Multi-component mixture separation system

Abstract

The present invention provides a multi-component mixture separation system, which includes: a distillation column including a first part and a second part separated by a dividing wall; and a phase separator that receives the lower discharge stream of the second part, separates the stream into an aqueous phase and an oil phase, and returns a part of the separated aqueous phase or oil phase to the first part. Wherein, the first part includes a gas-lifting tray arranged at the upper part, and a feed stream containing more than three components is fed to the first part to separate high-boiling components to the lower part and allow gaseous components to move to the second part.

Description

[0001] This application claims the priority and benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0122586, filed on September 14, 2021, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a multi-component mixture separation system, and more particularly, to a multi-component mixture separation system that can simplify the process and save energy when separating a multi-component mixture containing three or more components. Background Art

[0003] A process of separating a target component from other components and recovering unreacted substances from a mixture containing three or more components generated by reaction can be achieved through a distillation operation process. This process may include a distillation column for separating all low-boiling components, middle-boiling components, and high-boiling components from the target mixture. In order to separate a target component from a mixture containing three or more components, two or more distillation columns are required.

[0004] For example, a mixture containing three or more components can be fed to a pre-stage distillation column. In the pre-stage distillation column, high-boiling components can be separated to the lower part, and low-boiling components and middle-boiling components can be fed to a post-stage distillation column. In the post-stage distillation column, low-boiling components and middle-boiling components can be separated to the upper part and the lower part, respectively. Additionally, a mixture containing three or more components can be fed to a pre-stage distillation column. In the pre-stage distillation column, low-boiling components can be separated to the upper part, middle-boiling components and high-boiling components can be separated to the lower part, and middle-boiling components and high-boiling components can be fed to a post-stage distillation column. In the post-stage distillation column, middle-boiling components and high-boiling components can be separated to the upper part and the lower part, respectively.

[0005] In this way, in order to separate a mixture containing three or more components, two or more distillation columns are required, and two or more additional devices are also required, which may cause the problem of a complicated process. Also, when the flow moves between two or more distillation columns, unnecessary cooling and heating may be required, which may lead to an increase in the number of devices and energy consumption. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Technical Problem

[0007] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a multi-component mixture separation system that, in order to solve the problems mentioned in the background art, uses a distillation column equipped with a dividing wall to separate a mixture containing three or more components and controls the feed end of the flow returned to the distillation column to separate the mixture, thereby preventing unnecessary cooling and heating to simplify the process and save energy.

[0008] Technical Solution

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above technical problem, a multi-component mixture separation system includes: a distillation column including a first part and a second part separated by a dividing wall; and a phase separator that receives a lower discharge stream of the second part, separates the stream into an aqueous phase and an oil phase, and returns a part of the separated aqueous phase or oil phase to the first part, wherein the first part includes a riser tray disposed in the upper part, and a feed stream containing three or more components is fed to the first part to separate high-boiling components to the lower part and allow gaseous components to move to the second part.

[0010] Advantageous Effects

[0011] According to the present invention, the multi-component mixture separation system uses a distillation column equipped with a dividing wall to allow gaseous components to move from the first part of the distillation column to the second part, prevent liquid components from moving from the second part to the first part, and control the feed end of the stream returned from the phase separator to the distillation column to separate the mixture, thereby simplifying the process to reduce the number of devices and preventing unnecessary cooling and heating to save energy. Description of the Drawings

[0012] Figure 1 is a process flow diagram of the multi-component mixture separation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figures 2 to 4 are process flow diagrams of the multi-component mixture separation system of the comparative example, respectively. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0014] The terms and words used in this specification and claims should not be construed as having their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concepts of the terms so as to best describe his invention as having meanings and concepts that meet the technical idea of the present invention.

[0015] In the present invention, the term 'flow' may represent the flow of a fluid in a process or the fluid itself flowing in a pipe. Specifically, the flow may represent either the fluid itself or the flow of the fluid in the pipe connecting various devices. In addition, the fluid may contain any one or more of gases, liquids, and solids.

