Energy Targeting of Reactive Distillation Column

摘要

Design of reactive distillation is complicated due to the interactions between reaction and phase equilibrium. In this work the column temperature-enthalpy profile (column grand composite curve, CGCC) is applied to analyze the performance of reactive distillations.CGCC represents the net enthalpy deficit at each stage and can be generated from converged column simulation results. For conventional distillation columns, the minimum of the CGCC should be zero. In a reactive column, we show that the minimum of the CGCC should be equal to minus the total heat generated by reaction. With the aid of CGCC,opportunities of improvement can be easily identified. The method is demonstrated for reactive distillation column with an MTBE synthesis case study. Substantial saving in energy can be achieved if one can place the majority of exothermic reactions in column sections above pinch