Most strategic product- and process-development decisions are made very early in the life of a project � detailed data on reaction kinetics, phase behavior, chemical properties, etc., are incomplete or unknown, and investment decisions must be made based on mostly qualitative and some quantitative information obtained during the discovery phase. In addition, there is increasing pressure to reduce the development time for new products and processes. Process development is usually performed in an evolutionary way, in which the process flowsheet is developed based on experience and proven best practice rather than on a systematic framework for generating process alternatives. Although this approach yields useful designs quickly and reliably, it does not promote the use of novel technologies, nor does it allow for the comparison of alternative designs. The main danger in the traditional approach is jumping to a solution before the problem is really understood.This talk will describe a rapid process development methodology that utilizes synergistic contributions from Chemical Engineers, Chemists and Material Scientists to identify and rank process options. This can aid investment decisions and can also help steer experimental and process development programs. We will discuss industrial examples for a new on-purpose Propane to Propylene technology where our methodology enabled rapid development of process alternatives and corresponding intellectual property.

Rapid process development

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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