[0016] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figure 1 to help understand the present invention.

[0017] According to the present invention, a multi-component mixture separation system is provided. The multi-component mixture separation system includes: a distillation column 10, including a first section D1 and a second section D2 separated by a dividing wall 11; and a phase separator 20, receiving a lower discharge stream of the second section D2, separating the stream into an aqueous phase and an oil phase, and returning a part of the separated aqueous phase or oil phase to the first section D1. Among them, the first section D1 includes a gas-lifting tray 13 arranged at the upper part, feeding a feed stream containing more than three components to the first section D1 to separate high-boiling components to the lower part and allowing gaseous components to move to the second section D2.

[0018] In the past, a process of separating a target component from other components and recovering unreacted substances from a mixture containing more than three components generated by a polymerization reaction could be achieved through a distillation operation process. This process may include a distillation column for separating all low-boiling components, medium-boiling components, and high-boiling components from the target mixture. In order to separate a target component from a mixture containing more than three components, two or more distillation columns are required.

[0019] For example, a mixture containing more than three components can be fed to a pre-stage distillation column. In the pre-stage distillation column, high-boiling components can be separated to the lower part, and low-boiling components and medium-boiling components can be fed to a post-stage distillation column. In the post-stage distillation column, low-boiling components and medium-boiling components can be separated to the upper part and the lower part respectively. Additionally, a mixture containing more than three components can be fed to a pre-stage distillation column. In the pre-stage distillation column, low-boiling components can be separated to the upper part, medium-boiling components and high-boiling components can be separated to the lower part, and medium-boiling components and high-boiling components can be fed to a post-stage distillation column. In the post-stage distillation column, medium-boiling components and high-boiling components can be separated to the upper part and the lower part respectively.

[0020] In this way, in order to separate a mixture containing more than three components, two or more distillation columns are required, and two or more additional devices are also required, which leads to the problem of a complicated process. And when the stream moves between two or more distillation columns, unnecessary cooling and heating are required, which leads to an increase in the number of devices and energy consumption.

[0021] On the other hand, in the present invention, a distillation column 10 configured with a dividing wall 11 is used, and gaseous components move from the first section D1 of the distillation column 10 to the second section D2. However, the present invention provides a multi-component mixture separation system that prevents liquid components from moving from the second section D2 to the first section D1 and controls the feed end of the stream returned from the phase separator 20 to the distillation column 10 to separate the mixture, thereby reducing the number of devices by simplifying the process and preventing unnecessary cooling and heating to save energy.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a feed stream containing more than three components may be fed to the distillation column 10 to separate each component. For example, the feed stream may contain three to five components, three to four components, or three components. As a specific example, the feed stream may contain three components.

[0023] The interior of the distillation column 10 may be divided into two parts by a dividing wall 11. Specifically, the distillation column 10 may be divided into a first part D1 and a second part D2 by the dividing wall 11, and distillation in the first part D1 and the second part D2 may be carried out independently.

[0024] The dividing wall 11 may be formed to extend upward from the lower end of the distillation column 10. For example, the upper regions of the dividing wall 11 may communicate.

[0025] The dividing wall 11 may, for example, extend vertically from the lower end of the distillation column 10 to a height spaced from the upper end of the distillation column 10 without reaching the upper end of the distillation column 10. Specifically, the dividing wall 11 extends in the upward direction from the lower end of the distillation column 10, that is, along the length direction of the distillation column 10 to a certain height. In the lower region of the distillation column 10, the communication between the first part D1 and the second part D2 is blocked by the dividing wall 11. At this time, the height of the dividing wall 11 may be, for example, 30% or more, 40% or more, 50% or more, and 60% or less, 70% or less, or 80% or less of the height of the distillation column 10. By designing the height of the dividing wall 11 within the above range, low-boiling components, medium-boiling components, and high-boiling components with different boiling points can be separated in one column. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the distillation column 10 is divided by the dividing wall 11, and the first part D1 separated by the dividing wall 11 may further include a riser tray 13 disposed in the upper part. The riser tray 13 may be formed to correspond to the upper area of the first part D1 separated by the dividing wall 11.

