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Distillation is highly important in chemical process industries, as 95% of the worldwide separations use this technology in large industrial columns. Increasing energy costs and higher awareness for environmental concerns motivate towards the optimization of the performance of the tray columns, as they consume approximately 3% of the world’s energy. Flow and mixing patterns in these columns have strong influence on their separation performance, and these patterns can aid in transforming them from energy-intensive to energy-efficient columns. Plug flow is considered ideal, while any deviations from the plug flow are referred as non-idealities that are detrimental to the tray efficiency.
Several mathematical models have been proposed in the literature to predict the tray separation efficiency based on the evolving flow and mixing patterns. The effect of several predetermined patterns on the tray efficiency needs to be investigated using realistic vapor-liquid equilibriums (VLE) of a binary feed. A case study is planned, which comprises of the following tasks:
i. Usage of process simulators to obtain the VLE data for a binary mixture.
ii. Implementation of the efficiency models for predefined patterns.
iii. Assessment of the impact of different combinations of binary feed on the tray efficiency.
iv. Analysis and summarization of the acquired results.

1. Academic studies in chemical engineering, process engineering or similar field, with reasonable understanding of mathematics, thermodynamics and distillation columns.
2. Programming skills: MATLAB and process simulators- ASPEN, HYSYS, CHEMCAD.
3. Enthusiasm for theoretical/ numerical work, with good interpersonal skills.

The candidate can start at the earliest. The duration of the project can be up to 6 months. The candidate will be invited for an interview and discussion, or may give a short presentation before the selection.