Abstract.
In a Petlyuk distillation column, two extra degrees of freedom can be
used for optimisation purposes. It has been reported that a typical
energy saving of 30% is achievable with a Petlyuk distillation column,
compared to conventional distillation arrangements. However, the
optimal steady-state operation point can be difficult to maintain in
practice. In this work we have studied the performance of some
self-optimising control configurations for the Petlyuk distillation
column in presence of disturbances and uncertainties. The results show
that self-optimising control can be used to improve the robustness of
optimal operation by adjusting a degree of freedom in a feedback
control loop by keeping a suitable measurement variable at a setpoint.