Distillation Column Research Articles

Circulation of self-supplied water for significant energy recovery through heat integration

This study introduces an overhead heat-integrated distillation column (OHIDiC), a novel approach that maximizes heat recovery by multiple heat exchanges and product circulation. By utilizing the overhead vapor as a direct heat source, low-temperature feed and product water were used as cooling agents, thereby significantly reducing the condenser duty and reliance on cooling utilities. Additionally, the heated feed transfers heat to the column, leading to a substantial reduction of reboiler heat duty. Some of the heated product water is recycled back to the decanter for product cycling, while the rest is released as the final product. This circulation process ensures a continuous coolant supply, which contributes the reduction of condenser duty. Two processes were considered in this study, utilizing the water product from a non-reactive, and from a reactive separation within the system. When applied to the separation of a water-dodecanol mixture, OHIDiC reduced the condenser duty by 69.21% compared to a traditional distillation column, with a 31.46% reduction in the total utility consumption. When reactive distillation was incorporated into the OHIDiC, the higher overhead vapor temperature facilitated high heat transfer in the multiple heat exchange sections, thereby significantly reducing the total thermal load. This resulted in a reduction of up to 46.96% in total heat duty and a 36.06% decrease in CO2 emissions. These findings confirm that the OHIDiC achieves significant energy savings through the utilization of process-derived substances, with pronounced benefits when the temperature of the overhead vapor becomes higher.

Isolation and Identification of Bioactive Chlorogenic Acid from Ethanol Fraction of Cordia subcordata: HPLC, HPTLC, FTIR, and LC-MS Analysis.

Cordia subcordata was subjected for soxhlet extraction using soxhlet apparatus by hydroalcoholic solvent (Ethanol:water; 70:30). The obtained crude extract was subjected to organoleptic properties. The extract was dark greenish or greenish-black in color. The odor of the extract was strong like tamarind. The extract taste was bitter mixed with pungent and the texture was sticky solid. The yield of the extract was 9.1%. It was observed that crude extract contains carbohydrates, reducing sugars, monosaccharides, proteins, amino acids, fats and oil, steroids, cardiac glycosides, saponin glycosides, alkaloids, tannins and phenolic compounds, and flavonoids. The presence of many phytochemicals in the extract signifies its substantial contribution to various disorders. The crude extract was subjected to column fractionation using various solvents. For column fractionation, we used polar solvents and analyzed the resulting fractions using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) to determine the presence of individual or multiple compounds. From TLC analysis, it was observed that the ethanol fraction contains a single compound and therefore same fraction was subjected for HPLC, HPTLC, FTIR, and LC-MS analysis. From HPLC analysis, it was clearly identified that this ethanolic fraction contains chlorogenic acid and it displayed a peak at 8.428 minutes. The HPTLC analysis revealed the presence of chlorogenic acid. From HPTLC analysis, chlorogenic acid was identified at 0.65 Rf value. From the present investigation, we concluded that this developed method can be used for the isolation of chlorogenic acid from C. subcordata.

Sesquiterpene Coumarins, Chromones, and Acetophenone Derivatives with Selective Cytotoxicities from the Roots of Ferula caspica M. Bieb. (Apiaceae).

In search of selective cytotoxic compounds from Ferula species as potential leads for the treatment of various cancer diseases, a bioactivity-guided isolation study was performed on the roots of Ferula caspica M. Bieb. COLO 205 (colon), K-562 (leukemia), and MCF-7 (breast) cancer cell lines were used to monitor the cytotoxic activity of column fractions and determine the IC50 value of the active compounds. In addition to the seven known (5-11) compounds, four previously unknown compounds: kayserin A (1), kayserin B (2), 8'-epi-kayserin B angelate (3), and 3-epi-ferulin D (4) were isolated from the dichloromethane extract of the roots of F. caspica. Structure elucidation of the isolated compounds was carried out by extensive spectroscopic analyses such as 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy, High-Resolution Mass Spectroscopy (HRMS), IR spectroscopy, and UV spectroscopy. Although all of the isolated compounds showed various degrees of cytotoxic activity on COLO 205, K-562, and MCF-7 cancer cell lines, the most potent compounds were identified in the following order: 1-Hydroxy-1-(1'-farnesyl)-4,6-dihydroxyacetophenone (HFDHAP, 11), 3-epi-ferulin D (3EFD, 4), and 7-desmethylferulin D (7DMFD, 6). The cytotoxic activities of all three compounds were more potent than that of the reference compound cisplatin (Cis) against all tested cancer cell lines. Still, only HFDHAP (11) was more potent than the reference compound doxorubicin (Dox) against the MCF-7 cancer cell line. The mechanism of action of these three compounds was investigated on the COLO 205 cell line. The results indicated that compounds 4, 6, and 11 trigger caspase-3/8/9 activation and suppress the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-xL. Molecular docking studies confirmed the interactions of the three cytotoxic molecules with the active site of the Bcl-xL protein.