[0026] The riser tray 13 may include a plurality of riser channels that communicate gaseous components rising from the lower region of the riser tray 13 to the upper region, and prevent liquid components that may accumulate in the riser tray 13 from penetrating into the lower region of the riser tray 13. Thereby, the riser tray 13 may allow gaseous components to move from the first part D1 of the distillation column 10 to the second part D2, but prevent liquid components from moving from the second part D2 to the first part D1. Specifically, the communication of liquid components between the first part D1 and the second part D2 of the distillation column 10 is blocked by the riser tray 13, and only gaseous components can be communicated from the first part D1 of the distillation column 10 to the second part D2. In this way, the gaseous components in the first part D1 of the distillation column 10 directly move to the second part D2 without additional condensation and heating steps, thereby preventing unnecessary energy consumption in the process to save energy.

[0027] When the distillation column 10 is separated into a first part D1 and a second part D2 by a dividing wall 11, the dividing wall 11 and the riser trays 13 will be mainly described. For example, the first part D1 of the distillation column 10 may refer to the part located below the riser trays 13. As a more specific example, it may refer to the part separated by the dividing wall 11 located on the side and located below the riser trays 13. Additionally, the second part D2 of the distillation column 10 may refer to the part located above the riser trays 13. As a more specific example, it may refer to the part separated by the dividing wall 11 and located above the riser trays 13.

[0028] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first part D1 may further include a liquid distribution device 14 disposed below the riser trays 13. The liquid distribution device 14 can serve to uniformly disperse the upper liquid material to the lower part, and can communicate the lower gaseous components with the upper part. Specifically, since the riser trays 13 are disposed above the first part D1, there will be no liquid components falling from the upper part to the lower part of the first part D1. Therefore, in order to separate the feed stream in the first part D1, the liquid distribution device 14 is provided, and the stream refluxed from the phase separator 20 is fed to the position between the riser trays 13 and the liquid distribution device 14, so as to distribute and spray the liquid components to the lower part of the liquid distribution device 14. At this time, the gaseous components boiling in the lower part of the liquid distribution device 14 come into contact with the liquid components sprayed to the lower part through the liquid distribution device 14, and mass transfer occurs, so that separation can be effectively carried out.

[0029] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a feed stream containing three or more components fed to the distillation column 10 can be fed to a position lower than the liquid distribution device 14 disposed in the first part D1 of the distillation column 10. At this time, the feed stream may include low-boiling point components, medium-boiling point components, and high-boiling point components at various boiling points.

[0030] The feed stream fed to the distillation column 10 is distilled in the first part D1, and the vaporized gaseous components rising through the distillation can move to the second part D2 through the riser trays 13. Additionally, the liquid components in the first part D1 of the distillation column 10 can be separated to the lower part of the distillation column 10, and the lower discharge stream separated to the lower part of the first part D1 of the distillation column 10 may include the high-boiling point components of the feed stream. At this time, the operating conditions of the first part D1 are such that the high-boiling point components in the feed stream can be separated to the lower part, and the medium-boiling point components and the low-boiling point components are vaporized and rise to the upper part of the first part D1, and can be appropriately adjusted to move to the second part D2.

[0031] Part of the lower discharge stream of the first part D1 is refluxed by an existing reboiler, and the remaining components are recovered.

[0032] The gaseous components that move to the upper part of the first section D1 of the distillation column 10 can move to the second section D2 and become the subject of further distillation. At this time, the gaseous components that move to the second section D2 may include the medium-boiling components and the low-boiling components of the feed stream. The medium-boiling components and the low-boiling components can be separated by distillation in the second section D2. Specifically, the low-boiling components can be separated to the upper part of the second section D2, and the medium-boiling components can be separated to the lower part.

[0033] The upper discharge stream discharged to the upper part of the second section D2 may include the low-boiling components of the feed stream. At this time, after condensing the upper discharge stream of the second section D2 in the existing manner, a part of the stream can be refluxed, and the remaining stream can be recovered.

