EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL-STUDIES OF THE DYNAMICS OF STARTUP AND PRODUCT SWITCHOVER OPERATIONS OF DISTILLATION-COLUMNS

Experimental studies have been made with the help of laboratory-scale distillation columns of the startup and product switchover operations of distillation columns. The object of these studies was to minimize the time necessary from initial startup or product switchover for steady-state operations to be attained. It has been shown that the time needed can be clearly reduced by a specific mode of operation. Theoretical studies support the experimental findings. Dynamic simulation has proved to be a suitable aid for the preparation and planning of experimental studies. As a result, the time needed to reach steady state can be considerably reduced, and consequently the costs.