Browsing by Subject "process design"
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Item Novel visualization and algebraic techniques for sustainable development through property integration(Texas A&M University, 2007-04-25) Kazantzi, VasilikiThe process industries are characterized by the significant consumption of fresh resources. This is a critical issue, which calls for an effective strategy towards more sustainable operations. One approach that favors sustainability and resource conservation is material recycle and/or reuse. In this regard, an integrated framework is an essential element in sustainable development. An effective reuse strategy must consider the process as a whole and develop plant-wide strategies. While the role of mass and energy integration has been acknowledged as a holistic basis for sustainable design, it is worth noting that there are many design problems that are driven by properties or functionalities of the streams and not by their chemical constituency. In this dissertation, the notion of componentless design, which was introduced by Shelley and El-Halwagi in 2000, was employed to identify optimal strategies for resource conservation, material substitution, and overall process integration. First, the focus was given on the problem of identifying rigorous targets for material reuse in property-based applications by introducing a new property-based pinch analysis and visualization technique. Next, a non-iterative, property-based algebraic technique, which aims at determining rigorous targets of the process performance in materialrecycle networks, was developed. Further, a new property-based procedure for determining optimal process modifications on a property cluster diagram to optimize the allocation of process resources and minimize waste discharge was also discussed. In addition, material substitution strategies were considered for optimizing both the process and the fresh properties. In this direction, a new process design and molecular synthesis methodology was evolved by using the componentless property-cluster domain and Group Contribution Methods (GCM) as key tools in developing a generic framework and systematic approach to the problem of simultaneous process and molecular design.Item The integration of Dow's Fire and Explosion Index into process design and optimization to achieve an inherently safer design(Texas A&M University, 2006-10-30) Suardin, Jaffee ArizonThe integration of the safety parameter into process design and optimization is essential. However, there is no previous work in integrating the fire and explosion index (F&EI) into design and optimization. This research proposed a procedure for integrating safety into the design and optimization framework by using the safety parameter as optimization constraint. The method used in this research is Dow??????s Fire and Explosion Index which is usually calculated manually. This research automates the calculation of F&EI. The ability to calculate the F&EI, to determine loss control credit factors and business interruption, and to perform process unit risk analysis are unique features of this F&EI program. In addition to F&EI calculation, the F&EI program provides descriptions of each item of the penalties, chemicals/materials databases, the flexibility to submit known chemical/material data to databases, and material factor calculations. Moreover, the sensitivity analyses are automated by generating charts and expressions of F&EI as a function of material inventory and pressure. The expression will be the focal point in the process of integrating F&EI into process design and optimization framework. The proposed procedure of integrating F&EI into process design and optimization framework is verified by applying it into reactor-distillation column system. The final result is the optimum economic and inherently safer design for the reactor and distillation column system.