(79b) Distillation Technology: Is It Really Mature As We Approach 2020?
AIChE Spring Meeting and Global Congress on Process Safety
2019
2019 Spring Meeting and 15th Global Congress on Process Safety
Kister Distillation Symposium
Kister Distillation Symposium 2019: Legacy of Professor Rolf Prince: New Frontiers and Innovation in Distillation Trays
Tuesday, April 2, 2019 - 8:35am to 9:05am
Distillation is considered by many a âmatureâ technology. I donât know what that really means. Distillation is a mass transfer process, regulated by thermodynamics, and subject to the laws of conventional physics (both static and dynamic). We, as a whole understand the fundamentals but that does not make it a mature field. Descriptive methods of Distillation based exclusively on first principles and without empirical fits are not available still after several decades of research. We still rely on testing and empirical observations largely to develop and describe the field. We truly do not know what development will come around the corner. But, Distillation is such a prevalent process in Industry globally, that even very small improvements are capable of resulting in very large economic and sustainability benefits.
I asked someone one time why was it that the large research funding institutions did not fund Distillation Research. The answer was swift: âBecause it is a Mature Technologyâ. My next question was âHow do you know it is a Mature Technologyâ. Just as swiftly the response came: âBecause no research is done in Distillationâ. This would be funny if it wasnât so prejudicial. Maturity of a Technology is not based on understanding the principles that rule it. It is based on how much progress can be made and what remains to be learned. Through this latter lens, Distillation is not mature and still has plenty of room for progress. Let us examine some of the progress the field has made in the last say 30 years in the following areas
Thermodynamics and Thermodynamic Efficiency
Process Configurations
Process Simulations
Process Control
Column Internals
Column Peripherals (Heat Transfer)
Reliability and Availability
Operation in Harsh Environments
Diagnostics
I will discuss each of these topics. Mention some of the great strides we have made in the field and elaborate on some of the strides we are still to make. Table 1 summarizes just some of the advances we have seen in distillation in the last 25 years. I have had the privilege to witness them all first hand. Also, I remember 25 years ago also hearing the comment about Distillation is a Mature Technology. Well, the table illustrates how a so called âMatureâ technology has progressed and all these items were in the research phase in the last 25 years or so