Integrated design and control of reactive distillation processes using the driving force approach

Abstract Superior controllability of reactive distillation (RD) systems, designed at the maximum driving force (design‐control solution) is demonstrated in this article. Binary or multielement single or double feed RD systems are considered. Reactive phase equilibrium data, needed for driving force analysis and design of the RD system, is generated through an in‐house property prediction tool. Rigorous steady‐state simulation is carried out in ASPEN plus in order to verify that the predefined design targets and dynamics are met. A multiobjective performance function is employed to evaluate the performance of the RD system in terms of energy consumption, sustainability metrics (total CO 2 footprint), and control performance. Controllability of the designed system is evaluated using indices like the relative gain array (RGA) and Niederlinski index ( N I ), to evaluate the degree of loop interaction, as well as through dynamic simulations using proportional‐integral (PI) controllers and model predictive controllers (MPC). The design‐control of the RD systems corresponding to other alternative designs that do not take advantage of the maximum driving force is also investigated. The analysis shows that the RD designs at the maximum driving force exhibit enhanced controllability and lower carbon footprint than the alternative RD designs.