sich zum Beispiel auf einen Durchfluss Q von wenigen cm 3 bis 6000 L/min, bei einer Druckbela- stung P bis 1000 bar. Allerdings hat das Unternehmen in den letzten Jahren vor allem durch die wegweisende Micro- Laserschweißtechnik von sich reden gemacht, und ist dadurch in der Lage, kleinste Bauteilemit von 3 bis 4 mm Ø in beeindruckender Präzision herzustellen. Deshalb freuen sich die Mitarbeiter ganz besonders darauf, die neue Kleinstfilter-Baureihe vorzustellen. Weitere Top-Themen: • Neu in unserem Programm! BBS-Filtersiebe • Klebstofffreie Filtereinsätze zur Anwendung auch unter extremstenTemperaturbedingungen sowie zur Filterung aggressivster Medien. Diese Filterelemente werden in Stahl, 1.4301, 1.4404/1.4571 und Alloy C 22 gefertigt. Das microfilter-Team amStand D63 in Halle 6.0 zeigt die Zukunft der Filtertechnik mit neuen Möglichkeiten Ihrer Anwendungen und Produktionsprozesse. Anzeige