Surrogates for Liquid-Liquid Extraction

Fuel surrogates are mixtures that mimic the properties of real fuels with only a small number of components, simplifying the calculation and simulation of fuel-related processes. This work extends a previously published surrogate optimization algorithm toward the generation of fuel surrogates with a focus on liquid-liquid extraction characteristics. For this purpose, experimental liquid-liquid equilibrium data from batch extraction experiments are incorporated into the calculation procedure as an additional constraint. The use of the method is demonstrated by optimizing a surrogate for the catalytic reformate. Application of the surrogate to an extraction process and comparison with experimental data demonstrate that the resulting surrogate accurately depicts the properties of the real mixture with regard to liquid-liquid extraction performance. This demonstrates that the use of such surrogates is of particular interest for mixtures used as extracting agents for biofuels.