Single- and multi-objective optimisation of hybrid distillation-pervaporation and dividing wall column structures

The separation of azeotropic mixtures is often energy intensive, thus process intensification (PI) becomes an attractive route to enhance efficiency. Two the most commonly used intensifications are dividing wall columns and hybrid distillation-membrane processes. In this work, three typical distillation structures, followed by pervaporation (D-P), (P-D), then (D-P-D), considered compared with a column (H-DWC) structure, which highly integrated combining membrane network. four structures both single-objective multi-objective optimisation. It shown that D-P-D H-DWC require significantly lower total annualized costs than other two designs due requiring smaller area, as these use only help mixture composition cross point.