The separation of the binary mixture water-acetic acid by direct distillation is not suitable for industrial applications because of the presence of a tangent pinch on the pure water end. The problem is overcome via heterogeneous azeotropic distillation adding a third component, the entrainer, generally immiscible with water. With particular reference to terephthalic acid production process, we...

Existing refinery distillation systems are highly energy-intensive, and have complex column configurations that interact strongly with the associated heat exchanger network. An optimisation approach is developed for existing refinery distillation processes. The optimisation framework includes shortcut models developed for the simulation of the existing distillation column, and a retrofit shortc...

In a Petlyuk distillation column, two extra degrees of freedom can be used for optimisation purposes. It has been reported that a typical energy saving of 30% is achievable with a Petlyuk distillation column, compared to conventional distillation arrangements. However, the optimal steadystate operation point can be difficult to maintain in practice. In this work we have studied the performance ...

Compositions measurement is a vitally critical issue for the modelling and control of distillation process. The product compositions of distillation columns are traditionally measured using indirect techniques via inferring tray compositions from its temperature or by using an online analyser. These techniques were reported as inefficient and relatively slow methods. In this paper, an alternati...

A shortcut procedure as quick, easy-to use method for design and simulation of multicomponent batch distillation is used to predict the operating condition of recovering xylene from solvent in an existing batch distillation column in benzol refinery. The procedure can be used to investigate the effect of the operating parameters on the operation of column for three possible modes of batch d...

Batch distillation is one of the most important unit operations for the small-scale production of specialty and fine chemicals. The so called Middle Vessel Batch Distillation (MVBD) with total reflux offers many advantages compared to conventional batch distillation. It is favourable due to the simultaneous production of three products of high purity. In this work, we present a thorough analysi...

LabVIEW and SIMULINK are two most widely used graphical programming environments for designing digital signal processing and control systems. Unlike conventional text-based programming languages such as C, C++ and MATLAB, graphical programming involves block-based code developments, allowing a more efficient mechanism to build and analyze control systems. In this paper a LabVIEW environment has...

The "Petlyuk" or "dividing-wall" or "fully thermally coupled" distillation column is an interesting alternative to the conventional cascaded binary columns for separation of multi-component mixtures. The industrial use has been very limited, and difficulties in control has been reported as one reason. Since we have more manipulated variables than controlled variables, the column is a candidate ...

The use of natural products as medicinal agents presumably predates the earliest recorded history. Ocimum sanctum L., is a plant which is used in several traditional medicine systems to cure various diseases. In this study aerial parts of Ocimum sanctum were collected on august 2014 from Shahr-e-Rey in Iran. Fresh and dry partsof plants essential oils were extracted with hydro-distillation and ...