Systematic integrated process design and control of reactive distillation processes involving multi-elements

Abstract

In this work, integrated process design and control of reactive distillation processes that involve multiple elements (more than two) is addressed through a computer-aided hierarchical decomposition-based framework. Multiple elements are encountered for reactive systems when four or more compounds (including inert compounds) are encountered. The reactive distillation design methods and tools which are similar in concept to design of binary non-reactive distillations and binary reactive distillations are used for design of multi-element reactive distillation processes, such as driving force approach. The methods that are used in this work are based on equivalent binary element concept. This concept provides the representation of a multi-element system in terms of two key elements, light key and heavy key elements. First, the reactive distillation column is designed using the equivalent binary element driving force approach. Next, through analytical, steady-state and closed-loop dynamic analysis it is verified that the control structure, disturbance rejection and energy requirement of the reactive distillation column is better than any other operation point that is not at the maximum driving force. Furthermore, it is shown that the design at the maximum driving force can be both controlled using simple controllers such as PI as well as advanced controllers such as MPC.

Systematic integrated process design and control of binary element reactive distillation processes

“…The extension of the framework to handle reactive systems involving more than two elements as well as process flowsheets containing more than one unit operation have been developed and is reported in a new publication 32 . Also the use of a model predictive control algorithm will be highlighted in a future publication 47 .…”

A trust‐region framework for integration of design and control

“…Likewise, dynamic high‐fidelity models of the process are represented using approximation and model reduction techniques for simultaneous design and control . Some practitioners considered several subproblems and solved the hierarchy of analyses in a decomposition‐based solution approach . Recently, Pistikopoulos et al decomposed the original system to explore the interaction between design and control using a multiparametric programming approach.…”

Design and control for a dividing‐wall column with a partial condenser for pretreating an industrial multi‐component reformed gasoline mixture

“…One is the simultaneous approach that integrates process design and control together to keep the process economically optimal and make the control technically feasible . In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in the application of the simultaneous approach to distillation processes’ design and control . The other is the sequential approach, which is used to design the process with steady‐state economic objectives first, followed by designing process control with process dynamics constraints and control objectives .…”

“…In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in the application of the simultaneous approach to distillation processes’ design and control . The other is the sequential approach, which is used to design the process with steady‐state economic objectives first, followed by designing process control with process dynamics constraints and control objectives . Although the interactions of design and control are ignored, the sequential approach has been shown to be very effective in the distillation process’ design and control …”