6 ◾  Distillation Control, Optimization, and Tuning
1. Understand the manipulated variables and controlled variables for a distillation column
2. Understand the fundamentals of various strategies for
controlling distillation columns

3. Understand many of the constraints and limits that cannot
be exceeded in distillation control
4. Understand the measurements that are critical to product
quality performance and the resultant frequency of failure
5. Understand how to tune a process controller when it is
in automatic output mode and how to demonstrate the
response of a process with the controller in manual output mode
1.7 Course Length
The organization of this book into chapters is designed for
either classroom teaching or self-paced learning that can meet
the needs and skill level of each student. Chapter 2 is helpful
for understanding the nomenclature used throughout the book
regarding the naming conventions for the distillation process
streams. Chapter 7 can be studied alone for understanding
the optimization of product quality performance and the frequency of failure. Chapters 9 and 10 can be studied separately
for tuning control loops.
References
1. Kister, H. Z., Distillation Operation, McGraw-Hill, New York,
1989.
2. Kister, H. Z., Distillation Design, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1992.
3. Buckley, P. S., Luyben, W. L., and Shunta, J. P., Design of
Distillation Column Control Systems, ISA, Research Triangle
Park, North Carolina, 1985.