Metallurgical Process DesignA Tribute to Douglas' Conceptual Design Approach

This case study illuminates a practical design problem for cleaner metallurgical manufacturing. The task consists of assessing the feasibility of a novel low-waste process capable of eliminating unwanted, hazardous waste streams in stainless steel production. The novel flowsheet evolves gradually as prescribed by the decision hierarchy of Douglas (Douglas, J. M. AIChE J. 1985, 31, 353−362). Successively refined economic potential estimators discriminate inferior options and discard process configurations with marginal economic performance early in the design cycle. The complex liquid metal reaction network is optimized via a multiphase total Gibbs free energy model. A bilevel mathematical program for the simultaneous optimization of economic performance at equilibrium within specified operational bounds is presented. The article uses the case study to elucidate methodological aspects in systematic decision making for metallurgical process synthesis. Examples for the beneficial use of mathematical modeling...