Dividing wall column (DWC) is a relatively new technology generated by integrating fully thermodynamically coupled columns into a single shell, which represents both capital and operation savings. Since the conception of this technology, many researchers have made extensive studies about it, mainly focused to optimization and control; however some of the best advances have been developed by private industry. A topic which has received only little interest in optimization of DWC is the internal operation of the column, together with the mechanical design of the column. Nevertheless, there is not a methodology in open literature to perform this analysis. In this work a strategy for the mechanical design and simulation of a dividing wall column with sieve trays is presented. Hydraulic parameters have tested through CFD simulations and results were used for adjustment and optimization of physic parameters. Final tray geometry was tested for operation regime and flooding, and streamlines were analyzed for malfunctions in the tray to ensure the proper function of the distillation column within established limits. CFD analysis was carried out using ANSYS FLUENT software.
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