利用计算流体力学及计算传质的方法研究精馏塔传质效率

It has long been found that the flow pattern of the liquid phase on distillation tray is of great importance on distillation process performance. But until now, there was very few published work on quantitative investigation of this subject. By combining the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with the mass transfer equation, a theoretical model is proposed for predicting the details of velocity and concentration distributions as well as the tray efficiency of distillation tray column. Using the proposed model, four different cases corresponding to different assumptions of liquid and vapor flowing condition for a distillation tray column were investigated. In Case I, the distributions of velocity and concentration of the incoming liquid from the downcomer and the uprising vapor from the underneath tray spacing are uniform. In Case Ⅱ, the distribution of the incoming liquid is non-uniform but the uprising vapor is uniform. In Case Ⅲ, the distribution of the incoming liquid is uniform but the uprising vapor is non-uniform.In Case IV, the distributions of both the incoming liquid and the uprising vapor are non-uniform. The details of velocity and concentration distributions on a multiple sieve tray distillation column in four different cases were simulated using the proposed model. It is found that the shape of the simulated concentration profiles of vapor and the liquid is quite different from case to case. The computed results also show that the tray efficiency is highly reduced by the maldistribution of velocity and concentration of the incoming liquid and uprising vapor. The tray efficiency for Case Ⅰ is higher than Case Ⅱ or Case Ⅲ, and that for Case Ⅳis the lowest. It also reveals that the accumulated effect of maldistribution becomes more pronounced when the number of column trays increased. The present study demonstrates that the use of computational method to predict the mass transfer efficiency for the tray column, especially for the large one, is feasible.     

Energy conserving effects of dividing wall column☆

The energy-conserving performance of dividing wal column (DWC) is discussed in this paper. The heat transfer through the dividing wall is considered and the results are compared with that of common heat insulation dividing wall column (HIDWC). Based on the thermodynamic analysis of heat transfer dividing wall column (HTDWC) and HIDWC, both computer simulation and experiments are employed to analyze the energy-conserving situation. Mixtures of n-hexane, n-heptane and n-octane are chosen as the example for separation. The results show that the energy consumption of HTDWC is 50.3%less than that of conventional distillation column, while it is 46.4% less than that of HIDWC. It indicates that DWC is efficient on separating three-component mixtures and HTDWC can save more energy than HIDWC. Thus it is necessary to consider the heat transfer while applying DWC to industry.     

Experimental and simulation of the reactive dividing wall column based on ethyl acetate synthesis

Reactive dividing wall column(RDWC) is a highly integrated unit which combines reaction distillation(RD) with dividing wall column separation technology into one shell, and it realized the chemical reaction and the separation of multiple product fractions simultaneously. In this paper, the reaction of esterification with acetic acid and ethanol to produce ethyl acetate was used as the research system, experiments and simulations of the RDWC were carried out. This system in the traditional process mostly used the homogeneous catalyst(e.g. sulfuric acid). However, in view of the corrosion of the equipment caused by the acidity of the catalyst, we used the heterogeneous catalysts – iron exchange resins – Amberlyst15 and proposed a novel catalyst loading method. Firstly,the reliability of the model of the simulation was verified by the experimental study on the change of liquid split ratio and reflux ratio. After that, the four-column model was established in Aspen Plus to analyze the effects of the amount of azeotropic agent, reflux ratio and acetic acid concentration. Finally, for a fair comparison, the economic analysis was conducted between traditional RD column and RDWC. The results showed that RDWC can save34.7% of total operating costs and 18.5% of TAC.     

Systematic exploration of the applicability of the idiomatic vapor balance rule to distillation column consolidation

For N-component distillation(N ≥ 3), consolidation between different column sections is an inevitable manipulation when synthesizing complex distillation configurations. In the consolidation, the idiomatic vapor balance(IVB) rule, in which the larger vapor flowrate in the two columns before consolidation will be chosen as the balanced vapor flowrate at the consolidation point, has been widely used. However, the applicability of the IVB rule has not been verified, which is of essential importance to the accuracy of the distillation configuration synthesis.In the present study, the applicability of the IVB rule to distillation column consolidation was systematically explored by rigorous method for the first time. First, the separation of ideal and non-ideal three-component mixtures with variable compositions was studied, and the optimized configurations before and after consolidation were determined by a rigorous method. The results indicated that for the separation of an ideal mixture, the IVB rule was applicable for the whole composition range, while for the separation of a non-ideal mixture, the IVB rule was only applicable for very limited composition range. Finally, two cases of synthesizing distillation configurations for the separation of non-ideal mixtures were studied to verify the remarkable deviations the IVB rule may cause. The results indicated that the applicability of the shortcut method using the IVB rule to the distillation configuration synthesis depended on the composition of the non-ideal mixture, and a remarkable error might result and the truly optimal configuration might be missed if the IVB rule is applied to a non-ideal mixture.     