[0034] After feeding the lower discharge stream separated to the lower part of the second section D2 of the distillation column 10 to the phase separator 20, the medium-boiling components can be separated from any one or more of the aqueous phase and the oil phase separated in the phase separator 20. For example, a part of the lower discharge stream of the second section D2 of the distillation column 10 can be refluxed by an existing reboiler, and the remaining stream can be fed to the phase separator 20. At this time, the remaining stream except the stream refluxed by the reboiler can be fed to the phase separator 20 after passing through, for example, the cooler 12. The cooler 12 can cool the stream fed to the phase separator 20.

[0035] The phase separator 20 can be a device for separating the aqueous phase and the oil phase. For example, it can separate the aqueous phase and the oil phase of the lower discharge stream of the second section D2 of the distillation column 10, and make a part of the separated aqueous phase or oil phase reflux to the first section D1 of the distillation column 10. At this time, a part of the streams of the separated aqueous phase and oil phase can be refluxed to the first section D1 of the distillation column 10, and the medium-boiling components can be separated and recovered from the streams other than the streams refluxed to the first section D1. As a specific example, a part of the aqueous phase can be refluxed to the first section D1, and the medium-boiling components can be separated from the remaining aqueous phase and oil phase that have not been refluxed to the first section D1.

[0036] The stream refluxed from the phase separator 20 to the first section D1 of the distillation column 10 can be fed to a position higher than the height at which the feed stream is fed to the first section D1. At this time, separation can be effectively carried out by maximizing the mass transfer effect in the first section D1.

[0037] The flow that is refluxed from the phase separator 20 to the first section D1 of the distillation column 10 can be refluxed to a position between the riser tray 13 and the liquid distributor 14 disposed above the first section D1. Specifically, the flow that is refluxed from the phase separator 20 to the first section D1 of the distillation column 10 can be refluxed to a position lower than the riser tray 13 disposed above the first section D1 and higher than the liquid distributor 14. At this time, the liquid flow refluxed from the phase separator 20 can be prevented from flowing out to the second section D2, and the liquid flow refluxed from the phase separator 20 can be evenly sprayed to the lower part by the liquid distributor 14, so as to further improve the separation effect through mass transfer.

[0038] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the multi-component mixture separation system can be used to separate each target component from crude hydroxypivalaldehyde, crude phenol, crude isopropyl alcohol, crude acrylic acid, etc. As a specific example, the multi-component mixture separation system can be used to separate each component from crude hydroxypivalaldehyde containing hydroxypivalaldehyde and isobutyraldehyde.

[0039] Specifically, hydroxypivalaldehyde (HPA) can be prepared by the aldol condensation reaction between isobutyraldehyde (i-BAL) and an aqueous formaldehyde solution. The crude hydroxypivalaldehyde prepared by the aldol condensation reaction may contain hydroxypivalaldehyde as the target product, unreacted isobutyraldehyde, and by-products. At this time, the aldol condensation reaction can be carried out under the existing hydroxypivalaldehyde production conditions, and can be carried out in the presence of a catalyst. When needed, additives can be used.

[0040] Crude hydroxypivalaldehyde can be fed as a feed stream to the first section D1 of the distillation column 10, and hydroxypivalaldehyde can be separated to the lower part of the first section D1 by distillation in the first section D1. The unreacted isobutyraldehyde and by-products as gaseous components pass through the riser tray 13 and directly move to the second section D2 to save the energy consumed by unnecessary cooling and heating.

[0041] In the second section D2 of the distillation column 10, unreacted isobutyraldehyde can be separated to the upper part, and the lower discharge stream can be fed to the phase separator 20 through a reboiler and a cooler 12.

[0042] The height of the dividing wall 11 disposed in the distillation column 10 can be appropriately adjusted according to the components of the feed stream.

