Methodological framework for choice of intensified equipment and development of innovative technologies

• A stepwise methodology is proposed for selection of intensified technologies.
• Selection relies on system limitations and appropriate intensification strategies.
• 17 generic limitations and 17 intensification strategies are considered.
• The methodology provides lists of best-available intensified technologies.
• Most promising strategies are proposed for further open innovation process.

Process intensification is recognized as a promising strategy to satisfy the objectives of sustainable development and economic competitiveness. Unfortunately, no general methodology still enables to choose the best available technologies from the many potential solutions. This work describes a step-by-step methodology that guides engineers from a given problem to a list of existing appropriate intensified devices. The first step of the methodology consists in identifying the process limitation among a list of 16 possibilities that cover a large spectrum of cases. Then, the methodology relates, through a pre-filled connection matrix, the identified limitations to a set of intensification strategies such as geometric (micro)structuring, periodic operation or multi-scale design. The third step relates these strategies to a list of technologies that apply these strategies or in which they can be applied. The matrices enable to sort these technologies by relevance with respect to the initial problem. The final step provides quantitative charts to compare the characteristics of these potential solutions with the specifications of the problem. The methodology not only yields to a short list of appropriate solutions to be technically designed and economically assessed, but also to a list of innovation strategies.