Study on the configuration of internal thermally coupled reactive distillation column

The model for applying an internal thermally coupled reactive distillation column(ITCRDC)to hydrolysis of methyl acetate was studied by using the simulation software,Aspen Plus.On the premise of ensuring the purity of products and minimum approach temperature,the effects of the various configurations of ITCRDC on the energy saving were explored.The results suggested that configuration had great influence on the performance of ITCRDC for the hydrolysis reaction of methyl acetate and the optimal one was obtained.And the characteristic of the optimal configuration is that the reaction section is in the rectifying tower and the stripping tower is thermally coupled with the rectifying tower.