Integrated design and control of reactive distillation processes using the driving force approach

Abstract

Superior controllability of reactive distillation (RD) systems, designed at the maximum driving force (design-control solution) is demonstrated in this article. Binary or multielement single or double feed RD systems are considered. Reactive phase equilibrium data, needed for driving force analysis and design of the RD system, is generated through an in-house property prediction tool. Rigorous steady-state simulation is carried out in ASPEN plus in order to verify that the predefined design targets and dynamics are met. A multiobjective performance function is employed to evaluate the performance of the RD system in terms of energy consumption, sustainability metrics (total CO 2 footprint), and control performance. Controllability of the designed system is evaluated using indices like the relative gain array (RGA) and Niederlinski index (N I ), to evaluate the degree of loop interaction, as well as through dynamic simulations using proportional-integral (PI) controllers and model predictive controllers (MPC). The design-control of the RD systems corresponding to other alternative designs that do not take advantage of the maximum driving force is also investigated. The analysis shows that the RD designs at the maximum driving force exhibit enhanced controllability and lower carbon footprint than the alternative RD designs.

Divided‐wall distillation column design using molecular tracking

“…2,3 PI involves an innovative design of multifunctional equipment that reduces the number of equipment units and improves energy efficiency. 4,5 A divided-wall column (DWC) is an example of PI, among other well-known examples such as reactive distillation, 6,7 in which efficient design reduces the number of units. This is possible because a DWC incorporates two columns in the same shell, employing a dividing or partitioning wall that separates the feed side from the side product draw-off section (see Figure 1).…”

Model‐based systems engineering approaches to chemicals and materials manufacturing

“…The definition of PSE, often attributed to Takeichiro Takamatsu, 4,82,83 is simply a discipline that contains a set of methodologies required to make chemical engineering decisions. 84 According to Takamatsu, there must be methodologies to address the need for planning, [85][86][87] design, [88][89][90] operate, 91,92 and control [93][94][95] of "any kind of unit operation, chemical, and other production processes and chemical industries themselves." 84 Since 1945, the advancement of computing power has allowed for the development of numerical methods and statistical analysis, 83 which extends PSE practices to include methodologies for optimization [96][97][98] and simulation [99][100][101] of chemical systems.…”

An Overview of Computer‐aided Molecular and Process Design

“…However, if the mixture is azeotropic in nature, then distillation alone may not achieve the required separation. In such a case, one may opt for pressure or concentration-based driving forces using membrane, or temperature-based driving forces using reactive or extractive distillation-based separation schemes [5,6]. The next question is: which class of membrane or solvent should one pick?…”