Separation flowsheet synthesis heuristic rules

Most of the applications discussed here were based on algorithmic systematic generation approaches to process synthesis. There also exist a number of heuristic rule-based or expert-systems-based approaches including PIP for total flowsheet synthesis, SPLIT for separation schemes (Wahnschafft et ai, 1991),... 

Heuristic methods were developed by well-experienced engineers and researchers. The first attempt to develop a systematic heuristic approach for the synthesis of multicomponent separation sequences was made by Siirola and Rudd. Common example is hierarchical heuristic approach.Heuristic rules are applied at five design levels to generate and evaluate the alternatives using economic criteria. The hierarchical heuristic method emphasizes the strategy of decomposition and screening. It allows for a quick location of flowsheet structures that are often near ... 

While process sym basis research has not yet produced the so In lion to the problem of generation of die best flowsheet, a number of heuristic rules have been stated by various process synthesis researchers which can be of considerable aid in guiding the selection of the near optimum or base case and Tor systematically choosing those alternate sequences to be investigated. Some of the heuristic roles developed will be compering and in some cases even contradictory, but nevertheless they do serve to reduce the enormous amount of work (hat would be involvnd in evaluating all possible separation sequences. 

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