Flow and coherent structures generated by a circular array of rigid, emerged cylinders in a shallow channel

The study investigates the flow structure, dynamics of the large-scale coherent structures, drag forces and sediment entrainment mechanisms generated by a circular array of diameter D containing rigid emerged circular cylinders of diameter d placed in a smooth-bed channel of depth h under strong shallow flow conditions (D/h = 20, d/D = 0.0125 and 0.025). Eddy resolving simulations are conducted with different values of the solid volume fraction 0.025 ≤ SVF ≤ 0.1 and non-dimensional frontal area per unit volume (2.56 ≤ aD ≤ 10.2, where for the present configuration, a = SVF(1/d)4/ ${\rm \pi}$ ) and a fixed channel Reynolds number (Reh = 10 000). The flow conditions are such that a vortex street (VS)-type of shallow wake is expected to form for a solid cylinder of diameter D. Findings are compared with previous results obtained for cases with moderately shallow conditions 2.5 ≤ D/h ≤ 3.5 and with the limiting case of flow past a solid cylinder with D/h = 20. For moderately shallow conditions, the core of the main horseshoe vortex (HV) forming around the array occupies a small fraction of the water column and its coherence is the largest in front of the array. By contrast, for very shallow conditions, multiple HVs form around the array and their cores occupy a large fraction of the water column. Moreover, the coherence of most of these HVs peaks close to the sides of the array. Only for relatively large aD values, the main HV extends over the whole upstream face of the array, similar to the limiting case of a solid cylinder. For sufficiently high aD, a secondary instability is present inside the near wake that leads to the formation of parallel horizontal vortices in the vicinity of the wake roller vortices. The changes in the wake structure with decreasing SVF and aD are qualitatively similar to those observed for cases with moderately shallow flow conditions, with the antisymmetric wake shedding mode being suppressed for aD ≤ 2.5. However, the Strouhal number associated with the shedding of wake rollers, which is still close to 0.2 for a solid cylinder with D/h = 20, can be as high as 0.4 for aD = 2.5. The paper also discusses how the steady wake and total wake lengths and the strength of the bleeding flow vary with the SVF. Simulation results show that the capacity of the flow to entrain sediment inside and around the array peaks for SVF = 0.05 and aD = 5.2, with sediment entrainment monotonically increasing with the SVF outside the array and monotonically decreasing inside the array. Despite the differences in the flow structure next to and inside the array, the variation of the mean, time-averaged streamwise drag coefficient of the solid cylinders ${\bar{C}_d}$ with aD is close to that observed for arrays with moderately shallow flow conditions. The combined drag coefficient for the array decreases with increasing flow shallowness, with the decay being stronger for relatively large values of aD.

Enhancing fault detection in multivariate industrial processes: Kolmogorov–Smirnov non-parametric statistical approach

The accurate detection of abnormal events in modern process plants is extremely important. The detection of faults of small magnitude and in a noisy process environment is still a challenge that many industries face. In this paper, a Kolmogorov–Smirnov (KS) based non-parametric statistical fault indicator is proposed to identify a variety of sensor faults in process plants. The data collected from most modern process plants are randomly varying and non-Gaussian, due to which the multivariate scheme based on Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is considered. The KS-based indicator is amalgamated with the ICA multivariate model, which yields a novel ICA-KS-based fault detection (FD) scheme. The KS statistical indicator compares any two distributions and checks if they are similar or dissimilar. The potential of the KS indicator is extended in the FD domain, where the residuals of training and testing data are compared in a sliding window. The ability of the proposed ICA-KS-based FD strategy is validated on a simulated Distillation column (DC) process and the benchmark Tennessee Eastman (TE) process to identify a variety of sensor faults. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the detection performance of the ICA-KS scheme, which outperforms conventional FD-based methods with a high detection rate.

