Rigorous simulation of conventional and unconventional multicomponent batch distillation behavior for startup and production periods

Abstract

A comparative study applied to multicomponent batch distillation using, for the reactive cases, conventional and unconventional column configurations is presented. Many other works in the literature have shown similar studies but much of them did not compare with experimental data nor use a rigorous software package either. Here the program called (ctive istillation namic imulator) is used for rigorous simulation purposes. This package permits the solution of a wide range of distillation problems accounting for simultaneous design, operation and control analysis, for single and multiple duties. Four example problems, two of them involving a reactive batch distillation column for the ethyl acetate production and its inverse configuration respectively. This last case was specially developed for this work in order to study such a system starting from the experimental data of the first case. The other two examples correspond to conventional multicomponent batch distillation columns, one of them using an optimal reflux ratio profile and operation conditions. The data employed for three examples are taken from experimental cases published in the literature. In addition the predicted dynamic behavior of a batch distillation column for separating a ternary mixture, obtained by, is compared with the results given by two well-known commercial software in order to evaluate its performance for implementing them in an inferential control structure inspired in the extended Luenberger observer design philosophy.