Generation of possible design solutions

The creative part of the design process is the generation of possible solutions to the problem (ways of meeting the objective) for analysis, evaluation and selection. In this activity the designer will largely rely on previous experience, his own and that of others. 

It is doubtful if any design is entirely novel. The antecedence of most designs can usually be easily traced. The first motor cars were clearly horse-drawn carriages without the horse and the development of the design of the modern car can be traced step by step from these early prototypes. In the chemical industry, modem distillation processes have developed from the ancient stills used for rectification of spirits and the packed columns used for gas absorption have developed from primitive, brushwood-packed towers. So, it is not often that a process designer is faced with the task of producing a design for a completely novel process or piece of equipment. 

The experienced engineer will wisely prefer the tried and tested methods, rather than possibly more exciting but untried novel designs. The work required to develop new processes, and the cost, is usually underestimated. Progress is made more surely in small steps. However, whenever innovation is wanted, previous experience, through prejudice, can inhibit the generation and acceptance of new ideas the not invented here syndrome. 

The amount of work, and the way it is tackled, will depend on the degree of novelty in a design project. 

Chemical engineering projects can be divided into three types, depending on the novelty involved  

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