Research on Azeotropic Distillation
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| Industrial Size Distillation Columns |
Azeotropic distillation is one of the most widely used and important separation processes in the oil and chemical industries. The overall consumption of energy for distillation is enormous. For example, the total energy consumption of the distillation columns in operation in the U.S.A. is more than three times as high as the total energy consumption of Switzerland. Thus, the need for an efficient operation of those column is obvious. Even small improvements will a have major impact on the overall economical operation.
The steady state and dynamic behavior of azeotropic distillation has been studied extensively over the past decades, since this understanding is a necessary prerequisite for proper column design and operation. We have shown that azeotropic distillation columns can exhibit unusual features not observed in non-azeotropic distillation. In particular, multiplicity of steady states has been a subject of much recent research interest.
With the infinite/infinite analysis, a powerful tool was developed by our group for the rapid analysis of azeotropic distillation columns. Based on thermodynamical data only, predictions of the product compositions and feasible profiles are possible without rigorous simulations. Today, these methods cover homogeneous, heterogeneous, and reactive distillation columns and column sequences.
In addition, a framework for the qualitative analysis of the nonlinear dynamic behavior of distillation columns allows, for example, to predict and explain the existence of limit cycles. Using the qualitative insight obtained from the infinite/infinite analysis, a robust control scheme was developed for an industrial distillation column.
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