(119b) Economic and Energy Usage Comparison of Conventional and Dividing Wall Distillation Columns

Residue curve maps (RCM) were used to determine the products of direct conventional, indirect conventional, and middle wall dividing wall column (DWC) distillation. This process was repeated for all 125 RCM present in Perry’s Chemical Engineering Handbook. Categories of RCM were developed based on an azeotrope being present in one product stream or no azeotropes being present in any product stream. Model chemical systems, with open literature available vapor-liquid equilibrium data, were chosen for select RCMs that fell into each category. The theoretical separations were validated using Aspen Plus simulations. All simulations were performed using Siemens’ HEEDS optimization software. The optimized simulations of direct, indirect, and middle wall DWC were used to size and cost the process equipment. The comparison of the optimized simulations illustrates the economic savings in both fixed capital investment and utilities costs due to the use of a middle wall DWC.