Distillation method and structured packing

A method of conducting a distillation process for separating of components contained in a mixture comprising:

• countercurrently contacting an ascending vapor phase of the mixture with a descending liquid phase of the mixture within a cross-corrugated structured packing such that the descending liquid phase becomes richer in the components having a lower volatility than the components having a higher volatility and the vapor phase becomes richer in the components having the higher volatility;
• the cross-corrugated structured packing containing corrugated sheets having a thickness of between 0.4 mm to 10 mm and fabricated of foam material having an open-cell structure formed of a network of interconnected struts defining cells within the open-cell structure and wherein the foam material has a macro specific area in an area range of between 100 m2/m3 and 500 m2/m3, pores at opposed surfaces of each of the corrugated sheets formed by the cells in at a frequency of between 30 pores per inch and 140 pores per inch, a solids fraction in each of the corrugated sheets in a solids fraction range of between 2 percent and 20 percent;
• conducting the distillation process such that the descending liquid phase produces a liquid film descending in the cross-corrugated structured packing along the struts and the vapor phase ascends within the cross-corrugated structured packing and enters the cells within the foam material of the corrugated sheets and contacts the liquid film;
• and
• the corrugated sheets of the cross-corrugated structured packing configured such that a superficial velocity at which ambient air would flow through the cross-corrugated structured packing at a pressure drop of 0.3″wc/ft is no greater than 20 times a reference superficial velocity at which the ambient air would flow through the foam material making up the corrugated sheets at said pressure drop.