For the specifications of Example 7.1, design a packed column using 50-mm metal Hiflow rings and operating at 70% of flooding by calculating for each section: 

(a) Liquid holdup, 

(b) Column diameter, 

(c) H_OG, 

(d) Packed height, and 

(e) Pressure drop. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a packed column as compared to a trayed tower for this service?

Data From Example 7.1

Four hundred and fifty lbmol/h (204 kmol/h) of a mixture of 60 mol% benzene (LK) and 40 mol% toluene (HK) is to be separated into a liquid distillate and a liquid bottoms product of 95 mol% and 5 mol% benzene, respectively. The feed enters the column with a molar percent vaporization equal to the distillate-to-feed ratio. Use the McCabe–Thiele method to compute, at 1 atm (101.3 kPa): 

(a) Nmin,
(b) Rmin, and 

(c) number of equilibrium stages N, for R / Rmin = 1:3, and the optimal feed-stage location. Also, compare the results with those from a process simulator.