MultiBatchDS Educational Version 2.0 By Urmila Diwekar, Carnegie Mellon University The recent increase in the production of high value-added, low-volume specialty chemicals and biochemicals has generated a renewed interest in batch processing technologies. Batch distillation is an important unit operation in the batch processing industry and is widely used. The flexibility of batch distillation, combined with the inherent unsteady nature of the process, poses challenging design and operation problems. In view of the practical importance of batch processing and in response to industrial demands for chemical engineers with a strong background in batch processing, more and more educational institutions are redesigning their curricula to include courses devoted to the subject. A dedicated course on batch distillation will (a) introduce the various configurations of conventional and emerging batch distillation columns, (b) examine the challenges involved in a rigorous modeling of batch distillation column dynamics, (c) describe the various operating modes in detail, (d) provide hierarchy of models of varying complexity and rigor, (e) present approaches to optimal design of batch distillation and highlight the differences vis-ˆ-vis continuous distillation columns, (f) described optimal control algorithms and its application to batch distillation, (g) discuss analysis and synthesis of columns with complex thermodynamics, and complex, unconventional column configurations, and (e) illustrate real-world applications. It is difficult to teach batch distillation without using computers due to the two reasons stated above: (1) the process is time varying and one has to resort to complex numerical integration techniques and different models for obtaining the transients, and (2) this ever-changing process also provides flexibility in operating and configuring a column in numerous ways. MultiBatchDS is a general purpose batch distillation package that can be used for understanding batch distillation process principles. The principles of the batch distillation process are more easily understood through simple thermodynamic models. Therefore, the educational version of the package comes with a constant relative volatility model, as well as a databank of 103 commonly used chemical components. For components in the databank one can choose the ideal fugacity models or the models based on the UNIFAC method for nonideal fugacity calculations. The databank and thermodynamic models were provided courtesy of Dr. Gani in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark. MultiBatchDS Educational Version 2.0 consists of two diskettes for the PC. They contain a copy of the program along with help files including tutorials and example problems. There is also a manual available at an extra cost of $10.00 There will be a license fee of $90 to use the program for the first year and $50 thereafter. To order please complete the Standard Order form. This link will open a new window. After printing the order form, simply close the window to return to this page. Please send comments, suggestions, and corrections to Chris Bailor.