Seeking synergistic effect—A key principle in process intensification

Process intensification calls for the combination of two or more conventional unit operations within one framework, thus giving rise to a challenging coordination problem in process synthesis and design. Seeking synergistic effect among all the conventional unit operations involved is found to be an important principle for process development. Three cases of process intensification are studied to evaluate the principle, including: (i) a hypothetical reactive distillation system; (ii) a reactive distillation column for the hydration of ethylene oxide; (iii) an ideal heat-integrated distillation column. It is demonstrated that simply combining two or more conventional unit operations together does not necessarily tap out the full potentials of capital investment reduction and energy saving. Only after the synergistic effect has been deliberately considered in process synthesis and design, can process intensification be carried out in the most effective manner. Furthermore, seeking synergistic effect appears frequently to yield improved process dynamics and provide additional redundancy to process operation because the underlying conflicts could be attenuated among all the conventional unit operations involved.