Abstract

Extractive dividing wall columns (EDWC) and heat integration are effective process intensification strategies for separating azeotropes. In this study, the steady-state and dynamic control for the separation of tetrahydrofuran/isopropanol/water using a combination of EDWC and heat integration with intermediate reboilers are systematically investigated. The feasibility of the extractive distillation process is evaluated by analyzing the thermodynamic characteristics of the mixture through phase diagrams, and the three-column extractive distillation (TCED) process is established as the basic process. To enhance the energy and economic efficiencies, as well as environmental sustainability, three improved processes are proposed. Compared with TCED, the optimal process (E-EDWC-HI2) reduces the total annual costs, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions by 22.35 %, 41.77 %, and 26.28 %, respectively. In addition, a dynamic control structure is proposed for the E-EDWC-HI2, which exhibits robustness against disturbances in the feed flow rate and composition. This study provides guidance for the design and dynamic control of complex distillation processes.

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