What are the goals of a distillation system? Simply put, they are to maintain an optimum production rate and to meet specifications that are set for its products.
In this interactive, online course, you will examine various factors that must be controlled if a distillation system is to meet its goals, and you will see how control systems provide the control that's needed.
During operation, different balances must be maintained and you must understand process temperatures, how they can affect the distillation process, and how they can be controlled. The final component is product composition; you will discover how the compositions of a distillation system's products are controlled.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Explain what is meant by material balance, energy balance, steady-state operation, and a process disturbance
Identify typical variables and control loops for material balance and energy balance
Describe how a typical distillation tower control system responds to a process disturbance and to an increase in bottom temperature
Explain how the following conditions affect the composition of a distillation system's overhead and bottoms products: increase in bottom temperature, decrease in bottom temperature, and change in external reflux
Describe the following, related to product composition: the difference between direct and indirect composition measurements and how a typical distillation tower is operated to maintain product specifications
