An integrated framework for intelligent computer aided design of chemical processes

Engineering activities have in some sense reached a mature level. It is, however, well recognized that the results have not satisfied the corporate strategy that was determined in advance. This is probably due to the lack of another context for reflecting on the corporate strategy in engineering activities, and this may lead to failure in the competitive global market. The present work intends to develop a conceptual framework for engineering activities, in particular, focusing on the process system synthesis and design that are most influential to the other activities and congruent with a corporate strategy. The new context for the process system synthesis and design emphasizes on value-added activities. The discussions are based on the well-known concept of Michael Porter's value chain and on the extensive application of Bellman's “the principle of optimality” in a modified form. Despite the need for ongoing strategic corporative operations to be successful, these two concepts are not combined in an explicit way. The author proposes a conceptual framework for process system synthesis and design by combining the value chain concept with the modified form of “the principle of optimality” to satisfy multiple objectives. There are two sequential problems: the first is to maximize the monetary value added, and the second is to have the Pareto optimum or compromised solutions. Both are discussed, and an illustrative application is described.

A process design framework for considering the stability of steady state operating points and Hopf singularity points in chemical processes

This paper presents the design of multi-stage drawing process and tooling aided by finite element analysis (FEA) for fabrication of a miniature sheet metal component, made of a cold-reduced carbon steel material (SPCC). To design such a tooling, it is essential to figure out how many intermediate drawing steps are needed to produce the final part without deformation defect. First of all, a four-stage drawing process and a set of four-station tooling are designed. This pre-designed process is then analyzed by simulation, and the deformation behavior and formability in each stage is revealed. Based on the revealed deformation behavior and formability, the design of the process and tooling is confirmed. The reasonable drawing ratio and drawing depth in each drawing operation are determined. The size, clearance, and the corner radii of punch and die in each stage are also identified. The designed process and tooling are finally implemented. Through experiment, the “right design in the first time” is realized, and the simulation and experiment are found to have a good agreement. The research further demonstrates that the FEA simulation can be used as an effective tool to aid the design of metal-formed component, tooling, and process in upfront design process.

For an extraction process to be economically feasible, selecting a suitable solvent is imperative. This work extends the computer‐aided molecular and process design (CAMPD) framework COSMO‐CAMPD for solvent design in an extraction‐distillation process by replacing a pinch‐based process model with a hybrid, rate‐based extraction‐distillation process model. The resulting CAMPD framework is able to evaluate solvent candidates by investment costs in addition to operating costs in a fully predictive manner. In a case study for purifying acetone, we show that our framework's guided exploration of a vast design space yields solvents with superior performance compared to a benchmark solvent from the literature.

In industrial practice, conceptual process design is typically conducted by repetitive simulation studies, which require detailed design specifications in an early design phase. Guided by heuristics, these iterative solution procedures result in high manual effort and, in addition, no guarantee concerning the quality of the solution can be given. Optimization-based design methods provide a tremendous potential to accelerate and improve conceptual process design. For this purpose, a synthesis framework for the optimization-based design of chemical processes is presented in this thesis. Powerful shortcut and rigorous evaluation methods for reaction and distillation are presented. These methods are computationally efficient in order to allow an optimization-based design of large-scale chemical processes. Various industrial case studies illustrate the application of the novel approaches and highlight their benefits. ...

This work addresses the optimum design of a phosphoric acid (PA) production process under uncertainty, both from an economic and environmental perspective. A design and optimization framework is employed that utilizes generic process modules to enable systematic process flowsheet development and to facilitate interconnectivity among the utilized processing components. This is coupled with a systematic method of incorporating uncertainty into the process design and optimization, hence, enabling a realistic representation of industrial conditions during the PA process design stages. The integrated design of PA production processes and downstream phosphogypsum utilization processes is further proposed, in the form of the Ammonium Sulfate (AS) production process, as a means of mitigating the environmental impact of the PA production process associated with phosphogypsum. The case studies, presented to illustrate the proposed developments, highlight the significant impact of considering uncertainties in the design of optimum PA process schemes as well as generate useful insights regarding the synergies developed in the integrated PA and AS process design.

A Tabu search-based algorithm for mixed-integer nonlinear problems and its application to integrated process and control system design

A framework for the integration of solvent and process design with controllability assessment

TPS's process design in American automotive plants and its effects on the triple bottom line and sustainability

Sales and operations planning (S&OP) has emerged as a planning approach that integrates tactical level decisions across functions and supply chains while aligning day-to-day operations with long-term strategy through these decisions. The extant knowledge on S&OP has evolved primarily based on the needs of mass production contexts, and applications of S&OP in engineer-to-order (ETO) contexts have not been explored by previous research. Arguing that the cross-functionally coordinated planning enabled by S&OP can improve the effectiveness of the challenging and competitively critical tendering process, this paper develops an S&OP framework for the tactical planning process design to support delivery date setting in ETO contexts. The paper adopts a systematic literature review approach for identifying the main tactical planning activities managers in ETO companies should consider while designing the S&OP process and the information inputs required for performing and coordinating these planning activities. The identified planning activities and planning inputs are synthesised to develop the proposed S&OP framework for delivery date setting in ETO contexts. The proposed framework can support managers in assessing which tactical planning activities are strategically essential in their respective companies and redesigning or reconfiguring existing planning processes to address the planning needs of their environment.

Physical mechanisms in hybrid additive manufacturing: A process design framework

New flood risk management policies account for climate and socio-economic change by embracing a more integrated approach. Their implementation processes require: collaboration between a group of stakeholders; combining objectives and funding from various policy domains; consideration of a range of possible options at all spatial scale levels and for various time horizons. Literature provides limited guidance on how to organise a collaborative planning process to devise integrated flood risk management (IFRM) plans. This paper presents a case study where a recently developed framework for process design and management has been used and evaluates whether or not the collaborative planning process led to an IFRM plan. The case study is Dordrecht (NL) where the new multi-layer-safety (MLS) approach has been applied in the context of the Delta Programme. The Delta Programme investigates how the Netherlands can adapt to the effects of climate change. MLS comprises three flood safety layers to reduce flood risk: flood protection, spatial planning, and emergency response. The framework has been shown to be effective in the delivery of an IFRM plan, it has been enriched by defining the interfaces between and phasing of planning activities, and can be further improved to better guide implementation and governance activities.

An international association advancing the multidisciplinary study of informing systems. Founded in 1998, the Informing Science Institute (ISI) is a global community of academics shaping the future of informing science.

A computer aided engineering system for development of catalytic processes

In this paper, H2 production by microorganism was reviewed. The characteristic and critical engineering techniques of biohydrogen producing systems are discussed. Fermentative biohydrogen production classified into two main categories (dark fermentation process and photo-fermentation process) is an environmentally benign process, however, the major deterrent of anaerobic fermentation hydrogen production process stems from its lower achievable yields than electrolyze water method and methane cracking method. Strategies of process schematics and design, engineering control parameters, fermentation control, and the technique means to enhance hydrogen evolved and hydrogen evolution rate such as biokinetic control are presented as the emphases. The technology of biohydrogen production at the guild of ethanol-type fermentative biohydrogen-producing theory has been established. The continuous mixed culture and batch pure culture processes were proposed for hydrogen production.