Publications

R&D Projects

• Optimization of Hybrid Distillation-Pervaporation system       M.Tech Thesis
  

  • Azeotropes or low relative volatility mixtures are difficult or impossible to separate by ordinary distillation, thereby increasing the operating cost for the separation. On the other hand pervaporation, a membrane separation process can be used for the separation of these mixtures, but this process requires higher investment costs, because of its lower fluxes.
  • Combination of these two processes called as hybrid process is used for the separation of these mixtures, thereby reducing the total annual cost of the separation.
    
  • A superstructure representation by modifying the existing representations for the distillation column and pervaporation unit, and a mathematical programming methodology was proposed for the efficient optimization of hybrid separation system and the resulting MINLP model was solved by using GAMS package for propane/propylene and Isopropanol/water separations