Theoretical and experimental study on residue curve maps of propyl acetate synthesis reaction

Abstract

Residue curve maps (RCMs) of ropyl acetate synthesis reaction in the atch reactive distillation process are studied. In order to adapt the model equations of residue curve maps to a practicable heating policy, the theoretical analysis and experimental measurements in this paper are carried out isothermally instead of the autonomous heat policy first introduced by Venimadhavan et al. (A.I.Ch.E. Journal 40 (1994) 1814–1824). The chemical equilibrium constant of this reaction is determined y experiments to e 20 within the temperature range 80–110 ◦C. Using this equilibrium constant, the RCMs predicted by simulation are in good agreement with the experimental measurements. The results show that there is an unstable node ranch emerging from the ropyl acetate–water edge, moving toward the chemical equilibrium surface with the increasing Damköhler number (Da), and eventually reaching the quaternary reactive azeotrope when Da → ∞. Residue curves are measured with initial compositions around the unstable node, and thus the results verify the existence of this reactive azeotrope. Further bifurcation analysis shows that different heat olicies will infuence the singular oints and topology of kinetically controlled RCMs, ut not the cases when Da = 0 or Da → ∞