Design of entrainer-enhanced reactive distillation for the synthesis of butyl cellosolve acetate

An innovative entrainer-enhanced reactive distillation (RD) process is presented, which aims to the production of high-purity butyl cellosolve acetate from butyl cellosolve and acetic acid via an esterification reaction. This entrainer-enhanced RD process can procure technical advantages from both heterogeneous azeotropic distillation and RD. Solvents such as cyclohexane, ethylene dichloride, toluene, and octane are considered as candidates in this esterification RD process. The function of entrainers is to simplify the separation between water and acetic acid. For this purpose, the proper entrainer to use is thus evaluated based on its mutual solubility with water in two liquid phases. Simulation results reveal that total annual cost can be substantially reduced when cyclohexane, toluene, and octane are used as entrainers in the RD column. The octane-enhanced RD provides the most economical design in this studied case.     

START UP AND DYNAMIC PROCESSES SIMULATION OF A DISTILLATION COLUMN

A new dynamic non-equilibrium mixing-pool model for simulating start-up and dynamic re-sponse of a distillation column is reported.The proposed model is established on the basis ofconsidering the two dimensional flow/mixing behavior of actual trays in a distillation column.Com-parison is made among the computed results of the start-up time and the dynamic response time bythe proposed and five other typical models.It is found that the computed time for both dynamicprocesses is longer by the model which considers any flow/mixing pattern than by the model withoutsuch concern.The inertia effect of flow/mixing seems to be important and can not be ignored inmodeling the transient process of distillation.The proposed model,which is believed to be suitableto large column,seems somewhat useful in predicting industrial distillation dynamics.     

Evaluation of configuration alternatives for multi-product polyester synthesis by reactive distillation

Reactive distillation (RD) combines reaction and separation in an integrated setup that is able to reduce the energy use, improve productivity and selectivity, and increase the efficiency. In previous work, we showed the design, modeling and experimental validation of a RD process for synthesis of unsaturated polyesters. The results of our previous work clearly demonstrated that reactive distillation is indeed a very promising alternative for the polyesters synthesis.This study explores the best suitable internals and various feed configurations of a reactive distillation process for unsaturated polyester synthesis. Multi-product simulations were performed to find the operational parameters for producing different grades of polyester in the same equipment. The product transition time during product changeover is determined for various configurations and product grades. The selection criteria for the best configuration are the minimum requirements of volume and energy to produce 100 ktpy polyesters.The results of the rigorous simulations carried out in Aspen Custom Modeler shows that the best configuration has the reactive stripping section as a packed or trayed bubble column, and the reactive rectifying section as a packed column. With respect to the feed configuration, the feeding of monoesters to the RD column significantly intensifies the polyester process as compared to an anhydrous reactant fed to the column. Moreover, the product transition time in this configuration is also significantly reduced as compared to the other configurations.     

START-UP PROCESS DYNAMICS OF PLATE DISTILLATION COLUMNS

A mathematical model for discribing the start-up period of a plate distillation column operating undertotal reflux is presented.Based on the differential-difference equation expressing the material balance onthe trays in a complete column with holdups in the reboiler,trays and condenser,the present model isderived and an analytical solution is obtained.The existence of a constant concentration point during thestart-up period is proved mathematically.Experimental work on start-up period is carried out in a seven sieve tray distillation column of 0.17meter in diameter with a water-acetic acid system.Good agreement is found between the experimentaldata and the calculated results.The experimental results also show the evidence of a constant concentra-tion point in the column during start-up period.     

多组元精馏开工动态过程的模拟

本文对多组元物系板式塔精馏在塔顶、塔板和塔釜均有存料情况下的开工动态过程进行了模拟计算和实验研究.结果表明,计算值与实验值基本相符.     

板式精馏塔开工动态过程的研究

本文从描述塔板上物料衡算的差分-微分方程出发,导出了在全回流封闭操作条件下,当塔顶、塔板和塔底均有存料时开工过程的数学模型并求出其解.根据数学解还证明了板式精馏塔在开工过程中存在着恒浓度点.在一个具有七块塔板,直径为0.17m的筛板塔上对水-乙酸物系进行了开工过程的实验.本文公式的计算值与实验数据较好的吻合并证明了塔内恒浓度点的存在.     

