Minimum energy of multicomponent distillation systems using minimum additional heat and mass integration sections

Abstract

Heat and mass integration to consolidate distillation columns in a multicomponent distillation configuration can lead to a number of new energy efficient and cost-effective configurations. In this work, a powerful and simple-to-use fact about heat and mass integration is identified. The newly developed heat and mass integrated configurations, which we call as HMP configurations, involve first introducing thermal couplings to all intermediate transfer streams, followed by consolidating columns associated with a lighter pure product reboiler and a heavier pure product condenser. A systematic method of enumerating all HMP configurations is introduced. The energy savings of HMP configurations is compared with the well-known fully thermally coupled (FTC) configurations. HMP configurations can have very similar and sometimes even the same minimum total vapor duty requirement as the FTC configuration is demonstrated, while using far less number of column sections, intermediate transfer streams, and thermal couplings than the FTC configurations. Figure 3. (a) A configuration derived from the configuration in Figure 2c by introducing thermal couplings at all submixtures; (b) A HMP configuration that is thermodynamically equivalent to the configuration in Figure 3a.Note that the thermal coupling at submixture DEF of Figure 7a is converted into a liquid-only transfer stream19 in Figure 7b, indicated by the curved arrow.Figure 9. (a) One possible operable dividing wall column drawn from the FTC configuration of Figure 8a using the methodology of Madenoor Ramapriya et al. 24,25 Notice that this dividing wall column uses three dividing walls and nine intermediate transfer streams; (b) one possible operable dividing wall column version synthesized from the HMP configuration of Figure 8b; (c) one possible operable dividing wall column version synthesized from the HMP configuration of Figure 8c. Notice that both dividing wall columns of Figures 8b, c use only 2 dividing walls and 5 intermediate transfer streams.

A Simple Criterion for Feasibility of Heat Integration between Distillation Streams Based on Relative Volatilities

“…53,54 For a subset of TCH, we have empirically observed through numerous case studies that their implementation within configurations could result in the same heat duty as the conventional FTC, but never lower. 55,56 5c because HC C < HC BCD .…”

Optimal design of membrane cascades for gaseous and liquid mixtures via MINLP

“…In addition to finding the most efficient membrane cascade, the global optimization solution is also important for comparing the membrane technology against an alternate separation technology. Although global optimization techniques are available for some separation technologies, such as distillation [6][7][8][9], they are not yet available for design of membrane cascades making it difficult to perform head-to-head comparisons. Besides, since membrane material research is an active research endeavor, global optimization techniques are needed to ascertain selectivity and permeabilities of components at which membrane technologies may out-compete other separation processes, thereby helping to identify separations for which new membrane cascades are likely to yield most promising results.…”

Simultaneous simulation and optimization of multiple dividing wall columns

“…In the figure the placeholders A, B, C and D denote the components in the feed mixture sorted according to their boiling temperature where A is the light boiler. Applying internal partition walls enables the separation of the same mixtures in only one column shell Kiss and Bildea 2011;Halvorsen et al 2013;Jiang et al 2018. This way pure products can also be obtained from side flows.…”