Experimental Investigation of Decentralized Process Control for Reactive Dividing‐Wall Columns

Abstract

The reactive dividing-wall column (RDWC) presents a highly integrated process that enables significant reductions in investment costs and energy consumption. However, the high degree of integration of this apparatus causes numerous interactions between kinetics, vapor-liquid equilibrium, and mass transfer. To ensure a reliable operation of the RDWC, suitable control schemes need to be developed and experimentally validated. A decentralized control scheme for the RDWC is presented and for the first time experimentally investigated on an RDWC pilot plant. A comparison of experimental and simulated data is carried out and shows good agreement.The transesterification of n-butyl acetate with 1-hexanol (Eq. (1)), catalyzed by the immobilized enzyme Novozym 435, is selected as reference system. A detailed investigation of the

Experimental Investigation, Process Design, and Optimization Analysis on the Production of Solketal in the Reactive Dividing Wall Column

“…Due to the small internal diameters of the column, the heat transfer between the two sides of the partition can be ignored and so the role of the partition is realized by two parallel glass columns, known as the Petlyuk column configuration, which is thermodynamically equivalent to the RDWC. 44 The public rectifying and stripping sections are 0.3 m high and 0.4 m high, respectively, filled with a 3 × 3 mm 2 θ ring. The four sections are connected with two Y-shaped glass tubes, and one of them above the dividing section is installed with a funnel controlled by an electromagnetic relay to realize the liquid split.…”

“…The SCPI developed by our group is made of tin foil and a steel wire mesh assembled into a semicylindrical small box filled with catalysts, as displayed in Figure . Due to the small internal diameters of the column, the heat transfer between the two sides of the partition can be ignored and so the role of the partition is realized by two parallel glass columns, known as the Petlyuk column configuration, which is thermodynamically equivalent to the RDWC . The public rectifying and stripping sections are 0.3 m high and 0.4 m high, respectively, filled with a 3 × 3 mm 2 θ ring.…”

“…Currently, there are numerous studies on DWC, including its design, optimization, and control, and it has been widely used in industrial applications. − The reactive dividing wall column results from the further coupling of the reactive distillation and the dividing wall column. It has both advantages and has been widely studied by scholars. − However, due to the lack of experimental support, it has not yet been industrially applied . Although the boiling point order of the solketal synthesis system is theoretically unfavorable for the reactive distillation process since acetone and glycerol are the lightest and heaviest substances as reactants, our previous research successfully realized the process of reactive distillation for the synthesis of solketal in a pilot plant using seepage catalytic packing internal, and the inspiring results illustrate the feasibility of the synthesis process in reactive distillation.…”

Evaluation of the Aldol Condensation of Propionaldehyde as a Reactive Dividing Wall Column Test System

“…Limited steady state and dynamic simulation literature has shown the technology to be feasible in simulation, presenting between 15 and 75% energy savings, depending on the test system . Additionally, experimental studies have been performed, including the validation of a steady state and dynamic model. − Despite these studies, RDWCs have yet to be commercialized, with no publicly disclosed RDWCs being reported. The likely cause for this absence is the limited amount of literature on the subject.…”