Chapter 3 – Benchmarking Process Performance Through Overall Mass Targeting

Publisher Summary This chapter deals with benchmarking the performance of an industrial facility, which refers to the determination of a standard of excellence to which the process performance can be compared. It is an important step in assessing the prospects for improving the performance of a process and in evaluating indicators and metrics for process efficiency and sustainability. The focus is on evaluating mass targets without deciding which technologies should be selected, what design changes must be made, and how the detailed economic analysis impacts the targets. Two types of mass targetting are discussed in the chapter. Stoichiometric calculations, which are used for when there are very limited data and information for the process and mass integration, which is used for existing processes or process designs with sufficient details. The overall mass targets of the process are typically determined without specifying the detailed design changes that are needed to reach the targets. Several mass integration strategies can be used to develop cost-effective implementations. Three main factors can be used in describing these strategies: economics, impact, and acceptability. The economic dimension can be assessed by a variety of criteria such as capital cost, return on investment, net present worth, and payback period. These strategies include stream segregation/mixing, recycle, interception using separation devices, changes in design and operating conditions of units, materials substitution, and technology changes including the use of alternate chemical pathways.