Steady state multiplicity of novel reactive distillation combined distillation column with side reactors for the production of cyclohexyl acetate

Multiple steady states (MSS) of a novel reactive distillation combined distillation column with side reactors for the production of cyclohexyl acetate were theoretically studied. A set of steady-state solution branches for product content in the column bottom with the variation of reboiler heat duty were tracked based on the "Sensitivity" and "Design Specs/Very" functions in ASPEN PLUS. For identical module and feed specifications, three distinctly different composition profiles corresponding to high/medium/low conversion of cyclohexene respectively were obtained. The main variables that affect the steady state behavior are the reboiler heat duty and the number of stripping stages. To explore the physical explanation of the MSS in the integrated process, residual curve analysis was presented in both the actual and ideal ternary systems for comparison. The bottomproduct point is not singular and a distillation trajectory can pass through the material balance curve, which explains the existence of MSS.