A dividing wall column (DWC) is a prime example of process intensification, whereby significant energy and cost savings can be achieved for some systems compared to operation in conventional design of two columns in series. It has been theorized that the vapor and liquid thermal coupling streams in the DWC could be replaced by liquid-only transfer streams, making the DWC unit less complex. The ultimate structure is the liquid-liquid (LL) structure with all thermal coupling streams replaced and a dividing wall extending from the top to the bottom. This article compares the separation and economic performances of the regular DWC and the LL structure, and further investigates the benefits of heat-integrated alternatives of both (combined condenser and reboiler, double-effect, vapor recompression assisted). Optimization uncovered that vapor recompression assisted structures exhibit substantial energy savings and lowered total annualized cost but that the savings depend on electricity and utility costs.

中文翻译：

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带热集成和不带热集成的减少蒸汽传递分隔壁结构的优化设计


间壁塔 (DWC) 是工艺强化的一个典型例子，与传统的串联两塔设计相比，某些系统可以显着节省能源和成本。据推测，DWC 中的蒸汽和液体热耦合流可以用纯液体传输流代替，从而降低 DWC 装置的复杂性。最终的结构是液-液（LL）结构，所有热耦合流被替换，并且有一个从顶部延伸到底部的分隔壁。本文比较了常规 DWC 和 LL 结构的分离和经济性能，并进一步研究了两者热集成替代方案（组合冷凝器和再沸器、双效、蒸汽再压缩辅助）的优点。优化发现，蒸汽再压缩辅助结构表现出显着的能源节省并降低了年化总成本，但节省的成本取决于电力和公用事业成本。