Reactive distillation modelled through gPROMS linked to Aspen Properties

Within the July 2018 issue of Chemical Engineering and Processing – Process Intensification, a group of researchers from Chinese university and industry research centers have published today on line a paper where they are proposing a reactive distillation (RD) process for the direct synthesis of dimethyl carbonate (DMC). The key configuration and the operating parameters of the process are optimized through simulations performed with a model developed in gPROMS Model Builder and where an Aspen Properties Property Package is accessed through CAPE-OPEN interfaces.

It is not entirely clear from the paper to which extent the Aspen Properties Property Package has been accessed during the simulation. The authors make reference to access for the physical properties of the pure compounds, which is indeed an access supported by the CAPE-OPEN thermodynamic interfaces implemented on both gPROMS and Aspen Properties. The authors do not mention that mixture properties are also calculated in Aspen Properties and handed over to gPROMS through CAPE-OPEN. It may be that the UNIQUAC thermodynamic model mentioned has been implemented within the gPROMS model.