Modelling reactive distillation - an invited review

The design and operation issues for reactive distillation systems are considerably more complex than those involved for either conventional reactors or conventional distillation columns. The introduction of an in situ separation function within the reaction zone leads to complex interactions between vapor–liquid equilibrium, vapor–liquid mass transfer, intra-catalyst diffusion (for heterogeneously catalysed processes) and chemical kinetics. Such interactions have been shown to lead to the phenomenon of multiple steady-states and complex dynamics, which have been verified in experimental laboratory and pilot plant units. We trace the development of models that have been used for design of reactive distillation columns and suggest future research directions.