Abstract
The Dividing Wall Column (DWC) offers significant potential in saving both energy- and capital cost compared to conventional distillation sequences. However, there are some issues regarding flexibility and control that require attention in reducing the risks or uncertainties in achieving the potential benefits in practical operation. This calls for control and optimization methods that rely on the available measurement data and less on simulation models. The "Perturb and Observe" method is a simple algorithm that seems suitable for this on-line optimisation task. A series of experiments have been carried out at the Kaibel-column pilot at NTNU and some key results are presented. The method is combined with a conventional control structure at the regulatory layer.