EAGER: Optimal Modular Process Synthesis

University Of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

1650574 Manousiouthakis, Vasilios I. The emergence of shale formations as a source of oil and natural gas has prompted unprecedented commercial interest in utilizing the lighter compressible hydrocarbon gases (so-called natural gas liquids) as feedstocks for the production of chemicals. For remote shale formations, however, where the gaseous light-ends (predominantly methane) cannot be readily transported, this has led to gas flaring with associated loss of a high-hydrogen resource, and more significantly, a greater atmospheric burden of carbon dioxide with its greenhouse gas impact. Thus, technologies suitable for converting "stranded" methane directly to larger, liquid or compressible hydrocarbons are highly desired. Commercial chemical processes have traditionally been deployed using a scale-up process that takes advantage of "economies of unit scale". This requires large, high risk, capital investments. An alternative paradigm involves the deployment of modular chemical plants that can evolve from small to large scale through parallel module use that takes advantage of "economies of mass production". The proposed research focuses on the development of a systematic methodology for the automatic synthesis of globally optimal, modular, intensified, process flowsheets, that employ a variety of process units, including reactors, separators, pumps, compressors, turbines, valves, heat exchangers, and many others. The proposed methodology will be based on the use of infinite dimensional programs with feasible regions defined by linear constraints, and objective functions which capture "economies of mass production". Their solution will be pursued through solution of finite dimensional programs of ever-increasing size, which always remain feasible and possess significant invention capabilities. The presented case study involves reactions producing acetic acid and formic acid from natural gas. For this reason, alternative methods suggesting the creation of subsystems including the steam methane reforming are presented along with novel ways of separating azeotropes. Successful conclusion of this high-risk research project will have a broad positive impact on process optimization methods, process intensification, modular manufacturing, chemical process manufacturing, power generation, and renewable energy resource development, and will result in the creation of transformative and revolutionary modular, intensified, process flowsheets, and in advances in the optimization of linearly constrained programs. The award is co-funded by the ENG Office of Emerging Frontiers and Multidisciplinary Activities.