Combining Mass-Integration Strategies

The previous three chapters set the stage for developing mass-integration strategies. Chapter 3, Benchmarking Process Performance Through Overall Mass Targeting, presented several approaches to the determination of overall mass targets depending on the type and extent of available data. These targets are identified ahead of detailed design. As mentioned in Chapter 3, Benchmarking Process Performance Through Overall Mass Targeting, these targets can be attained by a combination of strategies, where impact is a measure of the effectiveness of the proposed solution in partially reaching the target. The cumulative impact of all the strategies yields the desired target. Acceptability is a measure of the likelihood of a proposed strategy to be accepted and implemented by the plant. Chapters 4, Direct-Recycle Networks: Graphical and Algebraic Targeting Approaches, and 5, Synthesis of Mass-Exchange Networks, gave important classes of systematic mass-integration tools associated with identifying such strategies. Direct recycle was covered by Chapter 4, Synthesis of Mass-Exchange Networks, as a key element in no/low-cost strategies involving segregation, mixing, and rerouting of streams without the addition of new equipment. The synthesis of mass-exchange networks was described in Chapter 5, Synthesis of Mass-Exchange Networks, as an illustration of the addition of new units (interception) and the selection or substitution of solvents to achieve a separation task. This chapter combines the tools presented in the previous three chapters. First, the process representation from a species viewpoint is presented. Then, the combination of mass-integration tools is demonstrated through the applicability to a case study on the production of acrylonitrile.