Simulation and Optimization of Separation of Vinyl Acetate by Dividing Wall Distillation Column

Distillation technology by dividing wall column was an excellent energy saving and process intensification technology. Compared with conventional distillation technology, it had lower equipment investment and quantity, higher thermodynamic efficiency, and lower energy consumption. Based on the analysis of the conventional two column distillation separation process, the separation process scheme of vinyl acetate partition tower was designed, calculated, and optimized by Aspenplus. The influence of gas phase distribution ratio, reflux ratio, liquid phase distribution ratio, temperature distribution, gas phase composition distribution and liquid phase composition distribution on the product quality was analyzed. The reflux ratio, the position of the feed plate and the position of the side discharge plate were determined. The results showed that: compared with the traditional double tower separation process, the treatment capacity and product quality remain unchanged, but the heat energy consumption was reduced from 41200 to 22400 kW, the cold energy consumption was reduced from 28300 to 18200 kW, the thermal coupling effect is remarkable, and the investment and number of equipment are reduced.