Multiobjective Optimization Approach for Integrating Design and Control in Multicomponent Distillation Sequences

• Published in: Industrial & engineering chemistry research Vol. 54; no. 49; pp. 12320 - 12330
• Main Authors: Vázquez-Castillo, José Antonio, Segovia-Hernández, Juan Gabriel, Ponce-Ortega, José María
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Chemical Society 16.12.2015
• Subjects: Control systems; Design engineering; Distillation; Environmental impact; Mathematical analysis; Optimization; Pareto optimality; Tradeoffs
• ISSN: 0888-5885; 1520-5045
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.5b01611

This work introduces a multiobjective optimization approach to integrate the design and control of multicomponent distillation sequences. The evaluation of the control properties and the design of the distillation systems were evaluated through the calculation of the condition number and the total annual cost of each design, respectively. Three distillation systems, including the direct sequence, the indirect sequence, and the dividing wall column along with three mixtures with representative ease of separation index (ESI) values and three different feed compositions, were studied. In addition, in a posterior stage to the optimization process, the Eco-indicator 99 for each design was estimated to quantify the environmental impact of the distillation systems. The results offer the trade-offs between the control properties and the design, which is shown through Pareto optimal solutions that enable selection of the solutions that establish the proper balances between both objectives.