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Experimental study of wave propagation dynamics of binary distillation columns
Author(s) -
Hwang YngLong,
Graham Glenn K.,
Keller George E.,
Ting Jack,
Helfferich Friedrich G.
Publication year - 1996
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.690421006
Subject(s) - tray , reboiler , distillation , binary number , fractionating column , nonlinear system , chemistry , mechanics , dynamics (music) , stripping (fiber) , thermodynamics , chromatography , materials science , physics , mathematics , engineering , mechanical engineering , arithmetic , acoustics , quantum mechanics , composite material
High‐purity distillation columns are typically difficult to control because of their severely nonlinear behavior reflected by their sharp composition and temperature profiles. The dynamic behavior of such a column, as characterized by the movement of its sharp profile, was elucidated by a nonlinear wave theory established previously. With binary alcohol mixtures, this study provides an experimental observation of such wave‐propagation dynamics of a 40‐tray stripping column and a 50‐tray fractionation column in response to step disturbances of feed composition, feed flow rate, and reboiler heat supply. Our experimental results have verified that the sharp profile in a high‐purity column moves as a constant‐pattern wave and that the nonlinear wave theory predicts its velocity satisfactorily with very simple mathematics. Our results also demonstrate the asymmetric dynamics of the transitions between two steady states.