Effects of intensification on process features and control properties of lignocellulosic bioethanol separation and dehydration systems

摘要

Separation and dehydration process is a key step to reduce the total production cost of lignocellulosic bioethanol. In the earlier work (Tones-Ortega and Rong, 2016), we have obtained new intensified systems for lignocellulosic bioethanol separation and dehydration through dividing wall columns, which have considerable reduction to both capital and energy costs. This work presents the analysis of process features and control properties of the intensified systems with similar capital reduction and energy savings. The control properties were based on singular value decomposition (SVD) and dynamic performances under mild disturbances and changes of set point in Aspen Dynamics V8.8. The control properties and dynamic responses of the intensified separation systems were examined against the reference system for their structural changes during intensification by thermal couplings and column section recombination. The simultaneous analysis of process feature changes by intensification and their control properties achieved the intensified systems with both cost savings and competitive control properties.