Both the energy economy and column volume were investigated for the vapor-recompression rectification. Optimum heat input for the column with single still and the optimum degree of enrichment for the columnsequipped with secondary still were analytically determined. An experiment was carried out for the enrichmentof heavy water in the column filled with McMahon packings at total reflux under atmospheric pressure.

View full abstract

The driving force of liquid flow in a granular material is divided into two components, one is the capillarysuction potential and the other the osmotic suction potential.
When the granular material consists of large particles (e.g. unconsolidated sand in the sieve range), themovement of water in the bed is caused by the capillary suction potential difference, while for small particles (e.g. clay), the osmotic suction potential becomes predominant.
Here, the method of measuring the capillary suction potential is mainly described, and the result of experimentsas follows:
1) Effects of particle size and voidage of beds on the capillary suction potential (Fig. 6, 7), and the hysteresisof water movement in beds (Fig. 9, 11) were studied.
2) Correlation between temperature-and the capillary suction potential was-found as p (φ, t)=p (Φ, t₀)δ/δ0, (Fig. 8).
3) Glass sphere beds with various moisture contents were prepared and the capillary suction potentials weremeasured for each bed. Based on these, the drainage and imbibition curves were obtained (Fig. 12, 13).
These curves were entirely different from the well-known curve for the gradual drainage starting froma saturated bed.
The osmotic suction potentials were obtained by simple measurements of clay bed (Fig. 15).

View full abstract

Stagnant effective thermal conductivities of soldered packed-bed (k_o⁰) for sphere packing were measured bythe method which is ordinarily used for metal rod. Values of 15-28kcal/m·hr·°C were obtained for solderedpacked-bed made by soldering iron and brass sphere with pewter.
The k_o⁰ of soldered packed-bed has been measured to be independent of the orientation of heat flux, since thedistribution of bridge-parts which connect the spherical packings of soldered packed-bed to each other, wasuniform throughout the whole surface of the sphere.
A theoretical estimation of the stagnant effective thermal conductivity was tried as follows.
At first, the resistance of theimal conduction was estimated on two spherical packings connected to eachother with solder and then a correction was introduced. In soldered packed-bed heat will be conducted along along zig-zag roundabout way. The ratio of the length of zig-zag path to the straight distance was named effectivepath length coefficient (α). The resistance of thermal condution should be multiplied α-fold of that of thefirst model.
Three regular types of sphere packing values of α were calculated, and it was found that a has a simplelinear functional relation with the void fraction of soldered packed-bed.α= 0.85+1.18ε
Thus k_o⁰ may be estimated by the following equation,
k_o⁰= (1-ε) 3/αΩk_p
The agreement between calculated and obserbed k_o⁰ was very good.

View full abstract

Theoretical studies were made on the separation by intermediate pressure in a multi-component system. Theseparation procedure by intermediate pressure is often applied in chemical industry. The aim is to strip impuregas or to take out the solvent dissolved gas in its pure state.
Originally, the dissolving equilibrium of gases into gas phase and liquid phase was in many cases measuredby Henry's law and its treatment should be easy, but calculations of separation by intermediate pressure wereusually performed by the trial and error method which especially caused great trouble and took a long time inthe case of multi-components.
As a result of this paper, analysis on this problem became feasible either algebraically when the system iscomposed of up to four components or graphically when composed of multi-components (more than four components).
Applying this procedure to the purification of acetylene in a reaction gas by partial oxidation of Methane, itwas confirmed that the purity of product acetylene was higher in case of two stage expansions compared withsingle expansion. Furthermore, investigation on optimum intermediate separating pressure in multi-componentsystem which contained gas of less methanol-solubility such as Hydrogen, Carbon monooxide, Methane, Nitrogenshowed that optimum pressure lay closer to final expansion pressure and in 1.5-2.0 atm in this example.

View full abstract