Selection of internals for reactive distillation column—case-based reasoning approach

The design of reactive distillation (RD) systems is considerably more complex than design of the individual, conventional reactors and distillation columns. One of the main issues in the design of RD column is a definition of type and specification of geometric features of the internal devices. In this work, there is described a design supporting tool for pre-selection of packing type for RD column. Case-based reasoning has been applied as a basic method for decision support. The computer system for pre-design of reactive column internals has been built as an implementation of developed methodology. The acid catalysed reaction of 2-methylpropylacetate synthesis was used to test the system. The CBR system can significantly reduce the development time for design of reactive distillation column and suggests a good start points for further design activity.     

Process intensification and energy saving of reactive distillation for production of ester compounds

Reactive distillation(RD) process is an innovative hybrid process combining reaction with distillation, which has recently come into sharp focus as a successful case of process intensification. Considered as the most representative case of process intensification, it has been applied for many productions, especially for production of ester compounds. However, such problems existing in the RD system for ester productions are still hard to solve,as the removal of the water which comes from the esterification, and the separation of the azeotropes of ester–alcohol(–water). Many methods have been studying on the process to solve the problems resulting in further intensification and energy saving. In this paper, azeotropic–reactive distillation or entrainer enhanced reactive distillation(ERD) process, reactive extractive distillation(RED) process, the method of co-production in RD process, pressure-swing reactive distillation(PSRD) process, reactive distillation–pervaporation coupled process(RD–PV), are introduced to solve the problems above, so the product(s) can be separated efficiently and the chemical equilibrium can be shifted. Dividing-wall column(DWC) structure and novel methods of loading catalyst are also introduced as the measures to intensify the process and save energy.     

Effects of Liquid Holdup in Condensers on the Start‐Up of Reactive Distillation Columns

Compared with start‐ups in conventional distillation columns, those in reactive distillation (RD) columns are much more time and energy consuming, and generate a large amount of by‐products which are not easy to deal with together. For several years, researchers have been trying out different methods to shorten the time required to lower the cost of the start‐up. In this work, a rigorous dynamic model in the ChemCAD simulator is applied to model the start‐up process for the esterification of ethyl acetate in a reactive distillation column. In the model, two sets of equations are employed: one for the fill‐up and heating stage and the other for the equilibration process which follows. In the fill‐up and heating stage, fluctuation curves of the reboiler temperatures with respect to time which are similar to those for conventional distillation columns are observed, while in the equilibration process it is found that the increase of the liquid holdup volume in the condenser reduces the time required to reach steady state for the reactive column and decreases the liquid holdup volume in the reboiler at the equilibrium state. This shows that the liquid holdup volume in the condenser has an important effect on the start‐up of reactive distillation columns.     

Inter-integration reactive distillation with vapor permeation for ethyl levulinate production: Equipment development and experimental validating

Ethyl levulinate, one of the main derivatives of levulinic acid (LA), is of significant potential as platform chemicals for bio-based materials. The esterification of LA was generally carried out in a conventional batch reactor or in a conventional reactive distillation column. However, traditional methods are hard to deal with equilibrium limited reactions and azeotropic issues. Therefore, the inter-integration reactive distillation with vapor permeation (R-VP-D) process, which integrated reaction, vapor permeation, and distillation into one single unit, is proposed in this paper and validated in the pilot-scale experiments. A comparative study is made between a pilot-scale RD column with and without VP module. Owing to the water-selective VP membrane and the ingenious design of related apparatuses, the R-VP-D process reveal a superiority in LA conversion of 21.9% maximum higher than RD without VP process and removing of product water about 53.6% from VP module, which indicates its promising industrial application in process intensification field.     

