Analysis of the Monochloroacetic Acid Crystallization Process by Entropic Modeling

• Main Authors: T. Gomes, H.J. Bispo, J.N. Silva, J. Manzi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: AIDIC Servizi S.r.l. 2013-06-01
• Series: Chemical Engineering Transactions
• Online Access: https://www.cetjournal.it/index.php/cet/article/view/6740

The process of crystallization has always been regarded as a key operation in the separation and purification of chemical products, particularly in fine chemistry and due to this, new analytical techniques, new control and optimization methods have been developed. The analysis presented for the monochloroacetic acid (MCAA) crystallization system has been derived from the mass and energy balances associated with the entropy balance, taking a solid-equilibrium diagram into account. A methodology that minimizes the entropy production was used to find the optimal operating conditions for the crystallization process, operating under the minimum rate. The theoretical results are in good agreement with the experimental data, indicating that entropy analysis is a simple methodology, easy to apply and one which requires less computational effort.