Experimental and Theoretical Studies of a Dividing-Wall Column Used for the Recovery of High-Purity Products

Although dividing-wall columns are now well established in industrial practice, their complex hydraulics is not well understood, and open literature does not provide any quantitative information in this respect. This study aims to provide the missing knowledge. Hence, a pilot plant was built to separate a ternary mixture of fatty alcohols into high-purity products of ∼99 wt %. A model was established to simulate this separation process. It could successfully describe the experiments quantitatively and even account for the self-adjustment of the vapor splits. A case study with the validated model highlighted the strong influence of the heat transfer across the vertical partition wall on hydrodynamics and vapor distribution. These aspects are of special interest for the design and scale-up of dividing-wall columns.