Modeling and simulation of a SMB chromatographic process designed for enantioseparation

This paper focuses on modeling of a simulated moving bed process (SMB) dedicated to the separation of racemic mixtures. In the first approach, a true moving bed model is derived, which assumes an equivalent counter-current movement of the solid phase. The good agreement between the model and the real system is demonstrated with experimental results. Then, a more rigorous approach is developed, which considers the system as an arrangement of static chromatographic columns and takes into account periodic switching. Attention is focused on model formulation and numerical solution techniques in order to develop efficient dynamic simulation programs. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.