Opportunities for Heat and Mass Integration:

Heat Integration (Based on Douglas)

Stream No
Stream 5
Stream 6

Ts
68.85
54.84

Te
533.1
533.1

Stream 9

533.1

621.1

Stream 11
Condenser 1
Reboiler 1
Condenser 2
Reboiler 2
Condenser 3
Reboiler 3

621.5
152.685
188.689
105.744
144.469
144.29
289.608

48.9
50
191.097
105.555
149.239
139.289
293.058

Heat Load
10450.10542464
5544.985736412000
7
3495.673389366000
3
21294.4066
158.442
1183.2
4039.5
3455.6
377.599
404.869

Type
Cold
Cold
Cold
Hot
Hot
Cold
Hot
Cold
Hot
Cold

After performing heat cascade (for a delta T min of 10 degrees), 5760.221 kW of cold utility
and 4424.706 kW of hot utility have to be supplied. Without heat exchanger integration,
24534.43 kW of hot utility and 25869.95 kW of cold utility must be supplied. However, this
analysis is performed by assuming a constant heat capacity of the cold and hot stream.
Further safe-side linearization must be performed if one is to carried out in depth pinch
analysis.
Reactor integration can be performed. Instead of an adiabatic reactor, one can design a
isothermal reactor in place where cooling water or cold streams can be passed through the
shell side of the reactor. This option may offer more energy savings for preheating of feed
and heating of reboiler streams. In addition, by design an isothermal reactor, one can prevent
the overheating of product stream at the end of the PFTR which may result in coking.
However, the capital cost of the reactor would change as the length to attain the same
conversion would be increased.
Based on the condenser and reboiler temperature, it is unlikely that a vapour recompression
cycle can be beneficial to the heat integration. This is because the temperature lift is about 40
K and this would lead to a low COP. Heat Pumps are unlikely to be feasible.
Kondas distillation sequencing makes the most sense because by ensuring diphenyl built up
to equilibrium level, the reactor length required would decrease. One of the key consideration
of Konda is the need to increase capital cost of the reactor. Instead of using adiabatic reactor,
one can use isothermal reactors.
The operating pressure of the columns are quite high (2 bar to 10 bar). Lowering pressure
would lead to easier separation. This would lead to lower wall thickness and lower operating
cost from lower reflux ratio.
If the purge gas is sent to the furnace, more operating cost savings can be yielded.

Mass Integration
Based on the various designs, Kondas arrangement of the membrane separation is still
considered the best given that there is sufficient driving force after the separator.