2016 IEEE International Autumn Meeting on Power, Electronics and Computing (ROPEC 2016).

Ixtapa, Mexico

Analysis and Comparison of Distillation Column

Models Considering Constant and Variable Relative
Volatility
Gilberto Orozco , Baldwin Cortes , Mario Heras , Adriana Tellez and Juan Anzurez
Division
de Estudios de Posgrado, Facultad de Ingeniera Electrica
Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo, Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico
Email: marheras@dep.fie.umich.com
DEPI, Instituto Tecnologico de Morelia, Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico

Email: actelleza@gmail.com

AbstractIn this paper, an analysis of the effect of constant

or variable relative volatility in a nonlinear model of a binary
batch distillation column is presented. The analyzed models
are obtained from the balance of the light component and the
molar flows, using a state-space representation. The models are
simulated in MATLAB, with real parameters of a process in a
distillation pilot plant, in order to validate and compare their
performance, and demonstrate advantages and disadvantages of
the proposed models.
Index TermsColumn Distillation, Nonlinear Model, Simula-
tion, State Space

I. I NTRODUCTION
Distillation is a process in which two or more components
of a mixture are separated, using their properties of
vaporization and condensation. Distillation is the most
used method of dissociation in the industry, petrochemical
(production of petroleum derivatives) and food (production
of alcoholic beverages) industries being of the utmost
importance. The amount of energy used in the industry
related to distillation processes reaches 40%, which is why
it is important to implement control techniques that optimize
the use of energy[1][2]. Fig. 1. Batch distillation column

In general, in a binary mixture two components are

identified: the light element and the heavy element. The light
element is more volatile, that is, it has a lower boiling point
and it is the element that is extracted as distillate; on the
other hand, the heavy element has a higher boiling point and
it can be extracted as bottom product if needed.
Fractional distillation uses a column formed by several
plates, with a condenser and a boiler at its ends, as can be
seen in Figure 1.
The function of the boiler is to partially vaporize the
mixture to produce a vapor flow which ascends through the
column across the plates. The condenser cools the vapor in
order to convert it back to its liquid state. Part of this liquid
is then returned to the column as reflux, to provide a liquid
flow that descends across the plates, making contact with
the vapor; the remaining liquid is extracted as distilled product.
The lighter element of the mixture tends to concentrate in
the vapor phase, whereas the heavy element concentrates in
the liquid phase. As result of this, the vapor phase is enriched
with the light element of the mixture as the vapor ascends
through the column (rectifying section), and the liquid phase
is enriched with the heavy element as the liquid descends
through the column (stripping section)[3].
A distillation process can be classified under two general
categories: batch distillation and continuous distillation. In
the first one, a specific amount of mixture is submitted to the
process, and once the separation is performed, the process

978-1-5090-3794-0/16/$31.00 2016
c IEEE
 2016 IEEE International Autumn Meeting on Power, Electronics and Computing (ROPEC 2016). Ixtapa, Mexico

