Distillation columns constitute a significant fraction of the capital invested in the refineries around the world; their control requires a major part of the total operating cost of chemical processes, if the used strategy is not adequate. This article presents the application of optimal fuzzy control to reduce the energy consumption of a Benzene-Toluene distillation column. This method is based on the determination of the specific values of the fuzzy controller parameters such that certain performance criterion is minimised. Results of a simulation study are presented showing the potential improvement offered by this method.

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