CFD simulation and experimental study on vapour splitter in packed Divided Wall Column

A Divided Wall Column (DWC) with an optimal vapour split offers much greater potential for energy savings compared to conventional column sequences. To realize the adjustment of the vapour split as well as uniform vapour distribution, a vapour splitter which had been applied for an invention patent was put forward. The effects on performance of adjusting the vapour split and gas nonuniformities under different factors were investigated using numerical simulation and experimental research. The simulation study was carried out using the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software STAR‐CCM+. The simulation results were compared with experimental data, and they showed close agreement with each other. All the results revealed that the device can flexibly adjust the vapour split and achieve a uniform vapour distribution.