Globally optimal distillation tray design using a mathematical programming approach

Abstract

This article presents the optimization of the design of distillation column trays. We develop a mixed-integer nonlinear optimization model, which we solve using mathematical programming. The objective of this formulation is to size all geometric variables of the tray. Two possible alternative objective functions are tested: column cost and column mass. The utilization of the proposed approach is illustrated through a design example from the literature. In this example, the optimal result obtained through the proposed approach is compared with the one obtained following the spirit of a traditional heuristic design procedure employed in process equipment design textbooks. The comparison indicates a reduction of both objective functions tested as compared to the result of the heuristic procedure.