Abstract:

The extractive distillation process of n-hexane-acetone azeotrope was simulated by Aspen plus V11. Four common solvents including cyclohexanol, 2-methoxyethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) were selected as the extractant. The operating parameters of continuous extractive distillation such as the number of theoretical plates, feed stage, solvent ratio and reflux ratio were optimized by means of sensitivity analysis tool. The results of simulation show that all the four solvents can separate the n-hexane-acetone azeotrope as the extractants. The total energy consumption of extractive distillation process is the lowest when 2-methoxyethanol is used as the extractant, and the bottom temperature of extractant recovery column is the lowest, so the grade of heat source required is the lowest.