Steady-state modeling of reactive distillation columns

Conceptual Design of Reactive Distillation Columns with Non-Reactive Sections

Reactive distillation has received intense attention due to the well known benefits of integrating distillation with reaction in a single unit. While there are procedures available for the synthesis of non-reactive columns and of reaction-separation systems, the design of reactive distillation columns is still a challenge. This work presents a new synthesis and design methodology for reactive d...

A Survey for the Selection of Control Structure for Distillation Columns Based on Steady State Controllability Indexes

A globally convergent method for finding all steady-state solutions of distillation columns

1 Significance A method is proposed that either returns all solutions to steady-state models of distillation columns or proves infeasibility. No initial estimates are required. The computational effort grows linearly with the number of stages. Successful solution of a numerically challenging reactive distillation column with 7 steady-states show the robustness of the method. The authors do not ...

Design optimization of reactive distillation columns by memetic algorithms

Design optimization problems in chemical engineering and in many other engineering domains are characterized by the presence of a large number of discrete and continuous decision variables, complex nonlinear models that restrict the search space, nonlinear cost functions, and the presence of many local optima. The classical approach to such problems is the use of MINLP solvers that work on a su...

Using Thermally Coupled Reactive Distillation Columns in Biodiesel Production

Production of ethyl dodecanoate (biodiesel) using lauric acid and methanol with a solid acid catalyst of sulfated zirconia is studied by using two distillation sequences. In the first sequence, the methanol recovery column follows the reactive distillation column. In the second sequence, the reactive distillation and methanol recovery columns are thermally coupled. Thermally coupled distillatio...