Answers to the comments of Prof. Xiao Dong Chen on “Thin-layer drying of porous materials: selection of the appropriate mathematical model and relationships between thin-layer models parameters” by A. Sander [Chem. Eng. Process. 46 (2007) 1324–1331]

This work is concerned with the computational aspects of the dynamic behavior of a simple distillation process using the irreversible model. The composition trajectories in residue curve map diagrams were calculated for a methanol/isopropanol/water mixture. The composition paths calculated by the irreversible model were compared to published experimental results for this mixture. The simulation results showed that residue curves, including the simple distillation boundaries, were sensitive to the irreversible model applied. Furthermore, since simple distillation boundaries and residue curves had been constructed using the same model equilibrium and irreversible ones. Another phenomenon observed from the numerical results was the occurrence of binary azeotropes isopropanol–water in the non-ideal mixture analyzed.