Dynamics and control of an ethyl acetate reactive distillation column

In this paper, we study the dynamics and control of a reactive distillation column for the production of ethyl acetate from acetic acid and ethyl alcohol. Initially, we propose a configuration that involves feeding the two reactants in different trays and allows for the attainment of higher conversion and purity at the steady state than does the conventional configuration, which involves feeding in a single tray. An analysis of the column dynamics is then performed, which reveals the existence of fast and slow dynamics corresponding to the liquid flow rates and the liquid compositions and holdups, respectively. Finally, a detailed control study is performed, which includes the analysis of different control configurations and the application of linear and nonlinear control strategies.