Process synthesis

The process synthesis is the name for the interpretation of chemical production processes. The term synthesis describes the process of compiling and arranging the required processes.

Purpose and tasks

In a chemical process, higher quality products are created from starting materials. The process synthesis serves to find the optimal way with

• lowest cost
• best possible product quality
• lowest energy consumption

to find and above all to check and enable the feasibility.

The process synthesis begins with the planning of a new product from which market opportunities are expected (an economic decision). The second step (the chemical one) is the determination of the most important material properties , including the possible or known by-products and intermediate products and their reactions. Ultimately, the synthesis of the separation process (processing) is of great importance , as this is where by far the greatest amount of energy is required. Finally, the environmental impact must be checked. The third step (the procedural one) is used to design the equipment. Process engineering and chemical designs are highly interdependent. The fourth step is the construction of a test facility and finally the last step is the construction of the production facility and its operation.

method

In process synthesis nowadays, process simulation is mostly used in the chemical and process engineering steps to calculate a chemical plant. This technology allows the simulation and optimization of various different designs exclusively on the computer. Here reactors , separation processes and all other basic operations can be freely combined, necessary auxiliary materials can be determined, any necessary cooling and heating can be designed and other parameters can be checked.

The simulated process is then verified in a test facility (laboratory and later pilot plant scale) before construction of the production facility begins.

The process synthesis techniques are also used in existing systems in order to repair weak points and optimize the system.