Energy-efficient separation of a ternary azeotropic mixture via azeotropic reflux-induced sequences based on the intensified pressure-swing distillation

The recovery and separation of chloroform, acetonitrile and ethanol from waste water involving two azeotropes and a distillation boundary has emerged as a pivotal concern in the pursuit of environmental protection and resource conservation. Herein, the energy-efficient separation design of the ternary azeotropic mixture based on a triple-column pressure-swing distillation (TCPSD) process with five azeotropic reflux induced sequences is comprehensively investigated. The suitable operating pressure range of the distillation columns and the potential optimal distillation sequence is investigated based on the thermodynamic intrinsic probe. According to the optimal distillation sequence, further process intensification strategies are proposed to improve the thermodynamic efficiency encompassing the heat integration pressure-swing distillation (HI-PSD), heat pump assisted pressure-swing distillation (HP-PSD), and a combination of heat pump assisted and heat integration pressure-swing distillation (HPHI-PSD). It unveils the economic preeminence of the HI-PSD process, characterized by the lowest total annual cost (TAC) in a shorter payback period (3 to 7 years). Conversely, both the HP-PSD and HPHI-PSD processes exhibit superior environmental performance on CO2 emissions of 111.46 kg/h and 119.78 kg/h respectively, with the HP-PSD demonstrating prolonged economic viability and the HPHI-PSD showcasing heightened thermodynamic efficiency of a 65.12 % improvement. This study potentially provides a theoretical basis for devising industrial separation schemes for analogous pressure-sensitive ternary azeotropic systems.

Exploration of the dynamics of heated non-Newtonian Casson fluid within an annular region of eccentric cylinders subject to peristaltic motion

The flow of non-Newtonian fluids is widely observed in industry and biology, for example, enhanced oil recovery, chemical processes such as in distillation towers and fixed-bed reactors and in the applications of pumping fluids such as synthetic lubricants, colloidal fluids, liquid crystals, and biofluids (e.g., animal and human blood). Therefore, the present study delineates the heat transfer analysis of a Casson fluid within the annular region of eccentric cylinders subjected to peristaltic motion, considering the influence of thermal radiation. The outer cylinder remains rigid and moves at a constant speed, while the inner cylinder, featuring a sinusoidal wave along its wall, exhibits flexibility. The governing two-dimensional equations for the movement of the Casson fluid are reformulated under the assumption of the lubrication hypothesis. The perturbation scheme is used to find approximate results for velocity, temperature, and pressure gradient. A graphical representation is utilized to study the fluctuation of various flow fields with different imperative parameters. The results reveal that the liquid velocity declines as the Casson parameter increases, while the temperature decreases due to the amplified effect of thermal radiation. This study has applications in endoscopy, which is important for diagnosing problems in internal organs. Additionally, the variation of the pressure gradient helps maintain the flow rate, which is essential during the insertion of a catheter into an artery.

Dimethyl carbonate/methanol separation by azeotropic distillation with water: An alternative process driven by low-pressure steam

This study reported a conceptual design of dimethyl carbonate/methanol (DMC/MET) separation via an azeotropic distillation (AD) process with water as the entrainer. Water can form a minimum azeotrope with DMC, stripping DMC from MET via a distillation column. Meanwhile, the liquid–liquid equilibrium can lift the DMC fraction from the azeotropic composition to a much higher level with a decanter. It enables the subsequent distillation column to produce pure DMC. The techno-economic analysis after process optimization demonstrated that the total annualized cost (TAC) of the AD process is 13.8 % lower than the conventional extractive distillation (ED) process. Subsequently, heat integration and double-effect distillation were introduced to further increase the energy efficiency. The improved AD process is also superior to the improved ED process (31.7 % energy cost and 4.1 % TAC saved). Moreover, the moderate temperature of the reboilers of the AD process with water as the entrainer further elevates its superiority since industrial waste heat can be applied in this case.

Identification, Analysis and Implementation of Model Predictive Controller (MPC) for Binary Distillation Column

Identification, Analysis and Implementation of Model Predictive Controller (MPC) for Binary Distillation Column

Investigation of sustainable operation oriented- economic, process and environment based multi-criteria optimization of large scale methanol production plant

