Non-equilibrium stage modeling and non-linear dynamic effects in the synthesis of TAME by reactive distillation

Tertiary-amyl methyl ether (TAME) is a potential gasoline additive that can be advantageously synthesized using the reactive distillation (RD) technology. This work emphasizes on non-linear effects in dynamic simulations of reactive distillation column. For certain configurations, dynamic simulation with equilibrium stage (EQ) model leads to sustained oscillations (limit cycles) which have been reported in our earlier work [Katariya, A. M., Moudgalya, K. M., & Mahajani, S. M. (2006). Nonlinear dynamic effects in reactive distillation for synthesis of TAME. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 45 (12), 4233–4242]. Feed condition and Damkohler number are the important parameters that influence the existence of these effects. To confirm the authenticity of the observed non-linear behaviors, a more realistic and rigorous dynamic NEQ model for a packed column is developed which uses a consistent hardware design. The steady state behavior of the NEQ model is examined by varying the number of segments and the column height. The dynamic simulation and the bifurcation study with stability analysis indicate that the parameter space, in which oscillations may be observed, is shifted in the case of NEQ model.