Flexibility Analysis Leads to a Sizing Strategy in Distillation Columns

HOCH, PATRICIA M.; ELICECHE, ANA M.

COMPUTERS AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Año: 1996 vol. 20 p. 139 - 144

0098-1354

A sizing strategy for distillation columns is presented to ensure a feasible operation for any possible realization of the uncertain parameters. The flexibility analysis of a given design identifies the worst set of uncertain parameters for each equipment size of the column. A systematic way of associating sizes with critical subspaces and the corresponding active constraints leads to the sizing strategy presented. The evaluation of sizes for a given flexibility requires the solution of a set of algebraic equations derived from the flexibility analysis.