Process design methodology for high-energy saving HIDiC based on self-heat recuperation

In this article, a novel design methodology based on self-heat recuperation for a heat integrated distillation column (HIDiC) is proposed. HIDiC is a well-known energy saving distillation process, in which the condensation heat of the rectification section is recovered and exchanged with the vaporization heat of the stripping section. By following self-heat recuperation technology, the energy input/output of the HIDiC can be analyzed and the whole process heat can be recirculated by pressure change in the process, leading to further reduction of energy consumption. The simulation results demonstrate that the energy consumption for the HIDiC based on the proposed design methodology using self-heat recuperation is drastically decreased compared with benchmark processes which use external heat sources. (C) 2011 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.