Process flow sheet synthesis: Systems‐level design applied to synthetic crude production

Fox, James Alistair; Hildebrandt, Diane; Glasser, David; Patel, Bilal

doi:10.1002/aic.15818

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…It should be noted that the procedure for reversible process design requires complex engineering with its own economic and environmental consequences in terms of equipment, heat transfer processes, and issues of control and so cannot lightly be contemplated. Research has been undertaken to achieve the design of reversible processes [16,17] using a single two-dimensional G-H diagram as previously stated and as illustrated in Fig. 5.…”

Section: A Reversible Complex Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermodynamic optimization of steady-flow industrial chemical processes

et al. 2018

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Industrial steady-flow chemical processes are generally organised as a sequence of individually optimised operations. However, this may not achieve overall optimization since material (as recycle), heat and work transfers overall may not be well balanced. We introduce the idea of a preliminary overall thermodynamic balance to produce a reversible process, with the objective of minimising, for both economic and environmental reasons, the quality and quantity of energy used. This balance may later require adjustment to account for the realities of available materials and equipment. For this purpose, we introduce (i) a Carnot temperature, T Carnot , by which a Carnot machine (an engine which can operate as either a heat pump or a turbine) can supply the required heat at the correct temperature for a process to operate reversibly, that is with least energy, and (ii) the GH Diagram on which Carnot temperature-based processes are plotted in ∆G-∆H space. We demonstrate the utility of this analysis by simple application to the Haber-Bosch process for ammonia synthesis and by a sequence of operations for the synthesis of methanol. We also briefly introduce the state function exergy, which uses the natural environment as the reference base for energy in place of pure elements under standard conditions.

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Section: A Reversible Complex Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermodynamic optimization of steady-flow industrial chemical processes

et al. 2018

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“…Process targeting frameworks involve successive analyses with increasingly restrictive assumptions to quantify the feasibility limits of individually optimized unit operations and integrated processes. 25 Successful applications of process targeting frameworks include gas separation networks, 26 crude production, 27 and coal-to-liquid processes. 28 Weeden and Wang 29 propose a targeting framework for simulated moving bed adsorption systems based on a linear isotherm and dimensionless groups.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Material Property Targets to Enable Adsorptive Water Treatment and Resource Recovery Systems

2021

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Novel separation technologies are necessary to use Earth's limited resources while maintaining a high standard of living. The availability of potable water is stressed due to contamination with trace elements such as lead (Pb). The demand for lithium (Li) due to vehicle electrification will exceed its supply from primarily brine sources within a decade. Adsorption processes are promising cost-effective solutions to challenging low-concentration separations. Yet, there is a lack of quantitative modeling to assess emerging sorbents, which hinders the translation of novel materials into transformative technologies. This work proposes a generalized multiscale process targeting framework to rapidly screen candidate sorbents and set material property targets to develop adsorptive systems including Pb remediation and Li recovery applications. Langmuir isotherm and sorbent structure–property calculations explicitly link molecular properties, including affinity, saturation capacity, and pore size; device design decisions, including sorbent cross-sectional area and bed length; and system design decisions, including sorbent mass and number of parallel beds. The framework predicts that for Pb removal, there is limited scope to improve materials in isolation; instead, integration of sorbents into devices (e.g., membranes, packed beds) may be the larger barrier to realizing future technologies. Similarly, for Li recovery applications, improved materials processing techniques have the potential to accelerate the process. Moreover, the Li case study demonstrates the utility of the framework based on dimensionless formulas as an easy-to-use tool for the broader membrane science and environmental engineering communities to assess the feasibility of emerging materials to meet process demands. Finally, these dimensionless models are used to identify three distinct regions of relative performance between batch and semicontinuous processes. These results give caution to applying scale-up heuristics outside their valid region, which can lead to under- or overdesign during bottom-up studies from the bench to the process scale. The presented targeting framework bridges a crucial gap between material and technology development by identifying the potential for optimized materials processing and device design techniques to fully utilize the characteristics of emerging materials for sustainable separations of the future.

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“…One of the biggest challenges associated with GTL processes is the high capital costs of these plants 2,3 . Small‐scale GTL processes have the advantages of being less capital intensive, less risk, and with the potential of utilizing gas reserves which previously could not be exploited, that is, associated and stranded gas reserves 4–6 . However, the cost per barrel of these processes still remains high, if conventional technology is employed 7…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modular gas‐to‐liquids process with membrane steam‐methane reformer and Fischer–Tropsch reactive distillation

2021

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Challenges related to energy and the environment, alongside risks in capital investment decisions have sparked recent interest in process intensification research. Process intensification has been characterized by novel equipment designs that produce dramatic process improvements including reduction in size, waste production, and energy consumption. Given the current pressing environmental and social concerns on the shale gas industry, it is imperative to design and optimize energy systems to produce solutions that are economically efficient, environmentally sustainable, and socially responsible. Toward this goal, the main research challenge is to develop an integrated energy system modeling framework that can systematically generate optimal designs and operational strategies, and comprehensively improve multiple sustainability criteria. This work highlights opportunities to transform gas‐to‐liquids plants to compact, safe, energy‐efficient, and sustainable processes by using intensified units such as membrane reformers for feed handling and reactive distillation to take advantage of reaction heat to drive separation and enhance yield.

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Process flow sheet synthesis: Systems‐level design applied to synthetic crude production

Cited by 4 publications

References 22 publications

Thermodynamic optimization of steady-flow industrial chemical processes

Thermodynamic optimization of steady-flow industrial chemical processes

Material Property Targets to Enable Adsorptive Water Treatment and Resource Recovery Systems

Modular gas‐to‐liquids process with membrane steam‐methane reformer and Fischer–Tropsch reactive distillation

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