计算传质法预测精馏塔效率(英文)

A computational mass transfer model is proposed for predicting the concentration profile and Murphree efficiency of sieve tray distillation column. The proposed model is based on using modified two equations formulation for closing the differential turbulent mass transfer equation with improvement by considering the vapor injected from the sieve hole to be three dimensional. The predicted concentration distributions by using proposed model were checked by experimental work conducted on a sieve tray simulator of 1.2 meters in diameter for de-sorbing the dissolved oxygen in the feed water by blowing air. The model predictions were confirmed by the ex-perimental measurement. The validation of the proposed model was further tested by comparing the simulated re-sult with the performance of an industrial scale sieve tray distillation column reported by Kunesh et al. for the strip-ping of toluene from its water solution. The predicted outlet concentration of each tray and the Murphree tray effi-ciencies under different operating conditions were in agreement with the published data. The simulated turbulent mass transfer diffusivity on each tray was within the range of the experimental result in the same sieve column re-ported by Cai et al. In addition, the prediction of the influence of sieve tray structure on the tray efficiency by using the proposed model was demonstrated.     

甲基二乙醇胺水溶液在改进的湿壁塔上吸收二氧化碳的动力学模型

To get more accurate kinetic data of the absorption of CO2 into aqueous solution of N-methyldiethanolamine, a wetted wall column was modified to more uniformly distribute the liquid on the column surface and gas in the absorbing chamber and change the length of the column. The average liquid film thickness and the liquid-phase mass transfer coefficient were measured, and a correlation for the Sherwood number, Reynolds number and Schmidt number was obtained for the modified wetted wall column. The equilibrium concentrations in chemical reactions were calculated with a minor absolute error for calculating the rate constant more accurately. A mathematical model for the CO2 absorption was established based on the diffusional mass transfer accompanied with parallel reversible reactions, and the partial differential equation was solved by Laplace transform. An analytical expression for the concentration of carbon dioxide as a function of time and penetration depth in liquid film and the average interphase mass transfer rate was obtained. This model was also used to calculate the rate constant for a second-order reaction, which was in good agreement with reported data.     

管内进口段对流换热过程不可逆性的数值模拟

The irreversibility due to laminar forced convection in the entrance region of a duct was studied by means of numerical simulation. Local entropy generation distributions and total entropy generation were obtained based on the entropy generation equation. The effect of Reynolds number on the irreversibility was studied for constant wall temperature and heat flux. The results showed that the irreversibility in the entrance region was different from that in the fully developed region. Reynolds number had a strong effect on the irreversibility in the entrance region. The entropy generation caused by temperature difference was relatively dominant over that caused by viscous flow. The irreversibility at constant wall temperature was different from that at constant wall heat flux.     

A high performance size-exclusion chromatographic method for evaluating heated oils

High performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) was used to measure compounds with high-molecular weight (MW) formed during the heating of oil. Formation of the high-MW compounds is believed to be a reliable indicator of heat abuse in oils. The HPSEC method employs two μ-spherogel size-exclusion columns (500 and 1000 ?) in a series to separate the high-MW compounds which are detected at a wave-length of 234 nm by using a variable wavelength detector. The method was examined in the following study. Two sources of soybean oil were heated under laboratory conditions at 182 ± 2 C for eight 7-hr days. Samples were taken periodically and tested by using HPSEC. Oil samples from two commercial deep-fat frying operations were similarly tested. In all cases, size, number and apparent MW of the compounds formed increased with increasing frying time. The HPSEC procedure was compared with a method involving separation of polar and nonpolar components in a used frying fat by means of column chromatography on silica gel. This is Journal Paper No. J-11947 of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, IA. Project No. 2568.     

