Safety Analysis of Intensified Distillation Processes Using Existing and Modified Safety Indices

• Published in: Control and Safety Analysis of Intensified Chemical Processes p. 1
• Main Authors: Shrikhande, Savyasachi, Deshpande, Gunawant K, Rangaiah, Gade Pandu, Patle, Dipesh Shikchand
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim, Germany John Wiley & Sons 2024; Wiley‐VCH GmbH
• Subjects: Chemistry & Chemical Engineering; Control Systems; damage index; dividing‐wall column; General References; individual risk; mechanical vapor recompression; Process Design, Control & Automation; process intensification; process route index; safety
• ISBN: 3527352627; 9783527352623
• DOI: 10.1002/9783527843657.ch9

Manufacturers are currently facing immense challenges because of intense competition in the market and stringent environmental regulations. Consequently, they are adopting process intensification for sustainable manufacturing; this intensification impacts the economics, harmful emissions, and process safety. Hence, it is important to analyze intensified processes using suitable safety indices that can reliably depict the risk of the process. In this chapter, three process alternatives, namely, conventional sequence of columns, dividing‐wall column (DWC), and DWC with mechanical vapor recompression (DWC–MVR), are analyzed using three safety indices, namely, individual risk (IR), damage index (DI), and process route index (PRI), from the literature. Later, the safety prospects of the three processes are discussed based on experienced engineers' recommendations obtained through a survey. Similarity and dissimilarity between the safety prospects depicted by the considered indices and those suggested by the experts are deliberated. Finally, an improved PRI (iPRI) is proposed to make it more comprehensive and relevant for analyzing and comparing the safety of both intensified and conventional processes. It is found that the proposed index depicts the safety of the considered processes in line with the experts' recommendations.