Design and control of a continuous multi-product process with product distribution switching: Sustainable manufacture of furfuryl alcohol and 2-methylfuran

A process for the sustainable simultaneous manufacture of furfuryl alcohol (FOL) and 2-methylfuran (2-MF) is designed using commercial process simulation software. The process is designed to produce 50 kmol/hr of product, and the nominal (base case) design produces 40 kmol/h of furfuryl alcohol and 10 kmol/h of 2-methylfuran. The process is designed to permit the adjustment of the product distribution from 35/15 to 45/5 furfuryl alcohol/2-methylfuran. Energy consumption is reduced by employing a feed-effluent heat exchanger and employing a 3-phase distillate receiver at the top of the distillation column and refluxing only the organic phase. Control studies suggest that a simple decentralized control structure without controller parameter scheduling can accommodate changes in the production rate and feed composition and can also transition smoothly between product distributions. ? 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.