Modern Chemical Process Design- A Combined Steady State and Dynamic (CSAD) Approach

Texas Tech University, Lubbock TX

Investigators

Abstract

The objective of our project is to replace the existing two sequence undergraduate design courses with pedagogy that teaches Combined Steady state and Dynamic (CSAD) concepts in all aspects of the design process. Our proof-of-concept is aimed at investigating how this new pedagogy can be implemented. The mainstay of our work is the application/implementation of results, developed by the PIs and others, in the area of plantwide process control. The present pedagogy of chemical process design covers only steady-state design concepts but tends to ignore operational and control considerations. These remain the domain of a control/instrument engineer. Unfortunately, operating requirements during startup and shutdown usually are much different than those at steady state, and a process designed solely for a given steady-state condition may not be operational or controllable. Today's chemical industry needs more efficient design and they seek chemical engineers capable of doing the tasks of design and control simultaneously. Our work is an attempt to address this issue.