A Short Method to Calculate Reactive Residue Curve Maps

Reactive residue curve maps (RRCM) are useful for the design of reactive distillation columns as a tool to establish feasible zones of reaction-separation. The calculation of RRCM usually involves great computational effort due to the nonlinearity of the model equations and its iterative nature for the determination of reactive phase equilibrium. In this study, a simplified method for the generation of RRCM is presented. This method is based on the application of reaction-invariant composition variables and assumes that the phase equilibrium constants and the relative volatilities are independent of the temperature. These assumptions allow avoiding iterative calculations for obtaining a good approximation of RRCM. Several case studies are used to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.