Glycol production Process Flowsheets & Simulations
Explore 2 validated, solved Glycol production simulation flowsheets in MaximaLabs — real components: ethylene_oxide, water, ethylene_glycol, ethylene, oxygen, co2. Open any one directly in your browser.
Solved via: PENG-ROBINSON.
Ethylene oxide hydration to mono-ethylene glycol (MEG)
Ethylene oxide reacts uncatalyzed with excess water at 200 C to mono-ethylene glycol (MEG, antifreeze/PET feedstock); the excess-water dilution that suppresses the over-reaction to di-/tri-ethylene glycol byproducts is reflected in the large water excess on the feed, and a downstream column concentrates MEG in the bottoms while excess water leaves overhead for recycle. Kinetics basis: Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2009, 48, 10840.
10 unit ops • PENG-ROBINSON
17 0
View & openEthylene oxide synthesis through to glycol
The full EO/MEG chain in one flowsheet, upstream of the standalone hydration example: ethylene and oxygen react over a silver catalyst to ethylene oxide (low per-pass ethylene conversion, ~10%, is realistic — high conversion pushes the competing total-combustion side reaction, which this model represents as a second reactor consuming a fixed share of the same ethylene at ~80% EO selectivity). A cooled flash condenses EO (and reaction water) from the unreacted ethylene/oxygen/CO2 vented for combustion-side purge; the condensed EO then hydrates with fresh water to MEG exactly as in the standalone hydration example. No ethylene/O2 recycle loop (an honest simplification — real plants recycle unreacted ethylene at high ratio).
17 unit ops • PENG-ROBINSON
17 0
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