The design of reactive distillation (RD) systems is considerably more complex than that of conventional reactors and distillation columns. One of the main issues in the design of RD column is a definition of type and specification of geometric features of the internal devices. In this work, there is described a design supporting tool for pre-selection of column internals for RD. Case-based reasoning (CBR) has been applied as a basic method to build the system under consideration. The acid catalysed reaction of 2-methylpropylacetate synthesis was used to test the system. The CBR system can significantly reduce the development time for design of reactive distillation column and suggests a good start point for further design phases. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.