Applications and Potential of Process Intensification in Chemical Process Industries

• Published in: Control and Safety Analysis of Intensified Chemical Processes p. 1
• Main Author: Reddy, Chirla C.S
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim, Germany John Wiley & Sons 2024; Wiley‐VCH GmbH
• Subjects: Chemistry & Chemical Engineering; Control Systems; demisters/vane; direct heating; General References; heat transfer enhancement techniques; inherently safer design; parallel plate oil–water separators; plate/plate‐fin heat exchangers; Process Design, Control & Automation; process intensification; safety; safety instrumented system; static mixer
• ISBN: 3527352627; 9783527352623
• DOI: 10.1002/9783527843657.ch2

Process intensification techniques reduce equipment/unit operation size by several orders of magnitude (e.g. 2–10 times) by the use of novel equipment, increase the efficiency by combining two or more unit operations in the same equipment, and/or decrease energy consumption substantially. They can also use better catalysts and reaction sequences. Eventually, process intensification reduces the plant size and, hence, reduces the inventory of toxic and/or flammable materials. The use of process intensification techniques is becoming increasingly important to achieve sustainability and business objectives such as lower operating and/or maintenance costs, lower equipment cost, production of better products and/or product quality, reduced environmental emissions, economic carbon capture, improved process safety (by adapting inherently safer design practices), and development of process plants with a smaller footprint. Over the past few decades, many process intensification equipment/techniques/processes have been developed for use in the process industries. Process intensification techniques have their own advantages and disadvantages. One needs to understand them thoroughly before implementing them. This chapter presents an overview of many process intensification techniques employed in industrial practice and discusses their relative merits.