Process synthesis Table 5.2—53 heuristics

Process Synthesis by Hierarchical Approach Table 2.1 Heuristics at input/output level. 

Heuristics far Multicomponent Distillation Sequences. The origin of meny heuristics can be traced to multicomponent distillation problems and, with the possible exception of heat exchenge network synthesis, most process synthesis study has been in this area. This is not surprising since distillation is the backbone of the chemical industry. Heuristics for multicomponent distillation are summarized in Table 4.2-2 and discussed below. 

Be able to implement the steps in Section 3.4 for process synthesis more effectively, using the many heuristics presented herein, and summarized in Table 5.2. The examples and exercises should enable him or her to gain experience in their application. 

Recognize the limitations of the heuristics in Table 5.2 and the role of the process simulator in permitting the systematic variation of parameters and the examination of alternative designs. The reader should also recognize that the heuristics listed are a subset of the many rules of thumb that have been applied by design teams in carrying out process synthesis. 

General Heuristics. Below are listed a set of heuristics that generally are applicable to separuion process synthesis. A summary of these heuristics appears in Table 4.2-1. 

Through several examples and the exercises at the end of the chapter, the reader should be able to apply the heuristics in Table 5.2 when generating a synthesis tree. Also, he or she should obtain an appreciation of the role of heuristics and recognize that the heuristics covered are only a subset of many that are widely applied in chemicals processing. 

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