Plantwide Control for the Separation of THF-<i>H</i><sub>2</sub><i>O</i> in an Azeotropic Distillation Process

Plantwide Control for the Separation of THF-<i>H</i><sub>2</sub><i>O</i> in an Azeotropic Distillation Process

This paper presents a plantwide control strategy for optimizing a pressure-swing azeotropic distillation process used in tetrahydrofuran dehydration. Leveraging Skogestad’s methodology, this strategy focused on two distillation columns: a low-pressure column for water recovery at 20 psia and a high-...

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Main Authors: Moises Ramos-Martinez, Gerardo Ortiz-Torres, Felipe D. J. Sorcia-Vázquez, Carlos Alberto Torres-Cantero, Manuela Calixto-Rodriguez, Mayra G. Mena-Enriquez, Jorge Salvador Valdez Martínez, Estela Sarmiento-Bustos, Alan Cruz Rojas, Jesse Y. Rumbo-Morales
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:ChemEngineering
Subjects:
azeotropic process
distillation columns
dehydrate tetrahydrofuran
plantwide control
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2305-7084/8/6/127
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Summary:This paper presents a plantwide control strategy for optimizing a pressure-swing azeotropic distillation process used in tetrahydrofuran dehydration. Leveraging Skogestad’s methodology, this strategy focused on two distillation columns: a low-pressure column for water recovery at 20 psia and a high-pressure column that achieved 0.99 molar fraction purity of tetrahydrofuran at 115 psia. This study identified critical control variables through plant analysis by implementing PI controllers in the regulatory control layer to stabilize flows and pressures. In the supervisory control layer, a PI controller combined with MIMO MPC effectively enhanced the product purity and reduced the energy consumption by 36%. Stable inlet and outlet flow conditions (100 lbmol/hr inlet, 29.59 lbmol/hr outlet) were maintained without compromising the equipment integrity. The operational ranges for the process included variations in the tetrahydrofuran mole fraction from 0.25 to 0.35 at the inlet, which demonstrated a robust performance across perturbations. These achievements signify significant advancements in process efficiency and sustainability, offering substantial reductions in energy usage while ensuring consistent high purity levels in tetrahydrofuran production. The developed control structure sets a new standard for efficient azeotropic distillation processes, with implications for enhancing operational performance across industrial applications.
ISSN:2305-7084

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