Using Conceptual Models for the Synthesis and Design of Batch Distillations

HECTOR JOSE MARIA ESPINOSA; ENRIQUE SALOMONE,; SONGLIN XU,

Florencia

Simposio; 10 TH European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering-10; 2000

Abstract We present an algorithm to compute the maximum batch distillation recovery of each component for both ideal an non-ideal multicomponent mixtures based in the more recent advances in the field of separation feasibility. The algorithm calculates all the distillation regions for the multicomponent mixture with their corresponding natural and distillation boundaries. This information is kept in a hierarchical recursive data structure. In this way, any boundary of the original system can be treated as a system of reduced dimension with its own boundaries that in turn are systems of reduced dimensions. Mathematical representation of the boundaries are automatically generated. Also, the key ingredients to modeling the operational behavior of batch distillation columns processing non-ideal and azeotropic mixtures are addressed. The methodology is based on a dynamic conceptual model for predicting the separation performance at the limiting condition of infinite number of stages. The level of detail is enough to preserve the non-ideal thermodynamic behavior and still simple enough to allow rapid simulation of dynamic runs suitable for the estimation of the minimum reflux needed for a final separation specification. Keywords Batch Distillation, Azeotropic Mixtures, Conceptual Models, Separation Performance, Design.