is complete. In continuous distillation, a constant distilled V is the molar flow of the vapor.
product is obtained, because new mixture is continuously fed L is the molar flow of the liquid.
through one of the plates in the column (called feeding plate). D is the distilled product.
Mn is the mass retained on plate n.
Most of the production centers use continuous processes, xn is the liquid concentration on each plate.
because a constant distilled product (as in the case of yn is the vapor concentration on each plate.
petroleum) is required. For this reason, continuous distillation
columns have been widely studied [4]. Currently, batch The model based on equations of light component balance
distillation has had an upswing in the chemical and is obtained from (1), where each of the n plates is represented
pharmaceutical industries, in which it is necessary to obtain by a differential equation. The complete model is formed by
a distilled product with high degree of purity from small the combination of the n differential equations correspondent
quantities of mixture. Besides, batch distillation columns to all the plates in the distillation column. In the model of
can be used to obtain different products using the same a distillation column, the condenser is considered as plate
equipment, as opposed to continuous distillation columns, 1, as shown in equation (2); the body of the column is
which are designed for a unique process[5]. composed of n-2 plates, as expressed in equation (3), and
the boiler is considered as plate n, as expressed in equation (4).
Several models of batch distillation columns have been
dx1 V y2 Lx1 Dx1
developed, which consist of a set of algebraic and differential = (2)
equations generally based on three approaches: mass balance, dt M1
energy balance, and light component balance[6],[2],[5],[7]. dxi V yi+1 V yi1 + Lxi1 Lxi
In [8], the column is modeled based on the balance of the = (3)
dt Mi
heavy component, and in [9], the plate temperatures are used with i = 2, 3, ..., n 1
to develop the model, instead of the element concentrations.
dxn V xn V yn + Lxn1 Lx12
= (4)
The importance of mathematically modeling a distillation dt Mn
column mainly lies in the resulting capability of designing
observers (for estimating concentrations and temperatures) Additionally, molar flows interact in the model; in a batch
and controllers (for regulating flows and temperatures). In distillation column these flows are: vapor molar flow (5),
[10], a high-gain observer based on triangular structure liquid molar flow (6), and distilled product (7).
systems is designed; in [11], a PI observer based on singular
LPV systems for an ethanol-water mixture is implemented; Qb
V = vap vap (5)
in [12], a comparative analysis of two types of high-gain Hetha x12 + HH2O (1 x12 )
observers using the plate temperatures to estimate the
component concentrations is shown. In [13], a controller L = (1 Rf )V (6)
based on fuzzy logic for regulating the concentration of
the distilled product is designed. By combining the use of D =V L (7)
observers and controllers, it is possible to design a strategy
of fault detection and fault-tolerant control [14]. where:
Qb is the calorific power.
The contribution of this work is analyzing and comparing Rf is the reflux.
vap
the effect of relative volatility, when it is considered to be Hetha is the ethanol enthalpy.
vap
constant or variable, in the design and simulation of nonlinear HH20 is the water enthalpy.
models of binary batch distillation columns. The models are
validated using data of a real process, and the advantages and A. Considerations
disadvantages of each model are shown.
In order to simplify the model of the distillation column,
the following considerations are assumed[7]:
II. M ODEL OF A BATCH D ISTILLATION C OLUMN Constant pressure in the entire column.

The model of the batch distillation column is obtained Inflow and outflow flows of the column are in liquid state.

from the differential equations of component balance (1) in There is no vapor retention.

each of the plates of the distillation column. Vapor and liquid are balanced and perfectly mixed in
every plate.
dxn V (yn1 yn ) + L(xn1 xn )) The distillation column is adiabatic.
= (1)
dt Mn In the considered model, the relative volatility allows to
relate the liquid concentration to the vapor concentration.
where: As it was previously mentioned, the main contribution of
 2016 IEEE International Autumn Meeting on Power, Electronics and Computing (ROPEC 2016). Ixtapa, Mexico

this paper is analyzing and comparing the effect of relative A=

volatility, when it is considered to be constant or variable, in (V +D) V f (,x2 )

... 0 0
the model of the distillation column. M1
L
M1
V f (,x2 )L
... 0 0
M2 M2
. .

1) Constant Relative Volatility: Constant relative volatility . .

. .
V f (,xn1 )L V f (,xn )
expresses the liquid-vapor relation as indicated in equation 0 0 ...
Mn1 Mn1

L L
(8)[3]. 0 0 ...
Mn Mn
(14)

yi = (8)
1 + ( 1)xi B(x) matrix is obtained from (10) and (12).
where: V x1
is the relative volatility. M1
0
0 0
xi is the liquid concentration. . .

yi is the vapor concentration. B=

.
.
.
.

(15)
0 0
xn V f (,xn )
0 vap vap
(H x +H (1xn )Mn )
etha n H2O
The relative volatility is calculated from equation (9)[15].
H vap TB where:
ln (9)
RTB TB
xi
where: f (, xi ) = (16)
1 + ( 1)xi
TB = T BH TBL is the difference of boiling points.
TB = TBL TBH is the geometric mean/average of the
boiling point. 2) Variable Relative Volatility: A model variation consists
H vap in calculating the vapor concentration from the liquid-vapor
RTB 13 is a typical value.
equilibrium of non-ideal mixtures, as shown in equation 17.
Substituting equation (8) and considering the constant rel-
ative volatility in the expressions of the elements of the yi PT = Pisat xi i (17)
distillation column (2), (3) and (4), the model of the distillation
column is described by equations (10),(11) and (12). where:
yi is the vapor concentration.
dx1 (V + D) V xi is the liquid concentration.
= x1 + x2
dt M1 (1 + ( 1)x2 )M1 PT is the pressure inside the column.
V x1 Pisat is the saturation pressure of the elements in the mixture.
+ Rf (10) i is the activity coefficient.
M1