Methanol is one of the main raw materials and a building block for many essential chemicals in the industry, and it is widely produced from the synthesis gas. It is used as a fuel, solvent, inhibitor, antifreeze agent, and in producing a variety of chemicals including olefins and paraffin. The global demand for methanol is 70 million tons per year and it is estimated to grow by a factor of 6–8% per year so it is necessary to develop a methanol production process, which is economical, and environment friendly. The multi-objective optimization (MOO) approach is used to optimize the large scale Lurgi two-step methanol synthesis process using the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II) to find the Pareto front solutions involving the process, economic, and environmental-based objectives. Methanol production rate, total energy consumption, total annual CO2 emissions, and profit are considered as objectives. The five decision variables include syngas molar flow, reactor feed pressure, reactor 1 temperature, reactor 2 temperature, and by-product mass flow in the methanol distillation column. Two constraints are set on ethanol mole fraction in the methanol stream, and methanol mole flow in water to the treatment stream. Three optimization cases (two bi-objective and one tri-objective) are developed. In the Case 1 study, CO2 emissions decreased by 65.83%, the methanol production rate increased by 10.11%, and total energy was reduced by 57.55%. The Pareto ranking is carried out using the Preference Ranking On the Basis of Ideal-average Distance (PROBID) method and the best optimal solution is reported for all cases.

Fractional distillation of waste plastic pyrolysis oil for isolating narrow hydrocarbons cuts

Pyrolysis of polyolefins generates a large amount of olefins, which can serve as a valuable feedstock for the synthesis of chemicals. Nevertheless, their effective utilization requires refining owing to their diverse carbon distribution. This study performed a comprehensive GC×GC analysis of pyrolysis oils derived from waste polypropylene (PP) and waste high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The chemical composition of PP pyrolysis oil exhibited a high content of iso-olefins, whereas HDPE pyrolysis oil contained mainly alpha-olefins. Experimental batch distillation of PP pyrolysis oil yielded narrow hydrocarbon cuts with iso-olefins content exceeding 70 wt%. In contrast, distillation of HDPE resulted in cuts with more than 25 wt% alpha-olefins content. To perform ASPEN simulations, the physical properties (density, viscosity) of the oil were determined, two ways for obtaining boiling curves (ASTM D2887 and ASTM D86) were compared and two property methods (Peng-Robinson and Soave-Redlich-Kwong) were compared. It was concluded that the ASTM D2887 boiling curve and the Peng-Robinson property method present better experimental agreement for pyrolysis oils using the Theil’s Inequality Coefficients test. Based on the validated batch simulation, continuous distillation process schemes for isolating narrow carbon cuts in the refinery atmospheric tower indicate that a side draw configuration provides a better yield of (19.1 wt%) compared to a dedicated separate distillation column of (11.9 wt%) for the same number of trays, while the dedicated column allows the possibility to achieve higher purity.

Remediation of plastic waste generated during the COVID-19 pandemic: A conceptual process design of pyrolysis using polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene based polymers

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in plastic-based personal protective equipment has raised concerns about managing medical waste and protecting the environment. This study highlights the need for effective waste management strategies by creating a conceptual process flow diagram and investigating thermal treatment methods like pyrolysis as potential solutions. Using computational modeling and process optimization, the study examines different polymer blends, including High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Polystyrene (PS), and Polypropylene (PP), to understand how they behave during pyrolysis and the yields they produce. Two pyrolysis schemes have been developed to handle various polymer blends. In Scheme 1, the liquefied polymer is preheated and then pyrolyzed in a reactor, producing a vapor stream and a residue stream (carbon). The vapor stream is cooled to enhance liquid oil production and then is separated in a distillation column to isolate liquid oil from pyrogas. Scheme 2 follows a similar process but converts a significant portion of liquid hydrocarbons to gas in the distillation column, requiring further gas processing in a one-stage separator column. The results show that temperature significantly impacts liquid yield, with specific temperature ranges leading to increased yield. Additionally, the composition of the polymers and the rate at which the material is fed into the process affect the yields, with specific blends showing promise for higher liquid yield. This study emphasizes the importance of accurate process modeling to optimize the operational parameters and improve the economic viability of plastic pyrolysis technology presenting a promising opportunity to convert plastic waste into valuable resources.

An analytical study of TEG loss in a natural gas purification plant based on high-pressure droplet angular scattering

In the process of purifying natural gas, natural gas dehydration plants use triethylene glycol (TEG) as a solvent for absorption. However, the loss of TEGs in the form of droplets can pollute pipelines and create a technological challenge. Using the geometric optical approximation (GOA) method, a model was developed to predict the scattering of droplets at high pressure. Based on this model, a device was designed and constructed to inspect droplets in external pipelines and distillation column tailgate lines online, which are the outlets of the natural gas dehydration unit (TEG absorber tower) of four columns in stable production. This device analyzes the components of the sampled droplets and performs online inspection to ensure smooth and safe operation. The results of the experiment indicate that the TEG content in the droplet samples exceeded 80%, which helped identify the source of the loss. The amount of treatment directly affected the concentration and distribution features of the entrained droplets, whereas the impact of the gas-phase pressure change was negligible. This study investigated three different forms of filtration separation, which provided industrial data for the separation and recovery process of entrained droplets. This study provides a new testing tool and method to examine plate towers under high pressure and provides a theoretical reference for dewatering procedures in natural gas purification plants.

