THE OPTIMUM PLATE-SPACING FOR THE BEST PERFORMANCE IN A FLAT-PLATE THERMAL-DIFFUSION COLUMN WITH TRANSVERSE SAMPLING STREAMS

The equations for estimating optimum plate-spacing for maximum separat ion and for maximum production rate in a flat-plate thermal diffusion column with transverse sampling stream and with fixed operating expens e, have been derived. Considerable improvement in performance is obtai nable if the optimum plate-spacing is selected so that the convective strength can be properly reduced and controlled, resulting in suppress ing the undesirable remixing effect while still preserving the desirab le cascading effect and thereby leading to improved performance.