The condition and location of the feed stream are important variables that affect column performance and therefore proper feed line setup is imperative for equipment design and operation. For this column, the feed stream with controlled flow rate comes to this steam-heated heat exchanger, where the feed condition can be changed by controlling the feed temperature. For example, if saturated liquid feed is desired, the feed temperature needs to be set and controlled at the bubble point of the feed mixture through the heat exchanger. The conditioned feed then flows into the manifold along the column, and the blue valves can be used to introduce the feed to a desired feed tray. Once the feed gets into the feed tray, a fraction of the feed determined by the feed condition, or commonly known as q value, will add to the liquid stream in the stripping section, while the rest of the feed joins the vapour stream in the rectifying section.
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