In the production of aniline by the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene, the reactor products are separated from unreacted hydrogen in a condenser. The condensate, which is mainly water and aniline, together with a small amount of unreacted nitrobenzene and cyclohexylamine, is fed to a decanter to separate the water and aniline. The separation will not be complete, as aniline is slightly soluble in water, and water in aniline. A typical material balance for the decanter is given below:
Basis 100 kg feed
Design a decanter for this duty, for a feed rate of 3500 kg/h. Concentrate on the separation of the water and aniline. The densities of water-aniline solutions are given in Appendix F, Problem F.8, available in the online material at booksite.Elsevier.com/Towler. The decanter will operate at a maximum temperature of 30 °C.