[0043] The aqueous phase and the oil phase can be separated in the phase separator 20, and a part of the separated aqueous phase can be refluxed to the first section D1 of the distillation column 10, more specifically, to a height between the riser tray 13 and the liquid distributor 14 in the first section D1. In addition, in the phase separator 20, by-products can be separated from the aqueous phase and the oil phase that are not refluxed to the first section D1.

[0044] The stream fed to the phase separator 20 contains by-products, and a small amount of hydroxypivalaldehyde may be included in the aqueous phase component of the by-products. The oil phase and the aqueous phase can be separated by the phase separator 20, and a part of the aqueous phase can be recovered and refluxed to the first part D1 of the distillation column 10, and can further become the object of the distillation process to be recovered to the lower part of the first part D1. Therefore, the yield of hydroxypivalaldehyde can be increased, and the increase of by-products generated by the aldol condensation reaction can be prevented.

[0045] As described above, the multi-component mixture separation system of the present invention is shown by description and drawings, but the above-mentioned drawings and description only illustrate and show the main components for understanding the present invention. In addition to the processes and equipment shown in the above description and drawings, the processes and equipment not otherwise described and shown can be appropriately applied to implement the multi-component mixture separation system of the present invention.

[0046] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail by way of examples. However, the following examples are only used to illustrate the present invention, and those skilled in the art will understand that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the idea of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0047] Examples

[0048] Example 1

[0049] As shown in Figure 1 the process flow diagram, the multi-component mixture separation system was simulated using Aspen Plus of Aspen Technology, Inc.

[0050] Specifically, crude hydroxypivalaldehyde was fed as a feed stream to the first part D1 of the distillation column 10. At this time, the feed stream contains hydroxypivalaldehyde, unreacted isobutyraldehyde, and by-products. In addition, the distillation column 10 is divided into a first part D1 and a second part D2 by a dividing wall 11. A riser tray 13 is arranged above the first part D1, and a liquid distributor 14 is arranged below the riser tray 13. The feed stream is fed to a position lower than the liquid distributor 14.

[0051] A reboiler was used to reflux a part of the bottom discharge stream from the first part D1 of the distillation column 10, separating hydroxypivalaldehyde into the remaining stream, and the gaseous components directly moved to the second part D2.

[0052] In the second part D2, a condenser was used to reflux a part of the top discharge stream, separating unreacted isobutyraldehyde into the remaining stream and separating the by-products into the bottom.

[0053] A reboiler was used to reflux a part of the bottom discharge stream containing by-products from the second part D2, and the remaining stream was fed to the phase separator 20 through the cooler 12.

[0054] The oil phase and the water phase are separated by a phase separator 20, and a part of the water phase is fed to a position between the riser trays 13 and the liquid distributor 14 in the first section D1 of the distillation column 10, and by-products are separated from the remaining water phase and oil phase.

[0055] The measurement results of the recovery rate of hydroxypivalaldehyde (HPA) recovered from the lower part of the first section D1 of the distillation column 10, the recovery rate of isobutyraldehyde (i-BAL) recovered from the upper part of the second section D2, the energy consumption of the distillation column 10, and the content of 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol (TMPD, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol) in the bottom discharge stream of the first section D1 where hydroxypivalaldehyde is separated are shown in Table 1.

[0056] Comparative Example

[0057] Comparative Example 1

[0058] As shown in Figure 2 the process flow diagram shown, simulation was carried out using Aspen Plus manufactured by AspenTech.

[0059] Specifically, crude hydroxypivalaldehyde is fed to the first distillation column 100 as a feed stream. At this time, the composition of the feed stream is the same as that in Example 1.

[0060] A part of the bottom discharge stream of the first distillation column 100 is refluxed using a reboiler, hydroxypivalaldehyde is recovered in the remaining stream, the top discharge stream is fed to a condenser 110 to be condensed and then fed to a phase separator 120, a part of the water phase in the phase separator 120 is refluxed to the first distillation column 100, and the water phase and oil phase that are not refluxed to the first distillation column 100 are fed to a second distillation column 200.

[0061] In the second distillation column 200, a part of the top discharge stream is refluxed using a reboiler, isobutyraldehyde is recovered in the remaining stream, and a part of the bottom discharge stream is refluxed using a reboiler, and by-products are separated into the remaining stream.

