CHEE4024

Energy Systems in Sustainable Development

Optimisation – Part 2
Process
Dr Simon Smart
The University of Queensland
Process Optimisation -
Outline
n Considerations
n

n Major Approaches
n

n Environmental / Saftey Considerations

n

n Summary
n

n
Process Optimisation -
Example
•Too
much waste
water
•

•Biotreatment
plant at capacity
•

•How to solve?
Optimal
•

Solution?
Process Optimisation -
Example
• Most obvious
solution is not
always best
•
• Think outside
the box
Considerations for Process
Design
Current technologies
Alternatives

Risk
Capital Costs
Safety
Optimised
Process
Running Costs

Environment Product Costs

Waste Products

Infinite number of solutions

Narrowing them down needs experience
 Process Design
What about plants
made 50 years ago?
n Early design stages Can you see what
accommodate for might be more of a
concern in another
current needs 50 years?
n Creative design
q Most obvious may
not be best
n Process simulation
q ASPEN, HYSYS,
Matlab, etc.
•
 Process Design
n Heuristics (rules of thumb)
q Chemical reactions There are 53 heuristic
q Mixing and recycling principles stated in Seider,
Seader and Lewin’s
q Separation process principles book.
q T, P, and phase change
q Integration
n Mass
n Heat
Major Approaches
n Various areas are classically approached for
optimisation:
q Distillation heuristics
q Mass exchange networks (MENs)
q Heat exchanger networks (HENs)
n Co-current vs counter-current, pipe losses etc
n Pinch analysis
q Reaction/separation staging
q Mass and energy recycle
q Pumping, turbine and compressor networks (eg
HP/LP dual turbines)
Operation Positioning
Example
nConsider a process to make isobutane:
• n-C4H10  i---H--
•The feed is 20 mol% isobutane. Show the optimal pathway

• n C4H10  i C4H10 iC4 iC4

n C4H10  i C4H10

n Solution: - 80 mol% nC4

- 20 mol% iC4

n nC4
nC4
n
Option 1 Option 2
n
•Either option is valid on initial glance. On closer look, with
distillation column first, pure feed is sent to reaction operation
leading to higher conversion to isobutane.
•  Need to look at effectiveness of distillation efficiency
and reaction kinetics simulated together to make decision
•
 Equipment Choice
n Chemicals and conditions tie closely with
equipment choice.
q Vessels: Height, diameter, orientation, pressure,
temperature, material of construction (MOC)
q Towers: as for vessels and tray number, height
and packing material
q Pumps: Driver type, flow, P, T, shaft power, MOC
q Heat exchangers: Fluid, type, area, duty, no.
shell and tube passes, T, P, ∆ P and MOC
q Fired heaters: Type, tube P and T, duty, radiant
and convective heat transfer are, MOC.
n
 Environmental Consideration
n Examples:
q R134a refrigerant
q Desulphurisation of diesel
q Sulphur recovery
q CO2 reduction
q Waste water treatment
q Soil remediation
q Combined cycle power generation
q Waste conversion to acetone and isopropanol
q Ethanol for petroleum from biomass
 Safety
n Safety is the most important design requirement
n Improved product (energy) outcome can come from
choice of safer systems.
n Safety costs money. Trade off actually considered by
companies: Payouts vs safety implementation cost.
n Some industries impossible because safety too
expensive to make competitive product.
n Safety ties in with environment
q Bhopal, India, Dec 3, 1984: Union Carbide factory, water
flowed into tank with methyl isocyanate (MIC). Rapid T
rise caused boiling and MIC vapours escaped. Non
functional scrubbers and flares on safety system allowed
release of 25t toxic MIC. Killed 3 800 people.
n
n
 Safe Design
n Fires and explosions prevented by inerting,
ventilation, construction
n Relief devices
n Careful study of process: HAZOP, FMEA
n MSDS
n Ethical consideration
n
 Process Integration
n “Holistic approach to process design,
retrofitting and operation which emphasises
the unity of the process”
n

n A trade off clearly exists between improved

efficiency and complexity (reliability, cost,
etc)
n Quantify disturbances
n Flexibility
n
Process Integration – Heat
Example
How to setup
n
this system?
n
Process Integration – Heat
Example
Is this the best
n
way?
n

nWhy not?
n
 Integration Examples
Simple:
Additive
n
Mixer
1° reactant Product
n
2° reactant Separator Waste

n Reactor

n
Additive

Inc Efficiency
n Moderate: Separator

Inc Reliability
Mixer

2° reactant Product

n
E1 E2 E3
1° reactant Waste
Reactor
n Splitter

n Complex:
 Optimisation Engineering
n
Approach
Engineers need to present a solution with logical
thinking pathway.
n Optimisation problem broken down into two major units
q Structural optimisation: process choice, equipment,
flowsheet…
q Parametric optimisation: T, P, VLE…
Additive

Separator
Mixer

2° reactant Product

E1 E2 E3
1° reactant Waste
Reactor
Splitter

Structural
Optimisati
on
Optimised
1st , 2nd , 3rd . Solution

Parametric
Optimisatio
n
Optimisation Engineering
Approach
n Environmental and safety factors can also be
incorporated
n Weightings useful for metrics
n Generally metrics not needed unless many
options available
n Solution set can be listed and optimised
solution chosen.
 Optimisation – Example 1/2
n Power station turbine system: 3 structural
options
q 1: Single casing
q 2: Tandem compound casing
q 3: Cross compound casing
q HP IP
LP

q LP

q
HP IP
q
1
q 2
3
n Parametric study reveals
q 1: Thermodynamics limit low temperature if
condensation to be avoided in turbine. Turbine limit

q 2: Reheating of steam allows for increased P

 lower low T
temperature without
condensation in P1
turbine-
q -- same as for -- optimal P1,2

turbine operation
achieved. S
 Optimisation – Example 2/2
n Weigh up alternatives to come out with optimised
design
Option Structural Parametric Pros Cons Outcome (0-
10)
1 Single casing HP steam formed to turbine specs. Low Simple. Low efficiency. 3
temperature kept high to prevent Reduced piping from Highest CO2 emission
turbine blade erosion turbines and boiler. per coal fed.
Lower costs materials and
maintenance.

2 Tandem HP steam meets turbine specs. Steam Improved efficiency. Little efficiency benefit 7
compound reheated at lower pressure means Reduced CO2 emissions. from reheating.
casing lower temperature achievable without Low turbine materials Moderate equipment
condensation during isentropic costs needed.
expansion in turbine. More complex

3 Cross Thermodynamics as in 2. Turbines Better efficiency. More complex turbine 5

compound operate more efficiently. Power circuits Reduced CO2 emissions. systems.
casing can optimise balanced operation. Turbine materials low More piping and
cost. instrumentation.
Two generators needed
(cost)
Conclusion –
n To directly optimise energy output from
your process, consider traditional
process optimisation techniques
n Safety and environment must be
incorporated
n Try to mathematically state the problem
if possible.
n Choose the optimised design that
accounts for the major issues
Aspen Optimisation

n Aspen has an optimisation built in program

and the tutor will run an optimisation tutorial
n For task 3 of your project, you can use Aspen
to optimise the EP of your project.
Reference Material

n M. M. El-Halwagi (2006) Process Integration.

Acacemic Press, Amsterdam,The
Netherlands.
n G. V. Reklaitis, A. Ravindran and K. M.
Ragsdell (1983). Engineering Optimisation
– Methods and Applications. John Wiley
and Sons, New York, USA.
n