Dynamic simulation of a supercritical fluid extraction process

Abstract

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is a process in which a solute present in a homogeneous mixture is preferentially dissolved by a supercritical fluid (SCF) solvent. SCFs are gases or liquids above their critical points. Under these conditions SCFs exhibit enhanced solvating power, higher selectivities, and other desirable physicochemical properties which makes them particularly good solvents. A dynamic SFE process simulator has been developed by modeling various units of a typical SFE process, and realism of the simulated results is enhanced by accounting for instrument noise, random drifts, transport delays, and analyzer dead times. The process simulator has been compared with operating data from a pilot-scale SFE process and yields good agreement. The dynamic process simulator provides a much needed insight into various process interactions and the nonlinearities that can exist in an integrated, multiunit process