8. Conclusion

With the ever-increasing power of computers, we can assume that it will one day be possible to rigorously simulate distillations in real time and use these computers to control plants. Although this is quite fascinating for process engineers, it is not a panacea; at present, a number of advanced control systems with on-line optimization, successfully commissioned, have been abandoned after some time [11] .

The simplest systems are the most likely to work properly. Regulation must be just right for the purpose.