A reactive distillation process with a sidedraw stream to enhance the production of isopropyl acetate

Abstract This paper designs an entrainer combined with a sidedraw to enhance the reactive distillation (RD) process of isopropyl acetate (IPAc). Acetic acid (HAc) reacts with isopropanol (IPOH) to generate IPAc and water (H 2 O). The ratio of IPAc to H 2 O in the products of esterification is smaller than that in the minimum boiling IPAc–IPOH–H 2 O azeotrope, resulting in a mass of organic phase reflux to remove the surplus H 2 O from the top of the RD column. This process consumes a high amount of energy. For better energy efficiency, a feasible design flowsheet includes an RD column, a stripper, a top decanter, a middle decanter, and a sidedraw stream to intensify the azeotropic separation where an entrainer is introduced to carry out the surplus water from the middle of the RD column in the form of a liquid phase. The key design variables in the proposed flowsheet are determined to obtain a minimal total annual cost (TAC). As a result, an optimal process design is drawn out while satisfying the stringent specifications for product purity. These results show that the energy requirements of the IPAc system can be decreased by 27.55%.