Design and control of energy-efficient distillation columns

Distillation is the best option for the separation of hydrocarbon mixtures, unless the boiling points of the constituents are close together. Despite being widely utilized in field applications, the high energy demand of distillation calls for efficient columns in order to save energy. The efficient divided wall column (DWC), diabatic distillation column, and internally heat-integrated distillation column (HIDiC) are introduced here, and the design and control of the columns are briefly reviewed. The practical applications of the columns in the processes of natural gas production from raw gas drawn from underground and benzene separation from naphtha reformate are presented to show the energy-saving performance of the energy-efficient distillation columns. The side-rectifier DWC reduced the heating duty of the conventional system by 5.9%, and provided a compact construction, replacing the three-column conventional system with a single column suitable for offshore application. Moreover, the controllability of DWC was improved by utilizing the side-rectifier. The benzene removal process utilizing the extended DWC lowered the heating duty of the whole conventional process by 56.8%.     

Approximate design of fully thermally coupled distillation columns

An approximate design procedure for fully thermally coupled distillation columns (FTCDCs) is proposed and applied to example ternary systems. The procedure gives a fast solution of structural and operation design for a preliminary study of the FTCDC. The structural information resolves the design difficulty, caused from the interlinking streams of the column, which is encountered when a conventional design procedure is implemented. The design outcome explains that how the thermodynamic efficiency of the FTCDC is higher than that of a conventional two-column system and how the system of a separate prefractionator is different from a dividing wall structure. From the design result of three example systems with three different feed compositions, the useful performance of the proposed scheme is proved. In addition, the structural design of the FTCDC gives better understanding of the system and leads to high efficiency design of the column.     

Application of a thermally coupled distillation column with separated main columns to gas concentration process

A modified fully thermally coupled distillation column (FTCDC) for operability improvement is utilized in a gas concentration process. The column consists of a prefractionator and two separated main columns having high distillation efficiency and flexible control structure. The operability of the proposed column is evaluated by examining the open-loop dynamic responses of step input variations with the HYSYS simulation. The simulation result indicates that the modified system can give better control than the original FTCDC. The energy saving and reduction of construction cost are discussed, and the ease of vapor flow manipulation and the elimination of a compressor in the vapor transfer are also evaluated as possible improvements.     

Synthesis of dividing-wall columns (DWC) for multicomponent distillations—A systematic approach

Dividing-wall columns (DWC) are intensified distillation systems for multicomponent separations. They have the potential to save significantly both energy and capital costs than conventional simple column configurations. In this paper, it is shown that the DWC columns can be systematically generated from the conventional simple column configurations. Because of the simple column sequences with sharp splits are the simple and widely studied conventional schemes for multicomponent distillation, the purpose of this work is to formulate a procedure for systematic synthesis of DWC columns for such simple conventional schemes. A four-step procedure is formulated which systematically generates all the possible DWC columns from the simple column sequences. First, the subspace of the original thermally coupled configurations corresponding to the simple column configurations is generated. Then, the subspace of the thermodynamically equivalent structures corresponding to the original thermally coupled configurations is produced. Finally, the subspace of the DWC columns corresponding to the thermodynamically equivalent structures is achieved. An example of quaternary distillation is used to illustrate the synthesis procedure which is applicable to a mixture with any number of components.     

Design of a fully thermally coupled distillation column for hexane process using a semi-rigorous model

An industrial scale hexane process is designed for the implementation of a fully thermally coupled distillation column (FTCDC). A semi-rigorous material balance and Peng-Robinson equilibrium relation are utilized in the structural design. The operational design is conducted with a commercial design program, the HYSYS. The design outcome of the structural design indicates it to be comparable with the practical system of a conventional two-column arrangement in field operation, which shows the effectiveness of the design procedure implemented here. The procedure is good for the system of many components found from actual field applications. In addition, an investigation of the energy requirement of the FTCDC and a conventional system shows that an energy saving of 34.1% is available with the FTCDC.     

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.     