Optimization-based design of structure and operation parameters simultaneously for real-world distillation column based on rate-based model

Simultaneously optimizing the structure and operating parameters of distillation columns based on rigorous rate-based models is critical for various process intensification technologies to achieve their intended purpose in real-world distillation columns. However, efficiently optimizing a distillation column based on rate-based models while considering the column hydraulics is far from practical. The biggest obstacle in using rigorous models for distillation columns in an equation-oriented environment is ensuring a robust solution for large-scale, strongly coupled nonlinear models, along with the simultaneous optimization of integer and continuous variables. In this study, a new optimization framework was introduced. It incorporated a pseudo-transient simulation method to ensure convergence of the simulation in equation-oriented environment. Additionally, an efficient relaxation method transformed the mixed integer nonlinear programming problem into a nonlinear programming problem, facilitating simultaneous optimization of both the integer variable representing column structure and the continuous variables governing column operation. Three examples, including a complex intensified catalytic distillation column, were optimized to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed framework. Specifically, its advantages in terms of mathematical optimality and industrial feasibility were illustrated.

Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium of System Comprising Green Solvents: A Holistic Review

Abstract: The design and operation of distillation columns is based on vapor-liquid equilibrium data, which is a necessity for the chemical industry. In recent years, chemical industry has embraced green chemistry and sustainable development. Furthermore, green solvents are more environmentfriendly and cleaner than conventional solvents and thus offer a good alternative. Very limited work has been reported in the literature that focuses on the generation of isobaric/isothermal vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) data of systems comprising green solvents. In this paper, reported VLE data are explored for three emerging green solvents, such as cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME), γ- valerolactone (GVL), and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF). Emerging green solvents have favorable environmental, health, and safety characteristics, making them attractive alternatives for a wide range of applications. The study focuses on two critical separations; the extraction of formic acid from Power-to-X chemical processes and purification of acetic acid from chemical synthesis or fermentation processes. Both processes are integral parts of the chemical industry's sustainable development. To facilitate these separations, accurate VLE data for these green solvents with acetic acid/formic acid systems are essential. The paper reviews literature related to VLE data for systems involving these green solvents. It provides insights into the experimental conditions, equipment, analysis methods, thermodynamic models, and error-minimizing functions used in the previous studies. The researchers can refer to this information as a useful reference prior to the VLE experimentation and modeling of systems comprising these three green solvents. Moreover, the paper presents an overview of recent research on green solvents and their applications, illustrating their versatility and potential for various industrial processes. Research efforts are needed to generate VLE data for green solvent systems and support the chemical industry in transitions towards more sustainable practices.

Insights on the separation process of the diethyl carbonate plant obtained by ethanol and CO2

This paper presents the techno-economics insights of projects of diethyl carbonate (DEC) production from ethanol and CO2 in which the raw materials are proposed to be obtained from existing plants such as the bioethanol industry. The complete DEC plant was simulated using Aspen Plus®. The exothermic reaction system was modeled in multitubular PFR with CeO2 catalyst and dehydrating agent 2-cyanopyridine (2-CP), achieving an EtOH conversion of 86.04 % and a yield of DEC of 83.34 %. Three different configurations were evaluated in the DEC separation stage aiming to intensify the plant with the use of a sidestream distillation column and reactive distillation column. The integration of the DEC plant with ethanol and sugar biorefineries, offering lower-cost acquisition of raw materials, is the key to making the process economically profitable. The process has the potential to capture 0.088–0.204 kg CO2/kg DEC, demonstrating a promising pathway to extend the life cycle of renewable carbon.

