An approach for dynamic transitions in multiproduct reactive distillation columns

Abstract This work presents a new methodology to perform dynamic transitions among different chemical products in an intensified reactive distillation column. The procedure consists of a switchability analysis to identify the actions needed to switch between different products. This is followed by a dynamic analysis that aims to seek for feasible control schemes that allow smooth product transitions while keeping the products specifications on target. The times to switch from one chemical product to another, their dynamic performance to reach new steady states, and the feasibility to meet operational constraints, are taken into consideration in the proposed method. A case study involving the decomposition of trichlorosilane into three products in a reactive distillation column was used to show the application of the methodology. Two process designs were considered, and control strategies based on a sensitivity analysis and on process operational constraints, in this case the maximum temperature allowed to prevent catalyst degradation, were implemented. The proposed framework was able to identify suitable control policies that meet composition targets while keeping the reactive zone under feasible temperature ranges. The results show the importance to develop control schemes that perform feasible dynamic transitions for the production scheduling of multiproduct systems.

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