dxi L V L The activity coefficient depends on the liquid concentration

= xi1 + ( )xi of the elements in the mixture, as described by the Van Laar
dt Mi (1 + ( 1)xi )Mi M2
equation (18).
V
+( )xi+1 (11)
(1 + ( 1)xi+1 )Mi
A21 x2
ln1 = A12 ( )2
dxn L L A12 x1 + A21 x2
= xn1 xn +
dt Mn Mn (18)
xn
[( vap )(1 )]Qb A12 x1
vap
(Hetha xn + HH2O (1 xn )Mn ) (1 + ( 1)xn ) ln2 = A21 ( )2
A12 x1 + A21 x2
(12)
In order to simplify the analysis, the system is described where A12 and A21 are constants determined by the binary
using state-space representation, as shown in equation 13: mixture; therefore, the vapor concentration is expressed as
shown in equation (19).
x = A(x)x + B(x)u (13)
The state vector x corresponds to the light element yi = G(xi , Pisat , i , PT ) = G(xi , i ) (19)
concentrations, and the input vector v consists of the calorific
power Qb and the reflux Rf . The system is described in space-state representation by
A(x) matrix is formed using equations (10), (11) and (12). equation (13).
 2016 IEEE International Autumn Meeting on Power, Electronics and Computing (ROPEC 2016). Ixtapa, Mexico

where the A(x) matrix is:

A=
V G(xi ,i )
(V +D)
... 0 0
M1 M1
L V G(xi ,i )L
... 0 0
M2 M2

. .

. .

. .
V G(xi ,n1 )L V G(xi ,n )
0 0 ...
Mn1 Mn1
0 0 ... L L
Mn Mn
(20)
and the B(x) matrix is:
V x1 0

M1
0 0
. .

B=

.
.
.
.

(21)
0 0
xn (1G(xn ,n ))
0 vap vap
(H x +H (1xn )Mn )
etha n H2O

III. I MPLEMENTATION , A NALYSIS AND VALIDATION OF

THE M ODELS

The validation of the obtained models is performed by using

real data from a 12-plate batch distillation pilot plant with
variable reflux, considering a mixture of ethanol-water with
the characteristics presented in Table I. Fig. 2. Flowchart of the proposed algorithm.

TABLE I
I NITIAL M IXTURE PARAMETERS .
0.8
Tray 2
Parameter Value Units Tray 3
EtOH Volume in the boiler 2000 ml 0.7 Tray 4
H2 0 Volume in the boiler 2000 ml Tray 5
Concentration

Total process pressure 637.42 mmHg

Tray 6
0.6
Tray 7
The inputs used in the process: calorific power (Qb ) and
Tray 8
reflux valve aperture (Rf ), are shown in Table II.
0.5 Tray 9
Tray 10
TABLE II Tray 11
I NPUT PARAMETERS 0.4
Input Signal Time
Qb Step 0-1000J 0min 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500
Rf Total 0min
Qb Step 1000-1250J 6min
Time (s)
Rf Pulse (ton=6s, toff=6s) 12.61min
Rf Total 23min Fig. 3. Concentrations on the column plates considering a constant relative
volatility of = 1.2

The algorithm was programmed in MATLAB based on the

flowchart shown in Figure 2.
A. Case 1: Constant Relative Volatility
Considering a constant volatility of = 1.2, the light
component concentrations on the plates of the column are
calculated with the corresponding model. The obtained results
are shown in Figure 3.
B. Case 2: Variable Relative Volatility
Considering a variable relative volatility , dependent
on the concentrations on each plate, the light component
concentrations on the column plates are calculated with the
corresponding model. The obtained results are shown in
Figure 5.