Grouping separation of mixed rare earths from their coexisting aqueous solutions by liquid-column elution

A new approach was proposed for grouping separation of 14 lanthanide rare-earth ions from their coexisting mixed aqueous solutions, by performing liquid-column elution using the aqueous solution containing 14 lanthanide rare-earth ions as the stationary phase and the dispersed organic oil droplets containing P507 extractant as the mobile phase. It was revealed that 14 lanthanide rare-earth ions could be separated into four groups, according to the lanthanide tetrad effect, respectively eluting out from the liquid column at different time in a certain order. Various effects including the saponification degree of P507, the concentration of P507 in organic phase, the length and inner diameter of the extraction column on the performance of grouping separation of rare-earth ions were discussed. The changes of the mass transfer coefficients were also investigated. The separation efficiency of the four groups of rareearth elements(REEs) was evaluated based on the elution resolution, Rs, of the elution peaks of La(Ⅲ),Gd(Ⅲ), Ho(Ⅲ) and Lu(Ⅲ), the four representative elements respectively from each of the four groups of REEs. Experimental results demonstrated that the separation of REEs by liquid-column elution mainly depended on the competitive adsorption of different rare-earth groups onto the surface of ascending P507 oil droplets. The affinity of different rare-earth groups with P507 extractant and a limited adsorption capacity of P507 molecules at the surface of the oil droplets ascending in liquid column play the important role. The present work highlights a promising technique for grouping separation of multiple lanthanide elements co-existing complex systems.     

预分布管内流场的CFD模拟及实验验证(英文)

Liquid distributor is a very import internal for distillation columns. Pre-distributor is usually set on the top of distributor for initial distribution. Fluid flow in pre-distributor is a complex system of variable mass flow with many orifices and sub-branches. Consequently, the two phase modeling of pre-distributors was carried out and the homogeneous model with free surface model was applied. The numerical method was validated by comparing with experimental data. Using the simulated results for different pre-distributors, the impacts of inflow rate, location and orientation upon the outflow distribution were investigated. Furthermore, influences of the outflow distribution for pre-distributor on liquid uniformity in trough were also analyzed. The conclusions can be adopted for the struc-tural design of liquid distributor and pre-distributor of large scale.     

Effects of Thermal Feed Quality on the Performance of a Divided Wall Distillation Column

The present work deals with the effect of thermal feed quality on the performance of a divided wall distillation column (DWC). The thermal condition of the feed alters the pressure profile across the two sides of the dividing wall, thereby affecting not only the mass transfer characteristics but also the hydrodynamics of a DWC. It was observed that the natural (feasible) vapor split ratio does not depend on the liquid split ratio and the reflux flow rate when the feed is saturated liquid or sub-cooled liquid (q ≥ 1). However, for q < 1, that is, for two phase (vapor-liquid), saturated vapor, or superheated vapor feed, the liquid split ratio and the reflux flow rate have profound effect on the feasible vapor split ratio, and the pressure profiles are altered significantly. For the stable operation of a DWC, the feed should be either saturated liquid or sub-cooled liquid or the feed quality may be manipulated to adjust the vapor split ratio.     

Design of a Dividing‐Wall Column Considering its Multiple Steady State Characteristic

A dividing‐wall column (DWC) may have more than one solution of liquid and vapor split ratio for the same feed and product streams under a fixed number of stages and reflux ratio, so the multiple steady states (MSS) of a DWC in the design stage should be considered. An improved design method of a DWC is proposed by studying its MSS characteristics. Additional steps are inserted after optimization to check if MSS exist for the obtained optimal solution of vapor and liquid split ratio, and further to select the best candidate. Finally, two cases of three‐product DWCs are described to verify this method. The results indicate that multiple solutions exist for these cases, which confirm the necessity of this method and provide an important guidance for the flowing design of a DWC.     

减少气相耦合流股隔板塔的严格模拟研究

隔板塔虽然有显著的节能优势,但因在操作中无法控制和调节气相分割比这一重要参数,其工业应用受到了限制。为此Agrawal等提出了隔板塔的改进流程,通过增加塔段和冷凝器或者再沸器,有效避免了因气相分割比导致的局限性。Agrawal等仅用简捷法分析证明了几种新的结构和原隔板塔是等价的。用Aspen Plus软件,选用不同物系,对改进型隔板塔流程和原流程进行了严格模拟和比较,证实了改进流程和原流程的等效性。同时给出多种改进流程的塔径设计计算结果,对改进的隔板塔实际设计可行性进行了讨论。     

A novel kind of multiple steady states characteristics in the dividing wall column

In this article, one kind of multiple steady states(MSS) phenomenon was investigated for a dividing wall column(DWC). The four-section model constructed in Aspen Plus was employed to simulate two DWC cases: mixture of n-hexane, n-heptane and n-octane; system of methanol, ethanol and n-propanol. It can be seen that there is a range of vapor split ratio in which multiple solutions of reflux ratio exist for fixed DWC configuration with the same feed and product streams. The width and the curve shapes of the MSS region, and the number of solutions change with the liquid split ratio. This MSS phenomenon was further explained using the component recovery around the prefractionator and the component recycling flow inside the DWC. This MSS phenomenon is helpful for DWC design by knowing the probable existence of multiple solutions in advance.     

