A Simultaneous Design and Optimization Framework for the Reaction and Distillation Sections of Methanol to Olefins Process

• Published in: Processes Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 58
• Main Authors: Li, Ning, Zhao, Liwen, Li, Dan, Sun, Huifeng, Zhang, Di, Liu, Guilian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.01.2023
• Subjects: Alkenes; Catalysts; Chemical reactions; Coke; Conversion; Cost control; Design optimization; Distillation; Energy consumption; Fluidized bed reactors; Genetic algorithms; Heat; Methanol; Methods; Optimization; Optimization models; Separation; Utilities; Variables
• ISSN: 2227-9717; 2227-9717
• DOI: 10.3390/pr11010058

The reaction and separation sections are the keys to the methanol-to-olefins (MTO) chemical processes, and they should be optimized to reduce the cost of production. This work develops a framework for the simultaneous design and optimization of the reaction and distillation sections. An optimization model with shortcut and rigorous methods combined is established for distillation columns to improve accuracy and efficiency. With the auxiliary devices and the selection of utilities considered, the reaction and distillation sections are integrated to maximize profits. The genetic algorithm targets the optimal parameters, including the catalyst’s coke content and reaction temperature, each column’s operating pressure, and the allocation of utilities and auxiliary devices. For the studied MTO process, the optimal reaction temperature and catalyst’s coke content were identified to be 496 °C and 7.8%, respectively. The maximum profit is 15.3% greater than that identified with only the separation section optimized, and the minimum total annual cost (TAC) of the separation section is 3.73% less.