Simulated moving bed chromatography. Effects of axial dispersion and mass transfer under linear conditions

In a previous publication, we have given the analytical solution of Simulated Moving Bed (SMB) chromatography in the linear, ideal case for a binary mixture. This solution predicts the concentration profiles of the two components along the columns and the concentration histories at the raffinate and the extract ports. It shows the asymptotic nature of SMB operation. In this report, the influence of the non-ideal effects arising from the axial dispersion and the finite rate of the mass transfer kinetics are investigated. Results obtained by the numerical simulation of the non-ideal model are compared with those given by the analytical solution of the ideal model. The consequences of a progressive increase of the dispersion of the solution are illustrated. The consequences of the non-ideal effects on the design of the industrial SMB process are also discussed. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.