碳酸二甲酯是一個重要且低毒性有機化合物，可以稱呼為綠色化學品。在石化工業上，碳酸二甲酯可以取代硫酸二甲酯當作甲基化劑，亦可取代光氣當作羰基化劑，生產聚碳酸酯和聚氨酯聚合物。在大部分合成碳酸二甲酯的方法幾乎都會有甲醇和碳酸二甲酯的共沸物產生，由於共沸物的分離較困難，因此，發展出有效且具有經濟效益的分離方法，成為生產碳酸二甲酯的關鍵之一。分離甲醇和碳酸二甲酯之共沸物有許多方法，但其中萃取蒸餾無論在投資效益或操作安全方面都優於其它方法，是最有工業化前景的分離方法。由Quijada-Maldonado et al.所發表的文獻中得知質傳速率模型比平衡板模型提供了更好的預測溫度和濃度分布，故本研究的目的是要探討如何利用質傳速率模型設計碳酸二甲酯和甲醇之萃取蒸餾系統所需要的塔件硬體。以Hsu(2010)此篇論文之萃取蒸餾系統當作探討對象，利用其平衡板模型當作本研究進行質傳速率模型模擬時之基礎，質傳速率模型之模擬方法為在固定塔高下，將填充塔之板數逐漸增加，出料純度皆會達到收斂，而板數為塔內積分切割段數。再利用達到收斂之板數作為基礎，改變填充塔高，尋求使出料純度滿足要求之填充塔高，此即為所需填充塔高。在質傳速率模型之平衡板比例設計法中，本研究採用Aspen Plus中Bravo et al.(1985)與HanleyStruc(2012) 此兩種內建關聯公式個別進行液相膜及雙膜兩種阻力存在下的模擬，結果得知主要膜阻力為氣相膜。兩者關聯公式在液相膜中，HanleyStruc(2012)關聯公式之膜阻力較大；在雙膜中，Bravo et al.(1985)關聯公式之膜阻力較大；綜合雙膜與液相膜之結果，Bravo et al.(1985)關聯公式在氣相膜之膜阻力較大。
本研究亦使用分段設計法進行設計並與平衡板比例設計法(Bravo et al.,1985)進行比較，其所需總塔高較低，平衡板比例設計法所需總塔高較為高估。利用增加萃取蒸餾塔之萃取段及溶劑回收塔之氣提段塔高，而減少精餾段塔底進料之碳酸二甲酯純度，以利降低其所需塔高，但均不符合經濟效益；將兩塔各段之填充物種類由Mellapak 250Y換成BX，只有在精餾段中選擇適合的填充物較有利減少設備成本；利用Sulzer Chemtech公司提供的經驗值與各段進行比較，結果顯示精餾段之相當理論板高度較經驗值高出許多，萃取段與氣提段較接近經驗值。較高純度的要求是造成精餾段之相當理論板高度高出經驗值許多的部分原因。在萃取蒸餾塔中，發現質傳速率模型的精餾路徑是與平衡板模型不相同的，且精餾段的精餾路徑本來會隨著蒸餘曲線偏離鞍點，造成所蒸餾出的甲醇純度較低，為了獲得純度較高的甲醇，精餾段的塔高就必須增加，故此亦為精餾段的HETP會比其他段高度較高的原因之一；在溶劑回收塔中，蒸餘曲線亦會偏離鞍點，但蒸餘曲線在鞍點時較陡，故造成精餾段之HETP較高，但不會像萃取蒸餾塔之精餾段的HETP高出其他段那麼多。

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