Patent ID: 8562792

Claim:
A dividing wall distillation column comprising: a) a dividing wall separating a column into interior, parallel feed and product sections; b) an upper liquid collection system comprising a first solid tray portion for blocking downward liquid flow across all or substantially all of an upper cross section of the column; c) a vapor isolation system located below the upper liquid collection system and comprising a blind tray portion for blocking upward vapor flow across all or substantially all of a lower cross section of the column; d) one or more upper liquid conduits providing fluid communication from above the upper liquid collection system to either or both of the feed and product sections of the column; e) one or more vapor conduits providing fluid communication from below the vapor isolation system to either or both of the feed and product sections of the column; and f) a lower liquid collection system comprising a second solid tray portion for maintaining a liquid level within a liquid downcomer of the blind tray portion.