Diseño y construcción de una torre de destilación con rectificación para la purificación de Thinner usado procedente de las mecánicas de automóviles

Abstract

The objective of this research is the Design and Construction of a Distillation Tower with Rectification for the purification of the used thinner coming from the automotive mechanics of the city of Ambato, which will be located in the Laboratory of Unit Operations, School of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences of the Polytechnic School of Chimborazo. The sizing of the equipment was made through engineering calculations based on experimental data and process variables obtained in laboratory tests based on the simple distillation process and NTE 2163:99. The equipment is built in AISI 304 stainless steel, with two condensers, a deflator, a cylindrical plate column, piping and storage tanks for feeding and distillation, using LPG as heat source. Achieving the obtaining of 80% of recovered thinner, 15% of residue (paint) and 5% of volatile solvents that when submitted to the distillation process were not condensed in its totality; it also presents a 93% of efficiency in the equipment, this value was reached in function of the viscosity and the relative volatility that this one presents. It is concluded that with the construction of the equipment a pure solvent will be recovered, which can be used for other purposes within the automotive mechanics, reducing production costs; it will also allow laboratory practices contributing to the technological development of students, as well as the reduction of environmental pollution. It is recommended that the automotive repair shops control the management of solid and liquid waste in order to reduce the contamination they cause to the environment and proceed with the process to obtain an environmental license.