STUDY OF INTERNAL RECYCLE DISTRIBUTION AND HEAT TRANSFER EFFECT FOR OPTIMAL DESIGN OF DIVIDING WALL DISTILLATION COLUMNS

This paper addresses the optimal design of dividing wall distillation column which is rapidly applied in a variety of chemical processes over recent several years because of its high energy saving efficiency. A general dividing wall column model which can cope with the heat transfer through the dividing wall is developed using rigorous computer simulation. Based on the simulation model, the effects of the internal recycle flow distribution around the dividing wall and the heat transfer across the dividing wall on overall system performance are investigated. An improved method is suggested to utilize the heat transfer through the wall to optimal column design. The suggested method is compared with the existing method via. simulation study and shows more improved energy saving result. Several control strategies for the divided wall column are tested and the optimal control strategy is propose