Control of three types of dividing wall columns

Abstract

We report on the control of three types of dividing wall columns: columns with the dividing wall in the lower (DWCL), middle (DWCM), and upper (DWCU) portions of the column. The relative gain array (RGA) and condition number (CN) for these three column types are calculated for two different multicomponent systems. Based on these results, promising control structures are identified and tested in Aspen Dynamics. The results indicate that DWCU has the worst control performance of the three column types. DWCL outperforms DWCM in most cases, but the difference in controllability is not likely to justify the choice of a column configuration with higher costs. © 2013 American Chemical Society.