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Iterative lumping approach for representing lipid feedstocks in fatty acid distillation simulation and optimization
Author(s) -
Nachtergaele Pieter,
Somer Tobias,
Gelaude Bastiaan,
Hogie Joël,
Thybaut Joris W.,
Meester Steven,
Drijvers David,
Dewulf Jo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
aiche journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 167
eISSN - 1547-5905
pISSN - 0001-1541
DOI - 10.1002/aic.17235
Subject(s) - reboiler , fractional distillation , raw material , distillation , process engineering , chemistry , process (computing) , yield (engineering) , iterative and incremental development , work (physics) , process integration , computer science , biological system , mathematics , materials science , chromatography , organic chemistry , engineering , mechanical engineering , software engineering , metallurgy , biology , operating system
The complexity of lipid feedstocks and the lack of data on physical properties hinder the simulation of oleochemical processing units. In this work, an iterative lumping approach is proposed to define an adequate number of key compounds such that diversification between lipid feedstocks becomes possible, while keeping the determination of physical properties as required for process modeling manageable. As a case study, the iterative lumping approach is used for simulation and optimization of a fatty acid distillation plant. For predicting vapor–liquid equilibria of fatty acids, the best results were acquired using the property method universal quasichemical‐Hayden–O'Conell. Using the iterative lumping approach, 11 key compounds were selected to represent the feedstock. The process model properly predicts the product composition, yield, purity and heat duty. The most important process parameters are found to be side‐reflux‐ratio, reboiler‐outlet‐temperature, and heat‐duty of the pitch‐distiller. For optimization, an increase of the side‐reflux‐ratio and reboiler‐outlet‐temperature is recommended.