Conceptual design of metallurgical processes based on thermodynamic and economic insights

This work illuminates a practical design approach for developing economically viable and thermodynamically feasible metallurgical manufacturing processes. Successively refined economic potential estimators serve as the driving force for systematically advancing the design effort. The focus on process economics aims at identifying design inferior options and discarding process configurations with marginal economic performance early in the development cycle. In the proposed approach, novel process ideas evolve gradually as prescribed by the decision hierarchy by Douglas [AIChE J. 31 (1985) 353] modified to address metallurgical processes. Due to lack of heuristics in modeling reaction networks, a bi-level mathematical program for the simultaneous optimization of economic performance and complex multi-phase thermodynamic equilibrium is developed. The discussion includes the derivation of a thermodynamically consistent framework for integrating empirical atom interaction coefficients into the total Gibbs free energy model. The article demonstrates the beneficial use of mathematical modeling and non-linear mathematical programming within a systematic design framework.

[1]  Arthur W. Westerberg,et al.  Bilevel programming for steady-state chemical process design , 1990 .

[2]  James M. Douglas,et al.  A hierarchical decision procedure for process synthesis , 1985 .

[3]  J. Leitner,et al.  Calculation of chemical equilibria in heterogeneous multicomponent systems , 1995 .

[4]  G. Sigworth,et al.  The Thermodynamics of Liquid Dilute Iron Alloys , 1974 .

[5]  David R. Gaskell,et al.  Introduction to metallurgical thermodynamics , 1973 .

[6]  J. M. Douglas.  Process synthesis for waste minimization , 1992 .

[7]  Miguel J. Bagajewicz,et al.  Mass/heat‐exchange network representation of distillation networks , 1992 .

[8]  Eberhard Schürmann,et al.  Determination of the phase boundaries of the wustite solid solution within the context of reduction tests , 1993 .

[9]  Arthur W. Westerberg,et al.  Bilevel programming for steady-state chemical process design—I. Fundamentals and algorithms , 1990 .

[10]  Wolfgang Pies,et al.  I. Barin, O. Knacke: Thermochemical Properties of Inorganic Substances. Springer‐Verlag, Berlin — Verlag Stahleisen, Düsseldorf 1973, 921 S., Preis DM 150,—. , 1975 .

[11]  C. Lupis.  Chemical thermodynamics of materials , 1983 .

[12]  Bodo Linnhoff,et al.  Heat and power networks in process design. Part I: Criteria for placement of heat engines and heat pumps in process networks , 1983 .

[13]  Andreas A. Linninger.  Metallurgical Process DesignA Tribute to Douglas' Conceptual Design Approach , 2002 .

[14]  Nobuo Sano,et al.  Advanced Physical Chemistry for Process Metallurgy , 1997 .

[15]  James M. Douglas,et al.  Conceptual Design of Chemical Processes , 1988 .

[16]  Robert Leonard Kirkwood,et al.  PIP--PROCESS INVENTION PROCEDURE: A PROTOTYPE EXPERT SYSTEM FOR SYNTHESIZING CHEMICAL PROCESS FLOWSHEETS , 1988 .

[17]  W. Seider,et al.  Computation of phase and chemical equilibrium: Part I. Local and constrained minima in Gibbs free energy , 1979 .