How to simulate butanol/water separation via lle-assisted distillation
Butanol and water form a heterogeneous azeotrope: overhead vapor condenses into two liquid phases (a butanol-rich organic layer and a water-rich aqueous layer). A decanter splits the condensed reflux by liquid-liquid equilibrium, returning the water-rich phase to strip more butanol while the organic phase is drawn as a near-pure butanol product — the phase split does the separating work an ordinary VLE column can't past the azeotrope. Luyben et al., Energy Fuels 2008, 22, 4249.
- 1Open the ready-made model
Open the "Butanol/water separation via LLE-assisted distillation" model in the MaximaLabs workspace — no install, no license. It loads live on the canvas, ready to edit and run.
- 2Confirm the thermodynamics
This process is modeled with the NRTL property package over 1_butanol, water — already selected, so the phase equilibrium and enthalpy are physically consistent from the first run.
- 3Review the flowsheet
The flowsheet chains COL, Decanter. Every block is a real, solvable unit op you can reconfigure on the canvas.
- 4Run the simulation
Click Run. The deterministic solver converges the material and energy balances (recycles included) and fills the live stream table — the AI never invents a number.
- 5Read the results and iterate
Inspect the converged streams, tweak a spec, and re-run — or ask the AI copilot to explain a result or diagnose a failed solve in plain English.
- Thermodynamics
- NRTL
- Components
- 1_butanol, water
- Unit operations
- COLDecanter
Opens live on the canvas — free, no install.
Explore the model & flowsheetFrequently asked questions
- What does the Butanol/water separation via LLE-assisted distillation model simulate?
- Butanol and water form a heterogeneous azeotrope: overhead vapor condenses into two liquid phases (a butanol-rich organic layer and a water-rich aqueous layer). A decanter splits the condensed reflux by liquid-liquid equilibrium, returning the water-rich phase to strip more butanol while the organic phase is drawn as a near-pure butanol product — the phase split does the separating work an ordinary VLE column can't past the azeotrope. Luyben et al., Energy Fuels 2008, 22, 4249.
- Which thermodynamic method does it use?
- The NRTL property package, over 1_butanol, water — already selected. You can switch the method on the canvas before running.
- Which unit operations are in the flowsheet?
- It chains COL, Decanter. Every block is a real, solvable unit operation you can reconfigure, add to, or remove.
- Do I need to install software or buy a license?
- No. Butanol/water separation via LLE-assisted distillation runs entirely in your browser on MaximaLabs — free, no install, no license. Open the model to load it live and run the deterministic solver.
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