Browsing by Author "Filipe, Rui M."
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Analysis of processing systems involving reaction and distillation : the synthesis of ethyl acetatePublication . Filipe, Rui M.; Castro, Pedro; Matos, Henrique A.; Novais, Augusto Q.The integration of reaction and separation into a single process unit, i. e., reactive destillation, may offer several advantages over conventional systems that use a reactor followed by a distillation column. In this paper we explore the operational characteristics of reactive distillation and highlight some of this potential benefits, using the production of ethyl acetate as an illustrative example. With this aim, the two types of system are compared employing different reactor types and a number of performance indicators, such as yield, conversion, purity, specific energy consumption and residence time. A sensitivity analysis is carried out on some variables and parameters, in order to explore and define the distillation columns operating conditions. As expected, results point to a clear advantage of reactive distillation allowing for the azeotrope to be surpassed and for the overcoming of chemical equilibrium, favouring an increase in conversion and product purity, along with reduced operating costs.
- Performance indicators for reactive distillation designPublication . Filipe, Rui M.; Matos, Henrique A.; Novais, Augusto Q.A cost indicator for the design and multi-objective optimization of reactive distillation columns, designated capacity, was introduced in previous work by the authors. The question of this indicator’s effectiveness as a measure of the actual column cost, is herein investigated over a number of designs by comparing it with the value obtained by means of conventional costing procedures. The results show that the level of accuracy obtained when using capacity is satisfactory and certainly acceptable for a preliminary design stage.