Use of iterative stepwise methods has been a common practice in designing multicomponent distillation columns. Sometimes, it is difficult to justify iterative calculations from the point of view of cost-effectiveness, particularly when the input information does not have precision or accuracy, or when one simply does not have sufficient information for the system under study.
In this work a new method was proposed whereby quick and simple procedures give rise to values of 14 different parameters needed for the design of a column for a multicomponent distillation. Several simplifying assumptions are made in the course : the usual one of a quasi-binary in which the average relative volatility is represented by a geometric mean of relative volatilities of the light key referred to the heavy in the bottoms over the light key referred to the heavy in the distillate, Prater and Boyd's approximation for column efficiency, approximations for expedience that arise in the actual mechanical fabrications of columns according to the common industrial practice, and other simplifications in the heat exchanger calculations.
In order to validate the proposed method, comparisons are made with other popular methods such as Smith-Brinkly Short-Cut Method（SB）, Fenske-Underwood-Erbar-Maddox Short-Cut Method(FUEM) and Step-by-Step Method(SBSM) by means of an actual design example. Departure from the results by the Step-by-Step method was about 10 %, the latter being the method yielding the highest accuracy as well as precision.
Also, in this work procedures are presented for calculations of several hardware parameters of a distillation column and of heat exchangers annexed to the column.