Economic, feasibility, and sustainability analysis of energy efficient distillation based separation processes

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to develop and carry out additional analyses aside from economics in designing distillation columns which are feasibility and sustainability analyses. The analyses’ results for an existing design and driving force method-based design were compared. First, an existing design was simulated using Aspen HYSYS process simulator to determine its energy usage. In the next stage, an optimal sequence was determined using a driving force graph developed using Excel. Then, a suitable equipment was selected to replace the existing design and the new design based on the driving force method was simulated using the same process simulator. Lastly, the three analyses were carried out for both designs to determine which design is better in terms of feasibility, sustainability, and economics. A case study of aromatic compounds (Methylcyclopentane (MCP), Benzene, Methylcyclohexane (MCH), Toluene, m-Xylene, and o-Xylene) obtained from a literature was used where the driving force method was applied to determine the sequence for the separation of the aromatic mixture. However, the individual columns were designed using the short-cut design method. This study applied the driving force method for both sequencing and designing to compare the existing design with the new design to determine which method leads to better results from the analyses. The analyses results’ show that the new design surpasses the existing design in feasibility, sustainability, economic analyses and a total annual cost (TAC) of up to 7.11 % can be saved annually.