control panel. The rotameter has a discharge valve that can be manually manipulated to adjust flow. The rotameter reading is in percent of scale. The last control unit is the magnetic actuator, which can be initiated from the control panel. This unit creates the pulsating action of the sample funnel just below the condenser. ProcedureTo ensure that our team would be ready to collect composition data for each trial condition, we produced a 50:50 Ethanol:Isopropanol standard mixture using an analytical balance. Our team injected pure samples of ethanol, isopropanol, and water independently to determine the peak location of each component. Also, set mixtures of 60:40, and 40:60 ethanol:isopropanol standards were injected. A 1 ml sample of each of the standards was injected into the GC and resulting peak areas were recorded. Utilizing the mass of the components, the area of the GC results for each sample, and the GC calibration charts for the above standards, we were able to calculate the mole % of ethanol and isopropanol in each sample. These values determined the composition of ethanol and isopropanol in the top e and bottom samples later in the procedure. The next preparatory step was to calibrate the rotameter. Water was collected in a plastic bucket for 2 minutes then measured in a graduated cylinder to determine the volumetric flow rate. We varied the percent of scale reading on the rotameter in intervals of 20% from 20% to 100%. Two random replicates were accomplished to provide data for our calibration curve. Once the preparatory work was complete, we were ready to run design trials. The column was already in total reflux and heated to a certain temperature when our team arrived in the laboratory. To begin our experimentation, our team determined what trial conditions the column could operate at. The manipulated variables were heater percent of voltage and cooling water flow rate. The manipulated variables were s...
