METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC CONTROL OF ALCOHOL DISTILLATION PROCESS Russian patent published in 2014 - IPC B01D3/42 

FIELD: chemistry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to a method for automatic control of the distillation process of a continuous-action multicolumn distiller, and can be used in alcohol production. The method is characterised by controlling flow of mash, flow of steam fed into columns depending on pressure in the lower parts thereof, flow of water entering the refluxers and condensers apparatus. The flow rate of steam fed into the distillation column is set as a function of the mismatch between the given and the current temperature in the top part of the distillation column. By feeding hydro-selection water into one of the upper trays of the epuration column, concentration of alcohol in the epurate at the outlet from below the epuration column is controlled based on direct measurement or by determination thereof through temperature and pressure at the bottom of the epuration column. The alcohol load of the distillation column is determined from the epurate stream at the inlet based on the concentration of the epurate and its flow rate. The low-frequency component of the variable alcohol load of the distillation column is selected and the required alcohol load of the apparatus is set. The target flow rate of mash into the distillation column is adjusted depending on the difference between the low-frequency component of the current alcohol load of the distillation column and the required value for the distiller. Collection of alcohol from the distillation column is stabilised as a function of the difference between the set and the current values of concentration of ethyl alcohol or indirect estimates thereof in the form of the current and set temperature values of vapour over the reference tray of the distillation column based on the rate of change of concentration (temperature), wherein the flow of water into the condenser and the refluxer of the distillation column is controlled as a function of the difference between the set and the current temperature of the reflux at the input of the distillation column.

EFFECT: improved quality of the obtained ethyl alcohol, high output of the apparatus and reduced unit cost of heating steam.

8 cl, 1 dwg