Local transient model of a pilot plant distillation response

A description of the mathematical model of a pilot plant binary distillation column so developed is hereby presented. The binary mixture is composed of isopropyl alcohol and water. The steady state behaviour of the distillation column is used to identify the transfer matrix model. The obtained transfer matrix model is in the form of First Order Plus Time Delay (FOPTD). The open loop experimental test is conducted to identify the linear model of the pilot plant distillation column using leapfrogging technique. This technique is used here, to obtain the minimum root-mean-square deviation between the experimental and modelled data. The experimentation is performed by introducing small step change in the reboiler electric heater power and the responses of the tray temperatures are recorded in the MATLAB environment. Similarly, step change in the reflux flow rate is introduced to record the tray temperatures.