11. Relevance and application of the ideal floor model

The comparison between the real devices and the ideal model must be carried out for the following two properties:

• phase drive (zero for the ideal stage) ;

• deviation from thermodynamic equilibrium (zero for the ideal stage).

Phase entrainment, thanks to the great difference in density between liquid and steam, is generally very low in correctly dimensioned plants: steam velocity limits must be respected, otherwise it will entrain liquid droplets. The deviation from equilibrium for a column stage to be rectified is generally not negligible. This leads us to define :