Nonideal distillation in automated synthesis

Abstract We describe a rigorous shortcut procedure for designing nonideal distillation processes. The procedure is based on a nonideal Fenske's equation with rigorous physical properties using an iterative method based on an infinite reflux calculation, which enabled us to determine the necessary design parameters. The procedure is implemented in CHiPs , a package for automated synthesis incorporating heat integration, allowing for accurate and fast synthesis of heat integrated process flowsheets for nonideal mixtures. An example problem of synthesizing a process for the separation of a three component nonideal mixture is presented. We show results both with and without heat integration. The results show how quickly the model converges to obtain the variables. A shortcut procedure making use of rigorous equations provides a convenient way to obtain results for a first stage of the design in a very reasonable amount of time.