ISOPRENE OBTAINING BY EXTRACTIVE RECTIFICATION UNDER CONDITIONS COMPLICATED BY THERMOPOLYMERIZATION
Improvement of isoprene separation process by two-stage isopentane dehydrogenation by developing selective dehydrogenation catalysts has led to a significant increase in the isoprene content in the catalyzates at both stages. In this regard, isoprene separation from a multicomponent mixture of catalyzates by extractive distillation at the operating equipment for isoprene production does not provide effective separation of isoprene and isoamylene fraction. Moreover, the separation is complicated by thermopolymer formation in the boiler tubes and mass transfer devices of the rectification columns. Simulation of the extractive distillation unit was carried out using Unisim Design, which is a modular process simulation and optimization environment used to calculate process flow diagrams and equipment in chemical technology. The construction of an adequate process model made it possible to achieve a fairly good coincidence of actual and calculated indicators of the separation mode in terms of the temperature profile, flow rates, and withdrawals of the main flows.