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4-L2-Heuristics For Process Design
4-L2-Heuristics For Process Design
Chapter 6
Terry A. Ring
Heuristics
• 1-Select raw materials and chemical
reactions to avoid or reduce the handling
and storage of hazardous and toxic
chemicals.
• 2-Use an excess of one chemical reactant
in a reaction to consume completely a
valuable, toxic or hazardous chemical
reactant. (see MSDS for chemical
hazards)
Heuristics
• 3-For pure products, eliminate inert
species before reaction when separations
are easy and when the catalyst is
adversely affected by the inert, but not
when a large exothermic heat of reaction
must be removed.
A+BC
A D
Heuristic
• 7-For competing reactions, both in series
and parallel adjust T and P and catalyst to
obtain high yields of the desired products.
Check that there are no kinetic limits to
this assumption.
Heuristic
• 8-For reversible reactions, consider
conducting them in a separation device
capable of removing the products driving
the reaction to more products. This gives
a very different distribution of products.
Reactive Distillation
Reactor with selective membrane wall
Separation Heuristics
• 9- Separate liquid mixtures with distillation,
stripping, enhanced distillation, LL extraction,
crystallization and/or adsorption.
• 10-Condense vapor mixtures then separate via
Heuristic 9
• 11-Separate vapor mixtures using partial
condensation, cryo D, absorption, adsorption,
membrane sep. and/or desublimation.
• 12-20 Separations involving particles Heuristics
Reaction Heat Heuristics
• 21-High exothermic heat of reaction: Consider
using excess reactant, an inert diluents or cold
shots. Consider them early on in the design
• 22-Lower exothermic heat of reaction: Use heat
exchanger on/in reactor. Or use intercoolers
between adiabatic reaction stages.
• 23-High endothermic heat of reaction: Consider
use of excess reactant, inert diluents or hot
shots. Consider them early on in the design.
• 24-Lower endothermic heat of reaction: Use
heat exchanger on/in reactor. Or use
interheaters between adiabatic reaction stages.
Heat Exchanger Heuristics
• 25-Use shell and tube HX in counter current for process streams. For
T>750F use furnace.
• 26-Near optimal approach ΔT’s
– Below ambient 10F
– Ambient to 300F 20F
– Higher Temps 50F
– 250 to 350 for furnace
• 27-CW temperature range used is 90 to 120 F
• 28-Boiling a liquid use 45 F approach ΔT
• 29-30 Other Heuristics
• 31- ΔP in HX
– 1.5 psi for boiling or condensation
– 3 psi for gas
– 5 psi for low viscosity liquid
– 7-9 psi for high viscosity liquid
– 20 psi for process fluid in furnace
• 32-33 Other Heuristics
Pressure Operation Heuristics
• 40-42- pressure decrease
• 43-pump a liquid rather than compress a
gas, unless refrigeration is needed.
• 44- Air leak rate into vacuum
• 45-47 Vacuum pumps
Solid Particle Processing Heuristics
• 48-53 Covering
– Conveying
• Pneumatic
• Conveyor belt
– Reaction
– Separations
• Cyclone
• Crystallization
• Agglomeration
– Heat transfer