In this work, performances of simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography and its modification Varicol are evaluated numerically and experimentally for the separation of racemic, pindolol on alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein (AGP) stationary phase. The equilibrium dispersive model together with experimentally determined bi-Langmuir isotherm is used to describe the dynamic behavior of SMB and Varicol processes. A shortcut design strategy based on triangle theory is presented in order to find the complete separation region for this nonlinear system. The reliability of the mathematical model and the efficiency of the design strategy have been verified experimentally using a laboratory-scale SMB set-up. Good agreement between the experimental and simulation results is obtained. The influences of the column configuration and variation of isotherm parameters on SMB performances are also discussed. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.