考虑不同产品选择性目标的乙醇胺反应精馏塔模拟与优化

提出以环氧乙烷和液氨为原料,水为催化剂,反应精馏塔合成乙醇胺的工艺。分别以一乙醇胺（MEA）和二乙醇胺（DEA）的选择性最大为目标,探讨了在同一反应精馏塔中实现不同产物选择性目标的可行性和可达到的最大选择性。研究在Aspen Plus模拟软件上进行,通过考察操作压力、水进料量、进料氨烷比、再沸比、环氧乙烷进料位置等参数对反应精馏的影响规律,取得实现不同产物选择性目标的参数优化调节方法。研究表明,大的氨烷比、水进料量和再沸比有利于提高MEA选择性,小的氨烷比、水进料量和再沸比则有利于提高DEA选择性,在优化条件下,MEA选择性可达70.30%,DEA选择性可达41.89%。与文献方法比较,采用反应精馏合成乙醇胺具有明显的优越性和操作柔性。     

Steady-state design of thermally coupled reactive distillation process for the synthesis of diphenyl carbonate

Diphenyl carbonate, a precursor in the production of polycarbonate, is traditionally synthesized by the transesterification reaction of dimethyl carbonate and phenol. In this study, phenyl acetate was used instead of phenol to react with dimethyl carbonate and yield diphenyl carbonate, due to its higher reaction conversion and the absence of side reactions and azeotropes. A plant-wide process with a reactive distillation (RD) column and a separation column was optimized by minimizing the total annual cost. The performance of the thermal coupling between these two columns was also investigated. RD with thermal coupling was demonstrated to provide better energy efficiency than conventional RD. The remixing phenomenon associated with thermodynamic inefficiency in conventional distillation sequences could be greatly reduced by implementing thermal coupling between columns. Reactant concentrations that were closer to stoichiometric balance in the reaction zone were given for the thermally coupled RD column.     

“背包式”反应精馏集成过程研究进展

“背包式”反应精馏是一种反应器与精馏塔既相互独立又相互耦合的离散集成技术。由于反应与分离处于不同空间位置,能够突破传统反应精馏对工况的限制,拓宽应用范围,且便于工程放大。本文综述了国内外“背包式”反应精馏从基础到应用的研究概况。从转化率、选择性、塔内温度、组成分布等方面,分析了“背包式”反应精馏与传统反应精馏的等效性,指出“背包式”反应精馏的优势在于工况的灵活选择利于实现反应与分离能力的最佳匹配。介绍了“背包式”反应精馏在稳态模拟与优化、动态模拟及控制等方面的研究进展,并从不同工况反应与精馏集成技术的应用、便捷的催化剂装填与反应器设计应用两个角度归纳了该技术的应用进展。最后,从优化设计理论、先进控制方法、能量综合利用以及强化酶催化反应等方面对“背包式”反应精馏进一步的研究与应用进行展望。     

A novel multistage vapor recompression reactive distillation system with intermediate reboilers

Most of the published studies have focused on the thermal integration of nonreactive distillation columns. The key limitation of reactive distillation (RD) technology is that the necessary conditions (such as pressure and temperature) for the reaction must match those of distillation. Owing to this constraint, the reaction conversion may be adversely affected at the elevated pressure in the reactive section of an internally heat integrated distillation column (HIDiC). This fact forces us to adopt an external heat integration approach for an industrial heterogeneously catalyzed ethyl tert‐butyl ether (ETBE) RD column. The direct vapor recompression column (VRC) is an external heat integration scheme that is successfully used as an energy efficient scheme for separating a close‐boiling mixture. Interestingly, there exists a large temperature difference between the two ends of the representative ETBE column, and it makes the external heat integration more challenging. Aiming to improve the thermal efficiency of the ETBE column under the VRC framework, various heat pump arrangements with intermediate reboiler(s) (IR(s)) are explored and analyzed with performing a comparative study in terms of energy consumption and economics. To improve further the thermal efficiency, in this contribution, a novel multistage vapor recompression RD column with IRs is introduced addressing a number of practical concerns. An algorithm for the proposed column is formulated showing the sequential steps involved in heat integration. It is inspected that the proposed multistage vapor recompression RD system appears overwhelmingly superior to the classical vapor recompression RD and its conventional stand alone column providing a significant savings in energy as well as cost. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 761–771, 2013     