新型气相分配器对隔板填料塔性能的影响

针对一种新型隔板塔气相分配器，搭建了一套直径600mm、高度5600mm的隔板填料塔冷模实验系统，探究了液相分配比变化对气相分配比产生的影响以及新型气相分配器在隔板填料塔内的分配效果。结果显示：在本实验系统中，液相分配比在1～6之间变化时，隔板塔内气相分配比与液相分配比呈负相关的关系，即液流喷淋密度增大的一侧气体量反而会减少，气相分配比最多可由0.95降至0.6左右，这使得隔板塔远离高效操作区，严重影响了隔板塔内的传质效率；喷淋密度分别为6.27m³/(h·m²)、9.41m³/(h·m²)、15.68m³/(h·m²)时，分配器在隔板填料塔中具有较好的分配性能，可以通过分配器上的调节液位高度，使得喷淋密度增大的一侧，气相流量增多，气相分配比可由0.85调节至1.25左右，加强了气液两相传质，保证了隔板塔的高效运行。     

进料组成改变对隔板塔经济性影响的模拟

完全热耦合精馏相比传统精馏可以减少设备投资和操作费用,可代替传统精馏分离多组分混合物。对隔板塔（完全热耦合精馏塔）用于分离三组分混合物时的可操作性和经济性进行了研究。采用严格模拟方法,针对4种不同的进料组成设计了4种不同的隔板塔,并得出各个隔板塔气相和液相分割比对隔板塔年度总费用（TAC）的关系曲线,研究了当进料组成改变时4种隔板塔的经济性。     

气相进料对隔板精馏塔优化设计的影响

隔板精馏塔（DWC）在节能和节省设备投资方面具有十分突出的优势,隔板精馏塔中隔板位置是重要的设计变量,影响分离效果及能耗,当进料中含有气相时这种影响更加显著。选用苯、甲苯和对二甲苯三元物系,研究了进料的气相分率对隔板位置的影响并确定最优隔板位置。采用严格模拟方法,以年度总费用（TAC）为评价指标,比较不同进料气相分率下隔板塔的经济性,其中气相进料较液相进料TAC最高可节省23.33%。并通过灵敏度分析展示了在进料中含有气相时确定最优隔板位置的重要性。     

隔壁式空分精馏塔应用性能研究

为了降低空气低温分离过程的设备投资和能耗,在分析空分体系的热力学性质及流程特点的基础上,提出了一种新型的隔壁式空分精馏塔流程。应用Aspen Plus模拟软件,对空气分离的传统流程和隔壁塔流程进行了模拟对比,考察了隔壁式空分精馏塔各结构参数与操作参数对其年总成本的影响,并分析比较了空分传统流程和隔壁式空分精馏塔流程的热力学效率。结果表明,隔壁式空分精馏塔的建模合理可行,通过年总成本优化得到了该隔壁塔的最优结构参数与操作参数,分别为:液氧流量为3 kmol/h,气相分配比(体积比)为0.05,精馏段理论板数为33,侧线精馏段理论板数为30,公共提馏段理论板数为22。与传统空分流程相比,隔壁式空分精馏塔流程的有效能损失降低并且在热力学效率方面高出4.7%。     

气相进料对隔板精馏塔优化设计的影响

隔板精馏塔（DWC）在节能和节省设备投资方面具有十分突出的优势,隔板精馏塔中隔板位置是重要的设计变量,影响分离效果及能耗,当进料中含有气相时这种影响更加显著。选用苯、甲苯和对二甲苯三元物系,研究了进料的气相分率对隔板位置的影响并确定最优隔板位置。采用严格模拟方法,以年度总费用（TAC）为评价指标,比较不同进料气相分率下隔板塔的经济性,其中气相进料较液相进料TAC最高可节省23.33%。并通过灵敏度分析展示了在进料中含有气相时确定最优隔板位置的重要性。     

热泵精馏隔壁塔分离宽沸程物系的模拟

将中间换热和热泵精馏两种精馏节能技术应用到隔壁塔中,提出了带中间换热器的热泵精馏隔壁塔流程,以解决隔壁塔在分离宽沸程物系时出现的塔顶与塔底温差过高而不宜应用热泵精馏的问题。利用精馏塔总复合曲线图,可确定中间产品塔板采出流股的相态,从而得到不同类型的热泵精馏隔壁塔流程。宽沸程物系分离实例的模拟计算结果表明,该类流程在主塔气液相流量较大的情况下具有较高的节能效率。