Design and performance of distillation sequences for ternary systems using multiobjective optimization

Abstract

This paper discusses the design and separation performance of distillation schemes for ternary mixtures using a multi-objective optimization approach. Severalternary systems have been considered as cases of study to illustrate the capabilities and limitations of traditional, nonsharp and intensified distillation configurations in terms of their tradeoffs between the purity of target compounds and the energy required for the separation. A detailed analysis of the process effectiveness of these distillation sequences has been carried out where the impact of design parameters on both separation efficacy and energy efficiency has been considered. Results showed that the efficacy ofthese separation schemes can vary substantially when both the energy consumption and the composition of a key component are the targets in conflict. In fact, the conventional direct distillation sequence may offer a better trade off between composition and energy consumption than those obtained for intensified schemes in some tested ternary mixtures. Therefore, this study highlights the importance of performing a reliable design of multi-component separation sequences to evaluate their advantages and potential improvements for industrial applications.