A thermally coupled dividing tower batch rectifier: Energy consumption and cost

In this contribution, a thermally coupled dividing tower batch rectifier (TCDTBR) is proposed. Aiming to boost the fuel efficiency and economic performance, the cylindrical shell of the batch column is horizontally divided into two diabatic sections. A compressor is installed in such a way that one section operates at sufficiently higher pressure than the other one to create a positive thermal driving force between them for feasible heat exchange. The internal heat integration between these two coupled sections in TCDTBR arrangement can be accomplished by using the sequential heat exchangers in the trays. Proposing a variable manipulation policy, this thermal intensification mechanism is demonstrated by a batch rectifier that separates a binary mixture of wide boiling constituents, showing a substantial improvement in both fuel consumption (i.e., energy) and cost savings. Finally, the proposed TCDTBR has shown its superiority over an existing heat integrated batch rectifier with a jacketed reboiler (HIBRJR) on the same example system.