甲苯氯化连串反应的RD和SRC过程分析与比较

侧反应器与精馏塔集成(SRC)是塔内耦合反应精馏(RD)的新拓展,同时适用于反应与精馏处于相同工况和不同工况两种情形。以甲苯氯化连串反应为研究对象,分别建立了RD和SRC过程的数学模型,在相同总塔板数和塔釜上升蒸气量条件下,计算了相同工况下(反应与精馏压力均为101.3 kPa),RD与SRC过程的气/液流率、温度、组成分布,发现两者性能具有一致性。在此基础上,以产品氯化苄的生产成本为目标函数、标志系统产能的氯气进料流率和分配比例为优化变量,对甲苯氯化连串反应的相同工况RD与SRC过程、不同工况SRC过程(反应压力为101.3 kPa、精馏压力为10 kPa)进行优化,结果表明,相同压力工况下,优化得到的RD与SRC的装置产能与产品质量一致;但在不同压力工况下,SRC的产能明显提升、产品质量也有所提高,反映出不同工况SRC明显的优势。     

丙酮缩甘油反应精馏工艺全流程模拟与优化

针对丙酮缩甘油的传统生产工艺单程转化率低、生产设备投资高、后处理过程长及环境污染等缺点,本文设计了一种高效节能的反应精馏（RD）生产工艺。基于反应动力学和热力学基础数据,建立丙酮缩甘油反应精馏严格数学模型对反应精馏工艺全流程进行理论探究。通过对塔内浓度分布的分析,揭示了产物水对丙酮缩甘油反应精馏合成效果的影响。探究不同丙酮循环量对全流程生产工艺的影响;并以反应精馏塔和丙酮回收塔塔釜再沸器负荷为目标函数,对全流程的参数进行探究和优化,结果表明全流程优化后相比单塔优化的总能耗可节约3.6%。同时与工业传统先反应后精馏流程相比,优化后的反应精馏全流程节约能耗15.1%。该结果可为丙酮缩甘油工业化生产工艺设计提供参考和依据。     

Control System Design for a Single Feed ETBE Reactive Distillation Column

Reactive distillation (RD) is advantageous for the Ethyl Tert‐Butyl Ether (ETBE) synthesis. The steady state model of an ETBE reactive distillation column created using the simulator HYSYS is analyzed to synthesize effective control structures. Since the column exhibits input multiplicity with the dual process objectives of ETBE RD (isobutene conversion and ETBE purity), inferential variables are selected. A control structure that organizes a sensitive tray temperature in the stripping section using the reboiler duty and maintains the temperature difference of reactive trays using the reflux flow, is found to be most suitable. A decentralized PI controller and constrained Model Predictive Controller (MPC) are implemented, and performances are compared for set point tracking and disturbance rejection. MPC control algorithms are implemented in MATLAB and interfaced with HYSYS. Constrained MPC (CMPC) is found to be effective for load disturbance rejection, which frequently occurs in the single feed configuration.     

Transesterification of palm oil with methanol in a reactive distillation column

The higher feedstock and processing costs for biodiesel production can be reduced by applying reactive distillation (RD) in transesterification process. The effects of reboiler temperature, amount of KOH catalyst, methanol to oil molar ratio and residence time on the methyl ester purity were determined by using a simple laboratory-scale RD packed column. The results indicated that from the empty column, the system reached the steady state in 8 h. Too high reboiler temperature and the amount of catalyst introduce more soap from saponification in the process. The optimal operating condition is at a reboiler temperature 90 °C, a methanol to oil molar ratio of 4.5:1.0, KOH of 1 wt.% respect to oil and 5 min of residence time in the column. This condition requires the fresh feed methanol 25% lower than in the conventional process and produces 92.27% methyl ester purity. Therefore this RD column can be applied in small or medium biodiesel enterprise.     

Liquid-holdup regions research of novel reactive distillation column for C5 fraction separation

Recent advances in technologies of reactive distillation (RD) offer various design concepts for chemical processes. For separation of cracking C5 fraction, one of the main challenges is improving the conversion of cyclopentadiene (CPD) and the recovery of isoprene (IP). In the current work, a novel reactive distillation column with several liquid-holdup regions was designed, since it allows long residence time and provides flexibility for narrowing the efficiency gap between reaction and distillation. By use of Aspen Plus, a corresponding mathematic model was established and verified to be accurate. Following that, comprehensive studies were carried out for the design of liquid-holdup regions position. Details and principles about the separation performance with the liquid-holdup regions were revealed and optimized parameters were determined with 100 theoretical plates, feed position of 35th plate, and four liquid-holdup regions at 25th, 60th, 75th and 90th plate. The designed RD column could wellmeet the technical requirement, and influence of other important factors including residence time, operating pressure and reflux ratio was further investigated.