Design Simulation and Control of Distillation Columns

Abstract

Modeling and simulation of distillation column is preferably used with an increasing de- mand, to help the designer to separate components in chemical and petrochemical in- dustries. Due to the availability of computer and a powerful programming languages, simulation is made simple and fast. In many industrial application models are frequently used in order to design effective process and control systems. The calculations involved in the design of fractionation columns require in the usual practice the use many charts, tables and complex empirical equations. Such charts, tables, equations and other design aids have long been available in the literature, but their use is often lengthy and tedious, and the results are not always repeatable. Thus, in this study a MATLAB code pack- age for determination the number of the theoretical stages was developed for binary or multicomponent systems McCabe-Thiele applied for binary, but it can be used for the multicomponent. Mixture can be considered as pseudo binary taking the light key coni- ponent(Lk) and heavy key component(hk) as the binary. The input parameters includes the feed condition, feed composition, the top and the bottom composition, the reflux ratio, and the relative volatility are only required to specify the number of theoretical stages, and the feed plate location for a binary or multicomponent mixture. A complete MATLAB code was developed to design a distillation column, the package compute the flooding factor, the column diameter, the column area, the downcomer area weir hight and the active area. The input parameter include tray spacing in meter, liquid density, vapor density, max volumetric flow rate for vapor and liquid volumetric flow rate the package is tested by data from literature and found be accurate which indicate that these