Fauzi Yusupandi, I Gede Pandega Wiratama, Zong Yang Kong, Agus Saptoro, Lusi Ernawati, Basil T. Wong, Jaka Sunarso
Double-column reactive extractive distillation (DCRED) is widely used for separating water-containing azeotropic mixtures, and numerous studies have explored process intensification to enhance its energy and economic performance. Thermally coupled (TC) configurations are an established intensification strategy in distillation systems. However, when applied to DCRED (TC-DCRED), energy and cost reductions are not consistently achieved, and the underlying causes remain unclear. This study investigates the effect of reboiler placement in TC-DCRED using the tetrahydrofuran (THF)/methanol (MeOH)/water system as a case study. Two configurations are examined: TC-DCRED-FCR, where the reboiler is located in the reactive–extractive distillation column, and TC-DCRED-SCR, where the reboiler is placed in the conventional distillation column. The TC-DCRED-FCR configuration leads to a 44.75 % increase in reboiler duty and a 100.82 % increase in total annual cost (TAC) relative to conventional DCRED. In contrast, TC-DCRED-SCR achieves 10.41 % energy savings and a 2.38 % reduction in TAC. These differences arise from interactions among side-draw flow, internal vapor flow, operating pressure, and bottom-product composition, which significantly affect reflux ratio, boil-up rate, and column geometry. Overall, TC-DCRED-SCR demonstrates energy and economic advantages, particularly for the THF/MeOH/water system. © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Department of Chemical Engineering, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, Lampung, Lampung Selatan, 35365, Indonesia; Research Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Science, Swinburne University of Technology, Sarawak, Kuching, 93350, Malaysia; Research Center for Renewable Energy Conversion, Faculty of Engineering Technology, Parahyangan Catholic University, West Java, Bandung, 40141, Indonesia; School of Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Darul Ehsan, 47500, Malaysia; Western Australian School of Mines, Curtin University, Locked Bag 30, Kalgoorlie, 6433, WA, Australia; Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Technology, Institut Teknologi Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Balikpapan, 76127, Indonesia
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