[0062] The measurement results of the recovery rate of hydroxypivalaldehyde recovered from the lower part of the first distillation column 100, the recovery rate of isobutyraldehyde recovered from the upper part of the second distillation column 200, the energy consumption of the first distillation column 100 and the second distillation column 200, and the content of 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol (TMPD, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol) in the bottom discharge stream of the first distillation column 100 where hydroxypivalaldehyde is separated are shown in Table 1.

[0063] Comparative Example 2

[0064] As shown in Figure 3As shown in the process flow diagram, simulation was carried out using Aspen Plus manufactured by AspenTech.

[0065] Specifically, crude hydroxypivalaldehyde was fed as a feed stream to the first section D1 of the distillation column 10. At this time, the composition of the feed stream was the same as that in Example 1. In addition, the distillation column 10 was divided into a first section D1 and a second section D2 by a dividing wall 11.

[0066] A part of the lower discharge stream of the first section D1 was refluxed using a reboiler, and hydroxypivalaldehyde was separated into the remaining stream.

[0067] A part of the upper discharge stream of the distillation column 10 was refluxed using a condenser, and unreacted isobutyraldehyde was separated into the remaining stream.

[0068] A part of the lower discharge stream of the second section D2 was refluxed using a reboiler, and by-products were separated into the remaining stream.

[0069] The recovery rate of hydroxypivalaldehyde (HPA) recovered from the lower part of the first section D1 of the distillation column 10, the recovery rate of isobutyraldehyde (i-BAL) recovered from the upper part of the distillation column 10, the energy consumption of the distillation column 10, and the measurement results of the content of 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol (TMPD, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol) in the lower discharge stream of the first section D1 from which hydroxypivalaldehyde was separated are shown in Table 1.

[0070] Comparative Example 3

[0071] As shown in Figure 4 As shown in the process flow diagram, simulation was carried out using Aspen Plus manufactured by AspenTech.

[0072] Specifically, crude hydroxypivalaldehyde was fed as a feed stream to the first section D1 of the distillation column 10. At this time, the composition of the feed stream was the same as that in Example 1. In addition, the distillation column 10 was divided into a first section D1 and a second section D2 by a dividing wall 11, and a riser tray 13 was arranged above the first section D1, and the feed stream was fed to a position lower than the riser tray 13.

[0073] In the first section D1 of the distillation column 10, hydroxypivalaldehyde was separated to the lower part, and the gaseous components directly moved to the second section D2.

[0074] A part of the upper discharge stream of the second section D2 was refluxed using a condenser, and unreacted isobutyraldehyde was separated into the remaining stream.

[0075] A reboiler is used to reflux a part of the lower discharge stream of the second part D2, separate by-products into the remaining stream, and split and reflux the remaining stream to the first part D1.

[0076] The measurement results of the recovery rate of hydroxypivalaldehyde (HPA) recovered from the lower part of the first part D1 of the distillation column 10, the recovery rate of isobutyraldehyde (i-BAL) recovered from the upper part of the distillation column 10, the energy consumption of the distillation column 10, and the content of 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol (TMPD, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol) in the lower discharge stream of the first part D1 from which hydroxypivalaldehyde is separated are shown in Table 1.

[0077] Table 1:

[0078]

[0079] In Table 1 above, the energy consumption is indicated by converting the energy consumption measured in Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3 respectively into a percentage relative to the energy consumption used in Comparative Example 1.

[0080] In addition, the HPA recovery rate represents the ratio of the content of recovered hydroxypivalaldehyde to the content of hydroxypivalaldehyde contained in the feed stream, and the i-BAL recovery rate represents the ratio of the content of recovered isobutyraldehyde to the content of isobutyraldehyde contained in the feed stream.