Comparing three configurations of the externally heat-integrated double distillation columns (EHIDDiCs)

In terms of separation of a binary mixture of ethylene and ethane, three configurations of externally heat-integrated double distillation columns (EHIDDiCs), including a symmetrical EHIDDiC (S-EHIDDiC), an asymmetrical EHIDDiC (A-EHIDDiC), and a simplified asymmetrical EHIDDiC (SA-EHIDDiC), are compared with respect to aspects related to process design and controllability. It has been found that the A-EHIDDiC and SA-EHIDDiC are superior to the S-EHIDDiC in terms of thermodynamic efficiency as well as in terms of process dynamics and controllability. As for the comparison between the A-EHIDDiC and SA-EHIDDiC, the latter shows somewhat comparable behaviors with the former in terms of process design and controllability. These results demonstrate that the asymmetrical configuration should generally be favored over the symmetrical one for the development of the EHIDDiC. It is feasible to approximate external heat integration using three heat exchangers between the high- and low-pressure distillation columns involved.     

A comparative study of controlling the externally heat-integrated double distillation columns (EHIDDiC)

The externally heat-integrated double distillation columns (EHIDDiC) is a newly proposed scheme featuring complete heat integration between the rectifying section of a high pressure distillation column (HPDC) and the stripping section of a low pressure distillation column (LPDC). In terms of its structural characteristics, three decentralized control systems are devised, which avoid using the pressure difference between the HPDC and LPDC as a manipulated variable and ease consequently the interaction between the control loops involved. While the first one attempts to control the composition of the blended top products of the HPDC and LPDC, the second one the composition of their blended bottom products, thereby simplifying the control structure from 4 × 4 to 3 × 3 system. The third one focuses on the simplified EHIDDiC with only three heat exchangers between the HPDC and LPDC (S-EHIDDiC) and their heat duties are employed as a combined manipulated variable. These control systems are evaluated in terms of the separation of a binary mixture of benzene and toluene and it is found that they outperform exclusively the conventional control system with the pressure difference as a manipulated variable. Both the top-mixed and bottom-mixed control systems appear to be superior to the one for the S-EHIDDiC and conventional double-effect distillation column, implying the advantages of the simplified design of decentralized control systems. The obtained results are considered to be of general significance and can be used to guide the design and operation of the EHIDDiC (S-EHIDDiC).     

A generalized method for the synthesis and design of reactive distillation columns

Owing to the combination between the reaction operation and the separation operation involved, it is extremely difficult to determine in advance the optimum configuration of a reactive distillation column and this makes process synthesis and design a great challenging task. Currently, no easy-to-use and yet effective methods are available to guide process synthesis and design, restricting considerably the applications and therefore the impacts of reactive distillation columns to the chemical process industry. In this paper, a generalized method is proposed for the synthesis and design of reactive distillation columns in terms of the insights from process intensification. The method is initiated from a simple process design with all feeds of reactants at the middle of the process and all stages as reactive ones. In terms of an economical objective function, it can be evolved into the optimum process design via sequential structure adjustments, including reactive section arrangement, feed stage relocation, feed splitting, and catalyst redistribution. The generalized method proposed is characterized by great simplicity in principle, the capability to tap the full potentials of process intensification, and the high robustness to the initial guess of process configuration as well as the thermodynamic properties of the reacting mixtures separated. Four example systems are employed to evaluate the generalized method proposed and the obtained outcomes demonstrate its effectiveness and applicability to the synthesis and design of various reactive distillation columns.     

Logic hybrid simulation-optimization algorithm for distillation design

In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm for the rigorous design of distillation columns that integrates a process simulator in a generalized disjunctive programming formulation. The optimal distillation column, or column sequence, is obtained by selecting, for each column section, among a set of column sections with different number of theoretical trays. The selection of thermodynamic models, properties estimation, etc. is all in the simulation environment. All the numerical issues related to the convergence of distillation columns (or column sections) are also maintained in the simulation environment. The model is formulated as a Generalized Disjunctive Programming (GDP) problem and solved using the logic based outer approximation algorithm without MINLP reformulation. Some examples involving from a single column to thermally coupled sequence or extractive distillation shows the performance of the new algorithm.     

A review on process intensification in internally heat-integrated distillation columns

Internally heat-integrated distillation column (HIDiC) is the most radical approach of a heat pump design, making efficient use of internal heat-integration: the rectifying section of a distillation column operating at a higher pressure becomes the heat source, while the stripping part of the column acts as a heat sink. Remarkably, a HIDIC can bring up to 70% energy savings compared to conventional distillation columns. This is highly appealing regarding the fact that distillation is one of the most energy intensive operations in the chemical process industry accounting for over 40% of the energy usage. This review paper describes the latest developments concerning this promising but difficult to implement process intensification technology, covering all the major aspects related to the working principle, thermodynamic analysis, potential energy savings, various design configurations and construction options (ranging from inter-coupled or concentric columns, shell and tube and plate–fin heat exchanger columns to SuperHIDiC), design optimization, process control and operation issues, as well as pilot-scale and potential industrial applications. Further advancement, i.e., development of HIDiC technology for multi-component mixture separations is an extremely challenging research topic, especially when HIDiC becomes associated with other technologies such as dividing-wall column (DWC) or reactive distillation (RD).     

