Simulation And Emulation Of Methanol Distillation Process In Large-scale Coal Chemical Industry

The four-column methanol distillation process in large-scale coal chemical industry was established at Aspen Plus simulation platform using UNIFAC-DMD as the property method. This distillation process was intensively analyzed and discussed. It turns out that the simulation results are in good agreement with the practical industrial production data by employing suitable blocks and operation parameters. The simulation average deviation is less than 5%. It is believed that the well-founded simulation files in this work are very helpful for guiding the practical methanol distillation operation.In addition, the emulation system based on process mechanism was developed by using Aspen Plus ActiveX automation server. The simulation models and emulation interfaces were organized at the bottom and top of the emulation system, respectively, and were linked by Visual Basic interface programs. The simulation files provided mechanism models of process and computing platform while the emulation interfaces offered human -computer interaction. The developed emulation system can be used as a platform of training and education. The structure of the emulation system is versatile, so it can be applied in most of chemical processes.