A New Constraint on the Relative Disorder of Magnetic Fields between Neutral Interstellar Medium Phases

Utilizing Planck polarized dust emission maps at 353 GHz and large-area maps of the neutral hydrogen (H i) cold neutral medium (CNM) fraction (f CNM), we investigate the relationship between dust polarization fraction (p 353) and f CNM in the diffuse high latitude ( b>30° ) sky. We find that the correlation between p 353 and f CNM is qualitatively distinct from the p 353–H i column density (N H i ) relationship. At low column densities (N H i < 4 × 1020 cm−2) where p 353 and N H i are uncorrelated, there is a strong positive p 353–f CNM correlation. We fit the p 353–f CNM correlation with data-driven models to constrain the degree of magnetic field disorder between phases along the line of sight. We argue that an increased magnetic field disorder in the warm neutral medium (WNM) relative to the CNM best explains the positive p 353–f CNM correlation in diffuse regions. Modeling the CNM-associated dust column as being maximally polarized, with a polarization fraction p CNM ∼ 0.2, we find that the best-fit mean polarization fraction in the WNM-associated dust column is 0.22p CNM. The model further suggests that a significant f CNM-correlated fraction of the non-CNM column (an additional 18.4% of the H i mass on average) is also more magnetically ordered, and we speculate that the additional column is associated with the unstable medium. Our results constitute a new large-area constraint on the average relative disorder of magnetic fields between the neutral phases of the interstellar medium, and are consistent with the physical picture of a more magnetically aligned CNM column forming out of a disordered WNM.

Control of extractive distillation processes with preconcentration for the separation of ternary azeotropic mixture ethyl acetate-ethanol–water in the face of multiple feed disturbances

The integration of preconcentration and solvent recovery functions is one of the effective ways to save energy consumption of extractive distillation processes for separating ternary azeotropic mixtures with a high content of one composition. However, the integration of various functions inevitably increases the difficulty of constructing robust control structures. In this paper, different proportion-integration (PI) control structures are investigated for the four-column extractive distillation with preconcentration process, while different PI and PI with model prediction controller (MPC) hybrid control structures are proposed for the three-column extractive distillation with integrated distillation column (TCED-IDC) process to deal with feed disturbances via taking the separation of ternary azeotropic mixture ethyl acetate-ethanol–water as a case study. The control structures are tested via introducing multiple feed disturbances including one feed flowrates disturbance and three feed compositions disturbances. The dynamic test comparison results show that the integration of preconcentration and solvent recovery functions causes a larger transient deviation in terms of dynamic responses of the individual optimal control structures. In addition, the integral of squared error of the TCED-IDC process are reduced by about 22 times after introducing the MPC in the face of feed disturbances.

Analysis of Furnace Performance Efficiency 201-H-001 Prefractionation Unit PT Trans-Pacific Petrochemical Indotama Tuban-East Java

Petroleum processing generally begins with a heating process, so equipment is needed to heat the crude oil before entering the fractionation column. This heating is closely related to the separation of fractions based on differences in boiling points. Heating at a fairly high temperature is used by a furnace, where the heat source comes from gas fuel. Based on the discussion above, furnace efficiency is fascinating to calculate as an indication of whether or not the furnace is operational. This efficiency calculation is also a reference for PT. Trans-Pacific Petrochemical Indotama to shut down and repair equipment, especially furnaces. This research aims to understand the furnace's working principles, determine the parameters that influence furnace performance, and calculate the efficiency of Furnace 201-H-001 in the Prefractionation unit. The results obtained in this research are that there are variables used to calculate thermal furnace efficiency. These variables are air temperature, fuel gas temperature, fuel gas flow, flue gas temperature, theoretical air requirements, and excess air in terms of efficiency and combustion reactions. The results of the furnace efficiency calculations were 78.03%, 77.34%, and 77.75% respectively. The minimum thermal efficiency value ranges from 75 - 80%, so it can be said that the furnace in this research is still suitable for use.

Efficient Exergy Analysis of Chemical Processes through Process Engineering Software

In this work, authors present a simple methodology for computing physical, chemical and total exergies, and the exergy destruction and the exergetic efficiency of simple and complex processes by using the object linking and embedded (OLE) automation by connecting Aspen HYSYS to MS Excel VBA. For this purpose, a simple flowsheet was added to the main one with the same number of streams as that of the components. By introducing all these streams in a mixer and then consecutively conducted to a heater to condition the outlet stream, a separator and a mixer, the VBA application was able to compute the chemical exergy of the different streams of the main flowsheet. To demonstrate the procedure here described seven cases were considered: single streams, a CO2 mixer, a cooler, a distillation column, a reactor, a multiple recirculation process, and different configurations of separating components by distillation, which can be extended to very complex processes. The former was selected to validate the methodology here proposed whereas the rest of cases were used to demonstrate the potential of the tool here developed, which in turn could be used for discriminating among different process alternatives.