LSU Chemical Engineering Unveils New Distillation Columns
The LSU Cain Department of Chemical Engineering recently completed a journey of several years with the installation of its new distillation columns. The towering structure consumes two floors of Patrick F. Taylor Hall and offers students the opportunity to work on a true commercial analog of the same equipment they will be expected to operate when they enter the workforce as chemical engineers.
“This is the largest and most advanced distillation system that I have ever seen at a university,” said John Flake, chair of the Cain Department of Chemical Engineering. “We have two 6-inch diameter, 20-foot-tall, packed, glass-wall columns that may be arranged in advanced configurations. Students can certainly read about distillation in a textbook and work problems, but the experience of running a steam reboiler and separating products at this scale is a much more meaningful experience. The glass walls are also very important for visualizing what is happening insde the column.”