2019 AIChE Annual Meeting

(41g) Towards a Unified Strategy and Prototype Software Platform for the Synthesis of Operable & Sustainable Process Intensification Systems

Authors

Hasan, F. - Presenter, Texas A&M University
Tian, Y., Texas A&M University
Demirel, S. E., The Dow Chemical Company
Li, J., Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University
Avraamidou, S., Texas A&M University
Kumar Tula, A., Auburn University
Eden, M., Auburn University
Gani, R., Technical University of Denmark
Pistikopoulos, E., Texas A&M Energy Institute, Texas A&M University
There has been an increasing need for the chemical/energy industry to develop innovative, intensified, operable, and sustainable processes to survive the competitive global market with rising concerns on environmental risk and resource shortage [1]. Despite the accelerated development and application of computer aided tools, the currently available software tools, mostly for process modeling, simulation, and optimization, fail to meet the demands of discovering innovative and intensified process solutions with new unit operations as they require equipment/flowsheet configurations pre-specified by users [2-3]. Tools for process operability, safety, and controllability assessment are also lacking at this conceptual design stage, whereas there are long-standing concerns on the operational performances of the resulting intensified alternatives which impede the practical deployment of process intensification technologies [4-5]. Thus, a unified strategy and prototype software platform to integrate these design, synthesis, and operability fronts is in dire need and requires synergistic efforts from the research community and the industry.

In this work, we will present our initial efforts towards the development of a unified strategy and prototype software platform for the synthesis of operable process intensification (PI) systems. The key components in this prototype software tool include: (i) a Process Synthesis Suite to systematically generate and screen intensified alternatives, where three synthesis strategies are supported: namely the Generalized Modular Representation Framework [6] for phenomena identification & synthesis, the Abstract Building Block approach under SPICE framework [7-8] for phenomena-based synthesis & flowsheet screening, and the ProCAFD tool [9] for computer aided flowsheet design. These approaches can be employed by the users flexibly in a sequential manner for multiscale process synthesis or in an independent manner for targeted equipment/flowsheet intensification; and (ii) a Process Operability Suite to evaluate or integrate process design with process operability, control, and safety providing validation of expected performance under varying conditions and scenarios [10-11]. Development towards a model library suite for general PI systems will be also highlighted. Potential links with ongoing RAPID projects for PI developments, for example the Reaction Software Ecosystem [12] and the Physical Properties Database [13], will be also discussed. Representative case studies will be presented to demonstrate the key features, components, and work flow of the proposed prototype software platform.

Reference

  1. Tian, Y., Demirel, S. E., Hasan, M. M. F., & Pistikopoulos, E. N (2018). An Overview of Process Systems Engineering Approaches for Process Intensification: State of the Art. Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification, 133, 160-210.
  2. Tula, A. K., Eden, M. R., & Gani, R. (2018). Time for a New Class of Methods and Computer Aided Tools to Address the Challenges Facing Us?. Chemical Engineering Transactions, 70, 7-12.
  3. Tula, A. K., Babi, D. K., Bottlaender, J., Eden, M. R., & Gani, R. (2017). A computer-aided software-tool for sustainable process synthesis-intensification. Computers & Chemical Engineering, 105, 74-95.
  4. Luyben, W. L., & Hendershot, D. C. (2004). Dynamic disadvantages of intensification in inherently safer process design. Industrial & engineering chemistry research, 43(2), 384-396.
  5. Nikačević, N. M., Huesman, A. E., Van den Hof, P. M., & Stankiewicz, A. I. (2012). Opportunities and challenges for process control in process intensification. Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification, 52, 1-15.
  6. Papalexandri, K. P., & Pistikopoulos, E. N. (1996). Generalized modular representation framework for process synthesis. AIChE Journal, 42(4), 1010-1032.
  7. Demirel, S. E., Li, J., & Hasan, M. F. (2017). Systematic process intensification using building blocks. Computers & Chemical Engineering, 105, 2-38.
  8. Li, J., Demirel, S. E., Hasan, M. M. F., (2018) Process Synthesis Using Block Superstructure with Automated Flowsheet Generation and Optimization. AIChE Journal, 64(8), pp. 3082-3100.
  9. Tula, A. K., Eden, M. R., & Gani, R. (2015). Procafd: Computer Aided Tool for Synthesis-Design & Analysis of Chemical Process Flowsheets. In 2015 AIChE Annual Meeting.
  10. Tian, Y., & Pistikopoulos, E. N. (2019). Synthesis of Operable Process Intensification Systems — Steady-State Design with Safety and Operability Considerations. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. DOI:10.1021/acs.iecr.8b04389.
  11. Pistikopoulos, E. N., Diangelakis, N. A., Oberdieck, R., Papathanasiou, M. M., Nascu, I., & Sun, M. (2015). PAROC — An integrated framework and software platform for the optimisation and advanced model-based control of process systems. Chemical Engineering Science, 136, 115-138.
  12. RAPID Reaction Software Ecosystem. Principal Investigator: Dion Vlachos.
  13. An Experimentally Verified Physical Properties Database for Sorbent Selection and Simulation. Principal Investigator: David Sholl.