Conceptual design of single-feed kinetically controlled reactive distillation columns

Reactive distillation, simultaneous reaction and separation within a single unit, represents an exciting alternative to conventional processes, leading to significantly reduced in capital and operating costs. Process design for reactive distillation is facilitated by fast and effective methods for synthesis and conceptual design that take into account reactions that do not instantaneously reach equilibrium. This work presents a new methodology for synthesis and design of single-feed kinetically controlled reactive distillation columns. The design method allows rapid and relatively simple screening of different reactive distillation column configurations. Feasibility is assessed and operating conditions are determined using an extension of boundary-value methods. The approach is limited to systems with four or fewer chemical species. Both fully reactive and hybrid columns are considered. The methodology is illustrated for a metathesis reaction and for MTBE production.     

Internally heat-integrated distillation system for quaternary separation

A new internally heat-integrated distillation column for quaternary separation modified from a conventional three-column system is proposed, and its performance is examined here. Two sets of heat integration between the rectifying section and the stripping section of two adjacent columns are placed in the conventional three-column system. The proposed system has been applied two example processes, the hexane and BTX processes, for the performance evaluation of energy saving and reduction of entropy production. In the hexane process, the duty reductions in reboilers and condensers are 28.5% and 30.5%, respectively, and the entropy production is reduced by 12.2% compared with the conventional system. In the BTX process, the duty reductions are 27.8% and 31.6%, respectively, and the entropy production is decreased 9.8%. The compressor utilized in the existing internally heat-integrated distillation column is not used in the proposed system leaving no difficulty of its operation and maintenance. Also, the structural similarity of the new system to the conventional system gives the column operation as easy as the conventional system.     

Process Intensification for the Recovery of Hydrogen Cyanide in the Andrussow Process

The aim of this work was to determine a cost-optimal design of the distillation unit of the Andrussow process. For this purpose, a feed with a mass flow rate of 121 t h⁻¹ and a concentration of ca. 2 wt % hydrogen cyanide (HCN) was considered. An approach for a cost-optimal process intensification was developed with the goal to achieve the desired product qualities, while minimizing the organonitrile accumulation in the column. For this purpose, the simple distillation column of the established cost-optimal design of the base case was extended to a configuration with a side stripper with taking into consideration heat integration in the process. It was found that this new configuration allows a much smaller accumulation of organonitriles in the main column; reducing thereby the operation issues of the process while decreasing considerably the total annual cost of the distillation unit by 61 % as compared to that of the base case design.     

Dynamic analysis of thermally coupled distillation sequences with undirectional flows for the separation of ternary mixtures

The Petlyuk distillation system has been considered with special interest because of the high energy savings it can provide with respect to the operation of sequences based on conventional columns. The original design of the Petlyuk structure, however, shows two interconnections that seem to affect its operational and controllability properties. To overcome this problem, two alternate structures have been suggested that use unidirectional flows of the vapor or liquid interconnecting streams. In this work, a comparative analysis of the control properties of the Petlyuk column and the alternate arrangements with unidirectional interconnecting flows is presented. Through a singular value decomposition analysis, it is shown that the alternate schemes provide better theoretical controllability properties than the Petlyuk system. Closed loop tests using proportional-integral controllers were also carried out, and the results showed that, in most of the cases considered, the alternate arrangements improved the dynamic responses of the Petlyuk column. Such arrangements, therefore, show promising perspectives for its practical consideration.     

A New Configuration for a Fully Thermally Coupled Distillation Column with a Postfractionator and Separated Main Columns

The installation of a postfractionator into a fully thermally coupled distillation column (FTCDC) significantly improves the distillation column efficiency, but the column operation is more difficult than for the original FTCDC. A modified configuration of the postfractionator FTCDC having sectionalized main columns is proposed for operational improvement, and its performance is examined through the HYSYS simulation of a BTX fractionation process. By setting different pressures for the various sections of the main columns, the proposed distillation column facilitates easy vapor transfer between the sections without the need to utilize compressors. The outcome of a dynamic simulation on the column shows that the control of the column pressure is easily undertaken and the specifications of three products in the BTX process can be separately controlled to facilitate ease of column operation.     

