Distillation Tower with Distributed Control Strategy: Feed Temperature Loads

Abstract Distillation towers require control systems adjusted to rapidly reject loads. Temperature control of these units is normally carried out at the bottom and top of the column, increasing the tower response time. In this paper, a change in this temperature control configuration is proposed through the introduction of heating points distributed among the trays throughout the column. The proposed strategy was tested in an experimental unit with an ethanol‐water mixture applying a conventional approach (control at bottom and top only) and the proposed distributed configuration (bottom, top and tower trays) with feed temperature disturbance. The results showed a significant reduction in the time required for the column to stabilize after the load introduction, compared with the conventional approach, making faster dynamics possible.