Design and Control of Dividing-Wall Column for the Synthesis of n-Propyl Propionate by Reactive Distillation

In this work, a reactive dividing-wall column (R-DWC) for the synthesis of n -propyl propionate was investigated by demonstrating its design and control. Sensitivity analysis of whether the vapor split ratio (α v ) can maintain the product purities was studied before the minimum TAC was established. The results show that the R-DWC can save 12.4% of the energy consumption and 16.4% of the minimum total annual cost (TAC) compared with the two-column design. After that, two control structures for the R-DWC as a three-column model were considered. The improved control structure can solve the problem of disturbances and maintain the product purities close to the set points with small deviations and short settling times.