Stability issues in process synthesis

Abstract A systematic methodology is presented for the optimal design of stable systems. The methodology is based upon the formulation of a parametric problem that bounds the optimal stable solution to which it converges within a number of iterations. The approach can be applied to the optimal design of total process flowsheets, as well as to the optimal synthesis of reactor networks where it can simultaneously address optimization and stability issues in superstructures comprised by large numbers of interconnected reactors which process complex reaction schemes.