COMPARAÇÃO DA DESTILAÇÃO EXTRATIVA COM ETILENO GLICOL PARA PRODUÇÃO DE ETANOL ANIDRO UTILIZANDO SIMULADORES DWSIM E ASPEN PLUS®

Abstract

The constant evolution and diversity of software simulating processes available in the market pose a challenge for newcomers to chemical engineering courses seeking tools for academic studies and projects. In this context, this work aims to address the question of whether commercial or free software is necessary for a given task by comparing the DWSIM version 8.3.1 and ASPEN PLUS® version 12.1 software. Accordingly, a process of extractive distillation of the ethanol/water mixture to obtain anhydrous ethanol was simulated in both programs. Ethylene glycol was used as a solvent to address the issue of the formed azeotrope, along with a solvent recovery column to make the process feasible in a real industrial situation. The choice of extractive distillation for obtaining anhydrous ethanol was made based on its importance to the Brazilian industry, especially in the Midwest region of Brazil. As a result, different outcomes were obtained in some simulation points, such as a 45% and 77.8% flow rate at the top of the extractive distillation and recovery towers, respectively, and a 22.49% fraction of ethylene glycol at the bottom of the extractive distillation towers. However, these differences are related to the adaptations made to the reference works and the specific data of each software that needed to be added for the simulation. Thus, with a composition profile along the theoretical plates of both similar extractive distillation towers, it was possible to conclude that the use of the free software DWSIM is suitable for academic studies and simulations with a lower level of complexity, without compromising the quality of the study. However, there are some reservations regarding the stability and data availability in its library compared to ASPEN PLUS®.