(77e) Batch Distillation Simulation, Optimization, and Control: Past, Present, and Future

The recent increase in the production of high-value-added, low-volume specialty chemicals and biochemicals has generated a renewed interest in batch processing technologies. Batch distillation is a critical unit operation in the batch processing industry and is widely used. The flexibility of batch distillation combined with the inherent unsteady nature of the process poses challenging design and operation problems. This talk presents the overview of simulation, optimization, and control starting from the first theoretical development in 1902 with Rayleigh equation. This talk covers:

1. The various operating modes of batch distillation
2. Examines challenges involved in rigorous modeling
3. Need for the hierarchy of models
4. Optimization and optimal control problems encountered
5. Recent developments related to complex columns, complex systems, and uncertainties, and the role of computer-aided molecular design in batch distillation