Ethylene glycol distillation process simulation
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This post was last edited by visavis on 2010-5-31 22:47. Recently I have been working on simulating the ethylene glycol separation process, and it’s really challenging; to be precise, I’m unable to carry out the simulation due to the lack of binary interaction parameters. At present, the process parameters are provided by the patent holder in the form of process packages； I’m not sure if anyone has done any related simulations; we could discuss it together.
Aspen has property data for ethylene glycol, as well as a number of common interaction parameters. Unless your system’s components are very complex and special, it would be helpful to describe your operating conditions and separation requirements, so that everyone can discuss and learn from it*
May I ask what other substances are there in the subject area mentioned by the original poster? What is its composition? What are the separation requirements?
I am also conducting simulations for the separation process of ethylene glycol, but there is 1,2-butanediol involved; the boiling points of 1,2-butanediol and ethylene glycol differ by about 1 degree, making it difficult to separate them. I wonder if the original poster has 1,2-butanediol.
Search for gas-liquid equilibrium data, perform regression, and obtain the binary interaction parameter
4# asd6597069 How can ethylene glycol and 1,2-butanediol be separated?
For the simulation of ethylene glycol, it depends of course on what other substances are involved. I have carried out simulations for ethylene glycol, glycerol, water, as well as some other alcohols. Using the process packages provided by foreigners, I conducted calculations with Aspen, and the results were more or less the same; the Unifac model yields more accurate results, while PRO2 also provides accurate calculations for alcohols. You can give it a try; good luck to you
I think the question posed by the original poster is difficult to answer; the separation process certainly involves separating a binary or multi-component mixture, but the poster did not specify what those other substances are. Without knowing the other substance, there’s no way to even talk about binary interaction parameters. What is the feed composition like as well? There is absolutely no idea what the separation requirements are, that is, what the purity requirements are. Even if one wants to help, there’s nothing that can be done, so everyone is engaged in discussions that are like trying to understand an elephant by touching it blindly.
7# gu*nchun888 Thank you for your reply. Did the ethylene glycol you encountered contain impurities in the form of 1,2-butanediol? I’ve heard that it’s difficult to separate these compounds; I’m not sure whether conventional separation methods will work, or if special distillation is required
8# hu688: How to handle the mixture of ethylene glycol and 1,2-butanediol? 1,2-Butanediol is an impurity that needs to be removed; the higher the purity, the better
This post was last edited by hu688 on 2010-4-29 08:23. It seems that special distillation methods (extractive distillation, azeotropic distillation) can address the difficulty in separating these two substances.