Short-cut methods for the optimal design of simple and complex distillation columns

New short-cut methods providing optimal design parameters for distillation columns with simple and complex configurations including two-feed and one-feed-one-side-stream columns are presented. The methods assume constant relative volatilities and constant molar flow rates within each distillation section. The design equations are based on the Underwood equations for the calculation of minimum reflux (reboil) ratio, the analytical formulations of the distillation line, the Eigenfunction and the number of theoretical stages for each mass transfer section of the column. Furthermore, the geometrical properties of a given separation are considered. Optimization algorithms based on the minimization of the total number of theoretical stages of the column with taking into account the mass balance at each feed section have been elaborated. In comparison to the boundary value method the new short-cut methods require a minimum number of specifications; they do not need any graphical support, and provide a lower total number of theoretical stages particularly for complex configurations. The new short-cut methods have been extended to the design of columns separating azeotropic mixtures by approximating the latter by appropriate pseudo-ideal mixtures. Several separation examples for azeotropic mixtures, including different types of splits as well as columns with simple and complex configurations were tested and show a very good agreement with the simulation results obtained with Radfrac (Aspenplus).     

A novel multi-effect methanol distillation process

Crude methanol distillation is an energy-intensive separation process and contributes significantly to the cost of methanol production. Although a number of energy-efficient distillation systems have been proposed, there is potential for energy savings in methanol distillation. To further reduce the energy consumption of methanol distillation, a novel five-column multi-effect distillation process is proposed in this work, which is essentially an improved version of an existing four-column scheme. The four-column scheme is made up of a pre-run column, a higher-pressure column, an atmospheric column and a recovery column. The new five-column scheme adds a medium-pressure column after the original higher-pressure column. In this way, the load of the original higher-pressure and atmospheric columns can be decreased by about 30%. The five-column arrangement creates a multi-effect distillation configuration involving efficient heat integration between higher-pressure and medium-pressure columns, atmospheric and recovery columns, and recovery and pre-run columns. Steady-state process simulation results indicate that temperature differences at two sides of each heat exchanger are appropriate, allowing effective heat transfer. Economic analysis shows that the energy consumption of the five-column scheme can be reduced by 33.6% compared to the four-column scheme. Significant savings in operating costs can therefore be achieved, resulting in an economically viable process for methanol distillation.     

Using hot-vapor bypass for pressure control in distillation columns

Distillation column control is widely explored in literature due to its complexity and importance in chemical and petrochemical industries.In this process,pressure represents one of the most important variables to be controlled.However,there are few studies about how pressure affects the dynamic behavior of distillation columns and most research on distillation column control involve direct manipulation of cooling fluid through the condenser.Nevertheless,such an approach demands constant changes in cooling fluid flowrates that are commonly by the order of tons per hour,which can be difficult to work or even unfeasible in a real plant.Furthermore,this strategy is usually avoided,as it can cause fouling and corrosion acceleration.The hot-vapor bypass strategy fits well as a solution for these issues,eliminating the need to dynamically manipulate cooling fluid flowrates in the condensation unit.This work presents the modeling and simulation of a conventional distillation column for the separation of water and ethanol,in which a comparative study between a conventional pressure control and a control using hot-vapor bypass was performed.The main results were obtained through dynamic simulations which considered various disturbances in the feed stream,and demonstrated superior performance by the hot-vapor bypass system over the usual scheme proposed in literature,while evaluating the Integral Absolute Error (IAE) norm as the control performance index.     

Design and control of dual condensers in distillation columns

Most distillation columns use water-cooled condensers cooling water that is inexpensive. With cooling water supplied at 305 K, a reflux-drum temperature of 322 K is normally used for column design. This temperature and the distillate composition set the require column pressure.This paper demonstrates that the use of refrigeration in a second condenser in series with the primary water-cooled condenser has economical advantages in some separations. The dual-condenser process can be less expensive than the single-condenser process in cases in which a lighter-than-light-key component is present in the feed and in which the separation between the key components is difficult (low relative volatility systems). Using a small refrigerated condenser permits the column to operate at a lower pressure, which reduces reboiler duty enough to compensate for the small amount of refrigeration required.The dynamic control of the dual-condenser process is also studied, and an effective control structure is developed.