[0081] In Table 1 above, in the case of Example 1, a multi-component mixture separation system using a distillation column 10 equipped with a dividing wall 11 and a phase separator 20 of the present invention was used, and it was possible to confirm that the energy consumption was reduced compared to Comparative Example 1, and the recovery rates of hydroxypivalaldehyde and isobutyraldehyde were the same as those in Comparative Example 1.

[0082] In contrast, in Comparative Example 1, two distillation columns were used, and it was possible to confirm that after condensing the upper discharge stream of the first distillation column 100, it was supplied to the phase separator 120 for phase separation, and by supplying the aqueous phase and the oil phase that were not refluxed to the first distillation column 100 in the separated aqueous phase to the second distillation column 200 and reheating the aqueous phase and the oil phase, the energy consumption increased compared to the example.

[0083] In addition, as shown in the above-described embodiments, in Comparative Example 2, a distillation column 10 separated by a dividing wall was used, but a riser tray 13 was not arranged above the first section D1, and since the phase separator 20 was not provided, no reflux flowed back to the first section D1. The liquid component containing the reactive organic material was introduced from the second section D2 into the first section D1 through the upper space of the distillation column 10, and the amount of TMPD that was difficult to separate from hydroxypivalaldehyde in the subsequent process increased. Specifically, in Comparative Example 2, the content of TMPD in the lower discharge stream of the first section D1 from which hydroxypivalaldehyde was separated increased. Therefore, there was a problem that it was difficult to control the quality of the product in the subsequent process.

[0084] In addition, as shown in the above-described embodiments, even in Comparative Example 3, a distillation column 10 was separated by a dividing wall, and a riser tray 13 was arranged in the first section D1 of the distillation column, but the phase separator 20 was not provided. Since the phase separator 20 was not provided, the liquid component containing the reactive organic material was introduced into the first section D1, thereby increasing the content of TMPD in the lower discharge stream of the first section D1 from which hydroxypivalaldehyde was separated. Therefore, there was a problem that it was difficult to control the quality of the product in the subsequent process.

Claims

1. A multi-component mixture separation system, comprising: A distillation column, including a first part and a second part separated by a dividing wall; And A phase separator, receiving the lower discharge stream of the second part, separating the stream into an aqueous phase and an oil phase, and returning a part of the separated aqueous phase or oil phase to the first part, Wherein, the first part includes a bubble-cap tray disposed at the upper part, A feed stream containing more than three components is supplied to the first part to separate high-boiling components to the lower part and allow gaseous components to move to the second part, Wherein, the stream returned from the phase separator to the first part is fed to a position higher than the height at which the feed stream is fed, Wherein, the dividing wall extends upward from the lower end of the distillation column, Wherein, the first part is a part separated by the dividing wall located at the side and located below the bubble-cap tray, and The second part is a part separated by the dividing wall and located above the bubble-cap tray.

2. The multi-component mixture separation system according to claim 1, wherein, The bubble-cap tray is formed to correspond to the upper end of the first part separated by the dividing wall.

3. The multi-component mixture separation system according to claim 1, further comprising: A liquid distribution device disposed below the bubble-cap tray.

4. The multi-component mixture separation system according to claim 3, wherein, The stream returned from the phase separator to the first part returns to a position between the bubble-cap tray and the liquid distribution device.

5. The multi-component mixture separation system according to claim 3, wherein, The feed stream is fed to a position lower than the liquid distribution device.

6. The multi-component mixture separation system according to claim 1, wherein, The second part of the distillation column separates low-boiling components to the upper part, and after feeding the lower discharge stream to the phase separator, separates medium-boiling components from one or more of the separated aqueous phase and oil phase in the phase separator.

7. The multi-component mixture separation system according to claim 1, wherein, The phase separator returns a part of the separated aqueous phase to the first part of the distillation column.

8. The multi-component mixture separation system according to claim 1, wherein, The feed stream is crude hydroxypivalaldehyde containing hydroxypivalaldehyde and isobutyraldehyde.

9. The multi-component mixture separation system according to claim 8, wherein, The first part of the distillation column separates hydroxypivalaldehyde to the lower part, and the second part separates isobutyraldehyde to the upper part.

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