As
a preliminary step in the development of a reactive dividing
wall distillation process, a reactive distillation experimental and
modeling effort was conducted. A novel aldol condensation process
was chosen to demonstrate many of the complex behaviors associated
with industrial chemical systems. The first portion of the experimental
program was focused on determining the phase equilibria and reaction
kinetics of the chemical system. Next, a laboratory scale reactive
distillation column (RDC) was built and tested. Finally, a steady-state
model of the RDC was developed. Through these accomplishments, this
work provided a roadmap to use the tools of laboratory scale experimentation
and modeling to evaluate the commercial potential of a reactive dividing
wall column process.
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