TEST-BASED PARAMETER ESTIMATION OF A BENCH-SCALE DISTILLATION COLUMN FOR PREDICTIVE CONTROL

A methodology to determine unmeasurable parameters of a bench- scale distillation column is proposed. This methodology includes time domain analysis, sensitivity analysis and finally a global parametrical estimation. Some of these parameters are: condenser heat transfer coefficient, Murphree efficiency and atmospheric heat-losses. For the estimation of the parameters mentioned above specific experiments are suggested. The aim of this dynamic model is to be useful for predictive control.