Process Design: Principles and Methods
Overall Course Objectives
Chemical process design is about finding a sustainable process that can convert the raw materials to the desired products cost effectively. Chemical engineers support diverse range of sectors and process industries, which convert raw materials to more than 70,000 products. Given this diverse set of industries and sectors with its own domain specific equipment and standards, in this course, the objective is to introduce students to systematic methods for process design, to give overview of the main steps involved in typical life cycle of a process design, as well as the complexity of the design activity. In addition to systematic approach for process design, we stress the importance of iterative process analysis including economics, uncertainty & sensitivity analysis of design assumptions, heat integration, optimization as well as sustainability analysis of conceptual process design. In this way, the course aims to equip students with a flexible skillset to help design innovative, cost-competitive and sustainable processes in diverse range of processing industries.
See course description in Danish
Learning Objectives
- Apply a systematic approach for process design
- Identify, gather and analyze necessary data, methods and models for design
- Appreciate complexity of process design & make design related decisions
- Generate and evaluate/screen alternatives for design
- Use computer aided tools & work in groups
- Verify and analyze simulation results
- Perform process economics analysis including uncertainty analysis
- Perform heat integration and design via pinch analysis
- Apply nonlinear programming for process optimization
- Perform life cycle analysis (LCA) to assess environmental aspects of sustainable process design
- Use knowledge to solve practical engineering problems
- Apply chemical engineering principles learned from other courses
Course Content
The course consists of classroom lectures followed by group work on the project assignment.
The course lectures follow the task-based systematic design methodology, which introduces systematic methods and concepts for process design as follows:
Lecture 1: Introduction to process design
Lecture 2: Process flowsheet synthesis & verification (Douglas method)
Lecture 3: Flowsheet performance evaluation – a simple strategy
Lecture 4: Reactor Design, analysis & sizing -rigorous models
Lecture 5: Separation process design & sizing -rigorous models
Lecture 6: Sensitivity Analysis in Process Design
Lecture 7: Capital and Production Cost Estimation
Lecture 8: Economic Assessment and Uncertainty Analysis
Lecture 9: Process and Flowsheet Optimization
Lecture 10: Heat Integration and HXN design
Lecture 11: Sustainability Analysis in Process Design
The project assignment which is worked in groups of 3 members contains three parts that builds on each other:
Part 1. Scope of Design
Implement the conceptual process in a simulator of your choice (Aveva or excel spreadsheet). Report and discuss mass and energy calculations (Lectures 1 to 5).
Part 2. Process economics and uncertainty analysis.
Perform cost estimation, economics, sensitivity & uncertainty analysis, and discuss the results (Lectures 6 to 8)
Part 3. Advanced process analysis (e.g. process optimization, heat integration, and sustainability analysis)
Perform optimization, heat integration, and sustainability analysis, compare/benchmark other alternatives, and discuss the results. (Lectures 9 – 11).
Each part will be followed by selected group presentations (each group will present at least one part of the assignment).
Recommended prerequisites
Bachelor in Chemical and/or Biochemical Engineering, or equivalent. Basic courses in mass and energy balances, and chemical reaction engineering, corresponding to 28020 and 28140, must have been part of the bachelor education. In addition, it is highly recommended to take the MSc course 28420 Separation Processes before this course. The 28420 will provide methods and skill set to design separation systems that make up an important part of the process flowsheets.
Teaching Method
Lectures, examples and exercises on systematic methods and tools for process design in classroom. Project assignment and group work in databar/computer classroom.
Faculty
Remarks
Textbook: “Systematic Methods of Chemical Process Design”, L.T. Biegler, I.E. Grossmann, A.W. Westerberg, Prentice-Hall, 1997, ISBN: 0-13-492422-3
supporting texbook (especially for cost and economic evaluation)
Plant Design and Economics for Chemical Engineers 5th Edition by Max Peters, Klaus Timmerhaus, Ronald West, Max Peters.
Limited number of seats
Minimum: 4, Maximum: 60.
Please be aware that this course has a minimum requirement for the number of participants needed, in order for it to be held. If these requirements are not met, then the course will not be held. Furthermore, there is a limited number of seats available. If there are too many applicants, a pool will be created for the remainder of the qualified applicants, and they will be selected at random. You will be informed 8 days before the start of the course, whether you have been allocated a spot.