In charge of Prof. Stefania Moioli

Chemical process design consists in finding a sustainable process that can convert the raw materials to the desired products cost effectively.

The objective of this course is to introduce students to systematic methods for process design, to provide an overview of the main steps involved in the typical life cycle of a process design and to make students understand the complexity of the design activity, considering the different types of industries and sectors with own domain specific equipment and standards. In addition to systematic approach for process design, other process design considerations (economics, heat exchangers, etc.) will be stressed in order to equip students with a flexible skillset to be able to design innovative,    cost-competitive and sustainable processes in a wide range of process industries.

The course is taught in innovative teaching mode with approach “Blended Learning & Flipped Classroom” for 3 CFU. According to this approach, when dealing with some topics, students are introduced to the learning material before the lesson, and the classroom time is used to deepen the understanding through discussion with peers and problem-solving activities in small groups supported by the teacher. After the lesson, students think about the feedback they have received and use this to further improve their learning.

Moreover, through the Digital Twin Laboratory activity, students will also have the possibility of better understanding the development of separation processes starting from the analysis of phase equilibria by attending a demonstration with the experimental unit for collection of phase equilibria. The collected data will be then used for the thermodynamic modelling and the simulation of a given separation process.

 

The course is based on lectures and selected case studies for which the analysis of process schemes and their representation by using process simulators commonly employed by engineering companies will be carried out. Part of the course (focusing on diagrams and on the main issues in process plants) will be taught in innovative teaching mode with a “Blended Learning & Flipped Classroom”.

The following topics will be covered:

  • Diagrams: process scheme, BFD, PFD, P&Is, utility diagram;
  • Main aspects for process design: design basis, selection of the process flowsheet considering the different stages of separation and reaction, technology options and key process stages with related products, design trade-offs and alternatives, sensitivity analysis and optimization applied to a process scheme;
  • Other process design considerations: economics, energy saving, degrees of freedom and factors affecting productions, plant flexibility in response of variations of production demand, safety, environmental, ethical and societal issues;
  • Common utility systems and “off-site” units, with description of schemes and criteria for use and design: fuel supply, fuel oil and fuel gas plants; water treatment; steam generation and condensate recovery (high-P, medium-P and low-P steam); cooling water (open loop, closed loop, open recirculating systems); instrument air system; safety system, venting from pressure vessels, systems for conveying discharge, flares; storage (atmospheric storage, pressure storage, refrigerated storage, heated storage); waste disposal system (hints); wastewater treatment (hints);
  • Use of process simulator (ASPEN HYSYS®) to solve flowsheets.

The exercises will focus on the application of the theory to case studies, with the use of the software ASPEN HYSYS® to simulate the process and of Microsoft Excel to analyze the results.

The student will also have the possibility to attend a demonstration of collection of phase equilibria data with the experimental units in the Process Thermodynamics laboratory (PT lab) of Politecnico di Milano. For a chosen system, the student will understand the type of data needed, analyze the collected points of phase equilibrium and design the optimal process for obtaining the product of interest.

 

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