WOLFRAM|DEMONSTRATIONS PROJECT

Dynamic Behavior of a Reactive Distillation Column Subject to a Reflux Ratio Step

​
step in the reflux ratio
0.2
distillate composition
bottom composition
Consider a quaternary mixture of components
A
,
B
,
C
, and
D
​
with relative volatilities
α
CD
=7
,
α
AD
=4
, and
α
BD
=3
. This mixture is subject to an equilibrium-limited chemical reaction
A+B⇌C+D
with reaction rate
r=k
x
A
x
B
-
x
C
x
D
K
eq
, where the equilibrium constant
K
eq
=5
. The mixture is fed to a reactive distillation column with 15 plates. The feed stage location is stage number 10, the reactive stages are stages 6–14, and the feed composition is equimolar in
A
and
B
(i.e., the feed is composed of 50 mole %
A
and 50 mole %
B
). The feed, a saturated liquid, has a flow rate of 10 kmol/min. For simplicity, constant molal overflow (CMO) is assumed and heat effects are neglected.
The molar hold-up of the condenser and reboiler are set equal to 2000 and 5000 kmol, respectively. The hold-up in the reactive and nonreactive trays is chosen equal to 200 kmol. The reaction rate constant is 5 and the Damköhler number, defined by
Da=
H/F
1/k
, is 100.
This Demonstration shows the distillate and bottom compositions versus time for components
A
,
B
,
C
, and
D
​
(in blue, magenta, brown, and green, respectively) when the column is subject to a step in the reflux ratio at
t=2500
min. The distillate and bottom flow rates are equal because the reboil ratio,
s
, and the reflux ratio,
R
, are chosen so that
s=R+1
.
You can select the magnitude of the step in the reflux ratio by setting the value of parameter
δ
defined by
R=0.8
for
t<2500
min and
R=0.8+δ0.8
for
t>2500
min.