Miniplant integrated

With the introduction of advanced process simulation tools [25], the so-called integrated process development established. Here the most time-consuming pilot plant phase is bypassed by a combined approach of experimental miniplant testing and numerical process modeling. 

The above-mentioned integrated process development combines simulation tools with miniplant equipment to bypass the set-up of a pilot-scale plant Similar to this combined approach, a micro structured reactor plant can bridge laboratory-scale and micro-scale development. One could think of a future micro-integrated process... 

In comparison with distillation, the most widely used process, knowledge of the fundamentals of Uquid/liquid extraction is limited. A sufficiently accurate description of the hydrodynamics and mass-transfer rates of liquid systems for the design of apparatus is currently not possible for many practical applications.The development of an extraction apparatus generally requires cost-intensive and timepilot plants. Tests with original solutions, for example, from an integrated miniplant, are especially important here (see Section 4.5). 

Once a treatment process has been chosen, tests must be carried out with original wastewater in a miniplant, so that scale-up problems can be solved. Especially in the case of regenerative processes, in which separated substances are recycled as valuable products to the production process, the influence of the new reycle streams must be tested in an integrated test plant. 

Since the high-boiling substance was not known before, it was not possible to include it in the mathematical simulation. Now that it has been discovered as a result of operating an integrated plant (micro- or miniplant), it can be characterized and incorporated in the simulation [Buschulte 1995]. Whereas the microplant is used to test the most important recycle streams at the laboratory stage, in the integrated miniplant all recycle streams are investigated. 

The process now leaves the research phase and enters the development phase. This is associated with a jump in costs, which makes disciplined milestoning and continuous cost and time control necessary. Today mainly miniplants are used as integrated test plants, and these are described in more detail in the following. 

The trial plant includes all the recycling paths (it is a so-called integrated miniplant) and it can consequently be extrapolated with a high degree of reliability [Worz 1995]. 

This part of the project study should contain information on whether the existing experimental results have been obtained in-house or are derived from third parties. If in-house knowledge is available, the test units in which the experiments were carried out (e.g., laboratory, integrated miniplant) should be specified and the duration and conditions of the experiments given. The aim is to arrive at as an objective assessment as possible of the quality of the data obtained since this is of major importance for the accuracy of the project cost estimate. 

Acceleration of process development [ Faz 1999] by using integrated miniplant technology (laboratory plant —> microplant miniplant industrial plant). 

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