In Figure 4, the calculated temperatures of the column In Figure 6, the calculated temperatures of the column
plates, when considering a constant relative volatility, are plates, when considering a variable relative volatility, are
presented. presented.
 2016 IEEE International Autumn Meeting on Power, Electronics and Computing (ROPEC 2016). Ixtapa, Mexico

Tray 2 76 Constant
76.5 Tray 3 Variable
Tray 4 75.5 Real
Temperature ( C)

Temperature ( C)
76 Tray 5
Tray 6
75.5 Tray 7 75
Tray 8
75 Tray 9 74.5
Tray 10
74.5 Tray 11
74
74
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 0 500 1,000 1,500
Time (s) Time (s)

Fig. 4. Temperatures of the column plates considering a constant relative Fig. 7. Comparison of calculated and measured temperatures at the condenser.
volatility of = 1.2

0.9 C. Comparison and Validation of Models Using Real Data

Tray 2
In this section, the analysis and validation of the results
Tray 3
0.8 produced by both models are presented. The temperatures
Tray 4
Concentration (mol)

calculated with the models are compared with actual

Tray 5
0.7 temperature measurements taken by sensors of the distillation
Tray 6
pilot plant, considering the input conditions shown in Table II.
Tray 7
0.6 Tray 8 Figure 7 shows the comparison of the results obtained from
Tray 9 the models, and the real temperature data measured at the
0.5 Tray 10 condenser. Figure 7 shows that the data calculated with the
Tray 11 variable relative volatility model have a better approximation
0.4 to the measured data than the data calculated with the constant
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 relative volatility model. The maximum error of the variable
volatility model with respect to the real data is 0.4347 C,
Time (s)
and the minimum error is 0.0001 C.The maximum error of
the constant volatility model with respect to the real data is
Fig. 5. Concentrations on the column plates considering a variable relative
volatility. 1.9050 C, and the minimum error is 0.0069 C.

76.5 Figure 8 shows the comparison of the results obtained

Tray 2
from the models, and the real temperature data measured at
Tray 3
76 the boiler. Figure 8 shows that the data calculated with the
Tray 4
variable relative volatility model have a better approximation
Temperature ( C)

Tray 5 to the measured data than the data calculated with the constant
75.5 Tray 6 relative volatility model. The maximum error of the variable
Tray 7 volatility model with respect to the real data is 7.4426 C,
75 Tray 8 and the minimum error is 2.7942 C. The maximum error of
Tray 9 the constant volatility model with respect to the real data is
74.5 Tray 10 8.0762 C, and the minimum error is 2.8885 C.
Tray 11
74
The difference between the results obtained by both models
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 is due mainly to the simpler mathematical representation,
implying less equations in the constant volatility case, which
Time (s) causes a lower resolution in the dynamics of the process.
Fig. 6. Temperatures of the column plates considering a variable relative IV. C ONCLUSIONS
volatility.
In this work, two nonlinear models of a batch distillation
column are presented, considering two cases: constant
relative volatility, and variable relative volatility dependent
 2016 IEEE International Autumn Meeting on Power, Electronics and Computing (ROPEC 2016). Ixtapa, Mexico

Constant [5] J. Zhao, B. Wang, P. Bai, X. Guo, and H. Ding, Intermittent feeding
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82
80
78
76
0 500 1,000 1,500
Time (s)
Fig. 8. Comparison of calculated and measured temperatures at the boiler.
on concentrations. The models were simulated in MATLAB,
validated with real parameters of a distillation process and
compared with actual temperature data measured with sensors
located on the plates of a distillation pilot plant.
The model that considers a constant relative volatility is
a simpler mathematical representation with less equations,
which causes a loss of resolution in the results calculated
considering the dynamics of the process, specially when
perturbations such as reflux are present. However, it is easier
to implement and it gives an acceptable approximation to the
data obtained in the real process.
The model that considers a variable relative volatility is
a more complex representation, because it uses auxiliary
expressions dependent on the concentrations and the chemical
parameters of the mixture, which is why the model response
shows a better approximation to the real data of the
process, when compared with the constant case. However,
its implementation requires solving more equations, thus
increasing the computational effort.
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The comparison of models with measured temperature data

in a process allows to determine which model provides a better
dynamic representation of the real system, with the goal of
designing and implementing control techniques. The model
that considers variable relative volatility constitutes a better
system representation, because its results show a smaller error.
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