Novel micro-distillation column for process development

The design, manufacture and testing of a novel flat micro-distillation column is presented. The unit was operated in a horizontal orientation with unit ends regulated to the boiling point temperatures of the pure compounds. Metal foam was used as a distillation packing on the bottom of the unit. The operation of the unit was studied with a mixture of n-hexane and cyclohexane. Operating conditions were stable and a height equivalent to a theoretical plate of 13 mm was observed. The unit presented in this paper seems to be an viable option as a building block of a micro-scale chemical process. (C) 2008 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.