Exploring maximum achievable product purities in a multiple dividing wall column

Abstract The well‐established concept of dividing wall columns can be advanced into multiple dividing wall columns. These columns can theoretically achieve any number of pure fractions and offer major potential investment and energy savings compared to conventional sequences. At Ulm University, the first pilot‐scale multiple dividing wall column was designed, constructed, and commissioned. This paper describes a step‐by‐step procedure that was applied to find a suitable operating point for the pilot plant for a given separation task, that facilitates products with preferably high purities. The procedure combines separation efficiency measurements for the used packing, followed by a simulative evaluation of the energy demand of the separation and screening simulations, where both liquid split ratios are varied independently to define an operating window for the process. The determined operating point is experimentally validated, offering product purities exceeding 95 wt%. A high level of agreement was observed between simulation results and experimental data.