Industrially, this process can be modeled using the McCabe-Thiele method and involves the use of towers filled with perforated trays or packed beds.
Carl von Linde patented the application of this unit operation to air. Industrially, this process can be modeled using the McCabe-Thiele method and involves the use of towers filled with perforated trays or packed beds. Common applications of this process include refining crude oil, separating air into its components, and isolating ethanol from fermented food products. It is ineffective when the components are azeotropes. For 10 points, name this process that separates two liquids based on their boiling points, and which has a "fractional" variant.
Carl von Linde patented the application of this unit operation to air.
distillation [or fractional distillation]