This article provides a comparison of control strategies for an economically attractive vapor-recompressed batch distillation (VRBD) column. A VRBD column exhibits nonlinear dynamics with strong inter-stream interactions due to energy-integration, which can give rise to difficulties in controlling the operation using traditional linear controllers. In this paper, we propose and compare model-based control strategies such as linear quadratic regulator (LQR), linear model predictive control (LMPC) and Globally linearizing controller (GLC) for a VRBD column to achieve desired distillate purity with minimum energy consumption. The effectiveness of these control strategies is illustrated using a simulation case study of benzene/toluene separation in a VRBD column.
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