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Abstract:
A simulation-based design method is employed to figure out the promising reactive distillation process configuration for the production of butyl acetate. The intrinsic kinetics developed for the esterification and the unwanted side reaction etherification over the Amberlyst-15 catalyst are utilized to evaluate the steady-state performance of different reactive distillation processes. A steady-state column model is developed and compared with experimental data from the literature. With this model, three different column configurations are investigated for the production of butyl acetate with the goal of eliminating the formation of byproduct dibutyl ether and achieving a high purity of the desired product butyl acetate. The following column configurations are explored: (a) a column with a nonreactive rectifying section and a reactive stripping section; (b) a column with a nonreactive rectifying section, a nonreactive stripping section, and a reactive middle section; and (c) a conventional distillation column with a cocurrent pump-around reactor. Configuration c is compared with the side reactor configuration, where the pump-around reactor is coupled to the column in a countercurrent fashion.
Copyright © 2004 American Chemical Society [accessed 2014 January 10th]
