Process intensification of reactive distillation using improved RCMs: Acetic acid production

Residue curve maps (RCMs) are useful for the synthesis and analysis of both conventional multicomponent separation and reactive distillation (RD). However, the RCMs do not provide any quantitative performance measure to compare the process alternatives for process intensification. We develop a new velocity vector concept that consists of the speed and direction of the composition change in RCMs for process intensification of reactive distillation. Process intensification in reactive distillation can be thought of as locating multiple process operations in a single continuous column. Optimizing the process intensification in a continuous column can be transformed into finding an optimal path from the initial composition to the target one in RCMs. The optimal path can be determined by minimizing the total processing time required for travelling the path in RCMs. We propose a two-step design method for the RD process consisting of conceptual or structural design based on the new residue curve map and parameter optimization of the process based on rigorous simulation. This new process design method is illustrated by application to a reactive distillation system using an auxiliary reaction for the production of methyl acetate.