Abstract Multicomponent separation of synthetic petrochemical naphtha (hexane, cyclohexane, toluene and xylene) was carried out in a falling film distillation sequence with heat supply using a vapor chamber (thermosyphon). Tests were carried out by varying feed flow rate and temperatures of the feed and the vapor chamber in two ways of heat supply: isothermal and with a vapor chamber temperature profile. Regarding the distillation behavior of the multicomponent separation with the proposed falling film column, it was verified that the lower values of the studied variables and the profile temperature mode promoted the best results for hexane recuperation. With an indirect sequence of three columns, hexane mass fraction in the top column increases to the value of 0.82. Higher thermodynamic efficiency was found for two columns of the sequence in comparison with the conventional ones. This behavior is related to smaller energy consumption, showing a total energy reduction of 12% compared to the same separation performed in a conventional unit. Energy and exergetic efficiency values were higher than 95% and 85% in the three columns used. These analyses demonstrated that the falling film separation proposal is an energy efficient arrangement and could be considered for multicomponent separation.

ABSTRACT The present study addresses the novel application of the simulated annealing algorithm (SAA) to optimize the pressure-swing distillation (PSD) process for anhydrous ethanol purification. Three different softwares (Aspen Plus®, Excel® and Matlab®) were integrated to simultaneously optimize seven design and operational variables. The configuration with the best TAC represented a 40.2% saving per year in comparison to the non-optimized PSD. Such reduction was achieved by using the higher acceptance probability and the slower temperature decrement. This saving is mainly related to operational cost reductions, a fact that evidences the viability of using the herein described optimization methodology to improve the PSD design.

Abstract Core-shell particles were produced on seeded suspension polymerization by using polystyrene (PS) as polymer core, or seed, and methyl methacrylate (MMA) as the shell forming monomer. Two synthesis routes were evaluated by varying the PS seed conversion before MMA addition. The main purpose of this work was to investigate the influence of synthesis routes on the morphology and chemical resistance of the resulting particles. 1H NMR spectroscopy showed that the use of PS seeds with lower conversion led to the formation of higher amount of poly(styrene-co-MMA). The copolymer acted as a compatibilizer, decreasing the interfacial energy between both homopolymers. As a consequence, a larger amount of reduced PMMA cluster were formed, as was revealed by TEM measurements. Samples in this system showed enhanced resistance to cyclohexane attack compared with pure PS, with a PS extraction of only 37% after 54 hours test.

A study on the heat transfer in a mold, comparing experimental injection tests using a mold with and without surface treatment (nitriding) is presented. Process simulations were carried out using Computer Aided Engineering tools (CAE) for the estimation of the initial parameters to be applied in the tests in instrumented P20 steel injection molds with the polymer crystal polystyrene. Results indicated a reduction of cooling time and of the time of the process in the mold with treatment, due to an increase of the thermal conductivity.

Se presenta un estudio sobre la transferencia de calor en un molde, comparando los ensayos de inyección utilizando moldes con y sin tratamiento superficial de nitruración. Simulaciones del proceso se realizaron con el uso de Asistencia Computacional a Ingeniería (CAE) para determinar los parámetros iniciales que se aplicaron en los ensayos reales en moldes instrumentados de acero P20 (con y sin tratamientos), inyectados con el polímero poliestireno cristal. Los resultados indicaron una reducción del tiempo de enfriamiento y del tiempo de proceso en el molde con el tratamiento, debido a una mejora en la conductividad térmica.