Modeling Vaporization Efficiency for Steam Refining and Deodorization

This work is primarily concerned with batch operations found in the oil industry, as steam deodorization and steam refining, in which sparging steam in injected into a bubbling pool of oil. The physical situation with some suitable simplifications is discussed, and a theoretical model, which accounts for hydrostatic pressure and water solubility effects, is presented. The effects of some variables such as temperature, working pressure, vapor flow, and oil-layer height upon the vaporization efficiency values are analyzed. A good agreement was achieved for the prediction of vaporization efficiencies in comparison with the few experimental data available. To estimate the required properties (densities, viscosities, diffusivities, activity coefficients, and vapor pressures), group contribution methods and empirical equations were applied.