An internal thermal integration arrangement for multicomponent batch rectifier: 1. Feasibility and analysis

Distillation has emerged as a potential candidate for thermal integration to improve the energy efficiency performance. In this contribution, a novel heat integrated distillation column (HIDiC) is proposed for batch rectifiers. Dividing the rectification tower into two sections, an internal thermal integration arrangement for the HIDiC column configuration is devised by installing a compressor and a throttling valve for pressure adjustment, and by designing a couple of internal heat exchangers (HEs) to promote the heat transfer between the trays of two divided rectifiers. Unlike the continuous HIDiC, the batch column is an unsteady state process that gives rise to a challenging problem in design and operation. Aiming to operate the batch HIDiC smoothly, a mechanism for heat supply management is proposed. This, in turn, leads to run the thermally coupled column at the same dynamical response with the conventional standalone column that is a prerequisite for a fair comparison between them in terms of energy efficiency, environmental and economic performance. Finally, the techno-economic feasibility of the proposed batch HIDiC rectifier is explored by simulating a multicomponent system. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.