Impact on Model Uncertainty of Diabatization in Distillation Columns

This work provides uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of design of conventional and heat integrated distillation columns using Monte Carlo simulations. Selected uncertain parameters are relative volatility, heat of vaporization, the overall heat transfer coefficient , tray hold-up, and adiabat ic index. Error propagation of uncertain parameters to second-law efficiency, the operation expenditures, the capital expenditures , and the dominant time constant for separations of benzene-toluene and benzene-flourobenzene are investigated . Conclusions favoring the HIDiC over the CDiC w.r.t. operation expenditures in the benzene-toluene separation can not made within 95 % confidence. The sensitivity of overall heat transfer coefficient decreases on all indicators as the separation becomes more difficult