Presenter Information

Carl Lira, Michigan State University

Location

Cherry Auditorium, Kirk Hall

Start Date

11-15-2012 1:00 PM

Description

Continuous processing is a hallmark of chemical engineering that provides for large economies of scale. Process sustainability is of increasing importance. In 2010, energy consumption in the U.S. chemical industry represented approximately 9% of domestic energy usage. Within the chemical industrial, approximately 60% of the energy was used for thermally driven separations: distillation, evaporation, drying. These operations offer simplicity and long-term reliability. One way to improve overall energy consumption is to introduce process intensification. Process intensification describes combination of unit operations that can save energy and lower capital cost. This presentation considers reactive distillation, which integrates chemical reaction and distillation into a single unit.

Reactive distillation requires more sophisticated process design than separate units, however the requisite advanced calculations are enabled by the powerful process simulators available today. Design is possible with accurate chemical kinetics and phase equilibria. This presentation discusses work performed at Michigan State University to develop process design for conversion of organic acids to esters and to demonstrate feasibility in the MSU Reactive Distillation Facility. Also introduced are distillation lines and the concept of reactive azeotropes. Ethyl lactate is discussed as an example system. This is a particularly interesting system due to the tendency of lactic acid to form oligomers.

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Nov 15th, 1:00 PM

The Role of Thermodynamics in Reactive Distillation

Cherry Auditorium, Kirk Hall

Continuous processing is a hallmark of chemical engineering that provides for large economies of scale. Process sustainability is of increasing importance. In 2010, energy consumption in the U.S. chemical industry represented approximately 9% of domestic energy usage. Within the chemical industrial, approximately 60% of the energy was used for thermally driven separations: distillation, evaporation, drying. These operations offer simplicity and long-term reliability. One way to improve overall energy consumption is to introduce process intensification. Process intensification describes combination of unit operations that can save energy and lower capital cost. This presentation considers reactive distillation, which integrates chemical reaction and distillation into a single unit.

Reactive distillation requires more sophisticated process design than separate units, however the requisite advanced calculations are enabled by the powerful process simulators available today. Design is possible with accurate chemical kinetics and phase equilibria. This presentation discusses work performed at Michigan State University to develop process design for conversion of organic acids to esters and to demonstrate feasibility in the MSU Reactive Distillation Facility. Also introduced are distillation lines and the concept of reactive azeotropes. Ethyl lactate is discussed as an example system. This is a particularly interesting system due to the tendency of lactic acid to form oligomers.