کنفرانس بین المللی فناوری و مدیریت انرژی

صفحه اصلی / نهمین کنفرانس بین المللی فناوری و مدیریت انرژی

Heat integration of three consecutive distillation columns with a hybrid method for the complete separation of quaternary mixtures

نویسندگان :

Majid Ahmadi¹ Farzad Shirmohammadi² Alireza Khadem Emamzadeh³ Zahra Mokhtari⁴ Fatemeh Yadang zavareh⁵ Yousef Akbarinia⁶

1- دانشگاه تهران 2- دانشگاه تهران 3- دانشگاه تهران 4- دانشگاه تربیت مدرس 5- دانشگاه مالک اشتر 6- دانشگاه علم و صنعت ایران

کلمات کلیدی :

quaternary mixtures،heat integration،multi-effect،feed-splitting

چکیده :

The complete separation of a quaternary mixture, including n-butane, n-hexane, n-heptane, and n-nonane, is of paramount importance in the industry. However, the use of three distillation columns results in substantial energy consumption. Therefore, thermal integration becomes imperative for process optimization. This paper explores two separation arrangements, namely direct and indirect, and investigates the effectiveness of pre-heat methods, Multi-Effect, Feed Splitting, and their hybrids for thermal integration. Eight distinct processes are rigorously simulated to compare their energy consumption. The results demonstrate that the direct arrangement, combined with a hybrid approach of Multi-Effect and Feed Splitting, exhibits the lowest energy consumption and is identified as the optimal separation process. According to the findings, this process achieves a 71% reduction in cold utility consumption, a 61% reduction in hot utility consumption, and a remarkable 66% decrease in overall energy consumption compared to the indirect arrangement without thermal integration. The primary reason for these improvements lies in the elimination of the condenser in the third column and the reduction of heat loads on the first and third reboilers. The hybrid of Multi-Effect and Feed Splitting proves to be effective, substantially reducing the energy consumption of the separation process. Notably, the proposed method introduces no additional equipment, such as pumps and compressors, resulting in minimal capital costs. Therefore, the combined Multi-Effect and Feed Splitting method not only significantly reduces energy consumption but also substantially decreases the total annual cost (TAC) of the separation process and minimizes environmental impacts. This study underscores the importance of selecting an appropriate method for the thermal integration of distillation processes from both an energy and economic standpoint. Various methods, including Pinch, Heat Pump, Thermal Coupling, and Variable Refrigerant Cycle (VRC), have been explored in previous studies. The presented study contributes to this body of knowledge, presenting a novel approach that effectively combines Multi-Effect and Feed Splitting for enhanced energy efficiency in the distillation of multi-component mixtures