Conceptual Design of Chemical Processes
| Lecturer: | Prof. Alexander Mitsos, Ph.D. |
| Contact: | Prozessentwicklung.SVT@avt.rwth-aachen.de |
| Lecture: | 2 hrs |
| Tutorials: | 1 hrs |
| Course schedule: | Please get them from the Course calendar RWTH Online |
| Lecture notes: | Available on Moodle |
| Semester: | Summerterm |
| Language: | German |
| Exam: | Written Exam |
The main task in conceptual process design is to develop the best process flow sheet and to find an optimal operating point. To facilitate this, this course presents a hierarchical strategy in which the overall functionality of the process is detailed in a stepwise fashion in order to design alternative flow sheets. At each level of the hierarchy, decisions have to be made as to whether a process alternative should be examined in more detail or rejected due to economical, environmental, or safety reasons. The methods required for the analysis and evaluation of the process alternatives are presented with a focus on simple shortcut methods that allow screening and validation of alternatives with relatively low effort.
The course is taught according to the following schedule:
- Decision hierarchy for flow sheet synthesis: input-output structure, reactor system, separation system
- Process calculations: mass and energy balances of flow sheets, short-cut methods for the design of distillation columns
- Sizing of equipment: reactor, separation system, heat exchanger, etc.
- Costing and engineering economics
- Energy integration: pinch analysis and heat-exchanger networks
This lecture is compulsory for all chemical engineering students and for CES students majoring in energy and chemical engineering.