Minimizing methanol content in experimental Charentais alembic distillations

Abstract

This study focuses on using modern engineering tools to consistently produce spirits with low methanol content in Charentais alembics. The method involves developing a dynamic model, formulating a multiobjective dynamic optimization problem, and implementing an automatic process control system.Optimization yielded a variable temperature in the partial condenser, which was tracked by an automatic control system that manipulated the heat addition in the boiler. The procedure was experimentally validated in triplicate using a ternary mixture. With the optimal operation, distillates with 12% less methanol than standard distillates were reproducibly obtained, with a moderate reduction (2.4%) in the ethanol recovery.