[14 Advanced Energy-Saving and Carbon-Reduction Technologies and 12 Typical Cases in the Refining Industry] Split Wall Column Technology for Reformate Separation

Recently, applied research on the use of partitioned tower systems for separating various chemicals has been advancing continuously. The partitioned distillation column designed by Honeywell has been used in the new process for synthesizing linear alkylbenzene, saving 9% of the energy required for the separation step in this process ； Kellogg Company has developed a process that combines extractive distillation with a split-wall column to recover benzene from reformed oil or hydrocracked gasoline. This approach eliminates the need for separate stripping towers; distillation, stripping, and solvent recovery are all carried out within a single split-wall distillation column, resulting in 20% lower investment costs compared to conventional extractive distillation systems ； Furthermore, partition towers used abroad are also employed for the separation in the synthesis of substances such as furan, butanone and butanediol, propylene and butylene, propylene and hexene, cyclopentane, and cyclopentene. At present, partitioned towers are more commonly used abroad, while they are still less common in China. In January 2013, the world’s first naphtha adsorption separation unit with a capacity of 1.20 Mt/a was built and put into operation at Yangzi Petrochemical. This device utilizes the simulated moving bed adsorption separation technology developed through a collaboration between Sinopec and the American company Honeywell. It employs advanced technologies such as partitioned towers for the first time, thereby effectively reducing energy consumption. Experts say that in the field of applied research on partitioned column towers, these towers can be considered for separating liquid mixtures with three or more components; as a result, there are many systems that make use of partitioned column towers. For example, in methanol production, the technology of producing methanol as a by-product of ammonia synthesis is employed to reduce production costs and adjust the product mix. The distillation tower used in diol production removes heavy distillate impurities, yielding methanol product at the top of the main distillation tower. If the two distillation columns in this process are split-wall columns, the separation requirements can still be met; the control conditions or the locations for feed and product withdrawal can be determined through calculations or adjustments, thereby allowing methanol to be separated from the side streams, with light components being removed from the top of the columns and heavy components from the bottom. This not only saves on investment costs but also reduces energy consumption and simplifies the process. In addition, partition wall columns are also expected to be applied in the following areas: the separation of aromatics using sulfolane extraction, the production process for isolating o-xylene from mixed xylene, the one-step oxidation of propylene for ** production, the process for synthesizing phenylchlorosilane by direct method, and certain separation steps in the production of 2,6-dimethylphenol, among others. Once the partitioned tower separation technology is adopted, the separation costs and energy consumption will be significantly reduced, bringing about a new revolution in separation processes in chemical manufacturing.

【Major Equipment in the Chemical Engineering Sector】119 – Manufacturing of Large Split-Wall Columns https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3326095-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Engineering Forum [Haichuan Network])

Partitioned towers in the Chinese market https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-2493712-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Industry Forum [Haichuan Network])

What is the basic principle of a segmented tower? Where can it be applied in the oil refining sector? https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-1830854-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Industry Forum [Haichuan Network])