Multi-dimensional design process management by extended product modeling for concurrent process engineering

Conventional product and process models have focused on static features. That means product models are mainly based on structural decomposition of products, and process models are also often described by activity decomposition such as work breakdown structure. From the view of design process management, it is difficult to describe dynamic features of design processes appropriately through conventional methodologies. In this paper, a multidimensional approach for design process management was explored to manifest characteristics of design processes for chemical plant design. Parallelized design process for concurrent process engineering should be managed by twodimensional design activity flows. The process management makes it possible to guide progress of design processes in a helix structure by horizontal and vertical activity control simultaneously. They stand for teleological and causal relation between design activities, respectively. That can be achieved based on an extended product model, which represents various design perspectives explicitly from a conventional design activity model. The extended product model is composed of product data, design activities, and activity drivers. Dynamic features of the extended product model are expressed by an activity chain model. These concepts will support the realization of concurrent process engineering for chemical plant design in the sense that they provide design process management strategies.     

Towards multiscale modelling in product engineering

A concept of multiscale modelling of product manufacturing based on integration of three modelling methods currently applied at different scales of length and time: process system modelling, computational fluid dynamics and computational chemistry was presented. Major features of the three key types of modelling in the chemical and process industries were briefly described. The first applications and mutual benefits of joint use of two of the three approaches were presented along with the perspectives for the full integration of all three methods. The crucial role of a universal interface, such as the CAPE-OPEN standard, was emphasized.     

Process systems engineering: From Solvay to modern bio- and nanotechnology.: A history of development, successes and prospects for the future

The term Process Systems Engineering (PSE) is relatively recent. It was coined about 50 years ago at the outset of the modern era of computer-aided engineering. However, the engineering of processing systems is almost as old as the beginning of the chemical industry, around the first half of the 19th century. Initially, the practice of PSE was qualitative and informal, but as time went on it was formalized in progressively increasing degrees. Today, it is solidly founded on engineering sciences and an array of systems-theoretical methodologies and computer-aided tools. This paper is not a review of the theoretical and methodological contributions by various researchers in the area of PSE. Its primary objective is to provide an overview of the history of PSE, i.e. its origin and evolution; a brief illustration of its tremendous impact in the development of modern chemical industry; its state at the turn of the 21st century; and an outline of the role it can play in addressing the societal problems that we face today such as; securing sustainable production of energy, chemicals and materials for the human wellbeing, alternative energy sources, and improving the quality of life and of our living environment. PSE has expanded significantly beyond its original scope, the continuous and batch chemical processes and their associated process engineering problems. Today, PSE activities encompass the creative design, operation, and control of: biological systems (prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells); complex networks of chemical reactions; free or guided self-assembly processes; micro- and nano-scale processes; and systems that integrate engineered processes with processes driven by humans, legal and regulatory institutions. Through its emphasis on synthesis problems, PSE provides the dialectic complement to the analytical bent of chemical engineering science, thus establishing the healthy tension between synthesis and analysis, the foundation of any thriving discipline. As a consequence, throughout this paper PSE emerges as the foundational underpinning of modern chemical engineering; the one that ensures the discipline's cohesiveness in the years to come.     

Process system engineering in wastewater treatment process

This paper reviews the research and development of process system engineering (PSE) in the wastewater treatment process (WWTP). A diverse range of PSE applications have evolved in the wastewater treatment process, such as modeling, control, estimation, expert system, fault detection and monitoring system. This article describes several types of PSE that have proven to be effective in WWTP. The merits and shortcoming of PSE and its detailed applications are presented. Since its development is the forefront in WWTP, a reasonable review of the research progress in this field is addressed.     

项目管理课程在过程装备与控制工程教育中的作用

针对过程装备与控制工程专业课程体系中缺乏工程教育方法论方面课程的情况,本文从项目活动的普遍性,项目管理对企业生存和发展的重要性,以及项目管理知识体系在启迪智慧、提升工程素质和能力上的指导作用等三方面,说明了设置项目管理课程的必要性,指出了课程设置中应注意的问题。     

Among the trends for a modern chemical engineering,the third paradigm: The time and length multiscale approach as an efficient tool for process intensification and product design and engineering

To respond to the changing needs of the chemical and related industries in order both to meet today's economy demands and to remain competitive in global trade, a modern chemical engineering is vital to satisfy both the market requirements for specific nano and microscale end-use properties of products, and the social and environmental constraints of industrial meso and macroscale processes. Thus an integrated system approach of complex multidisciplinary, non-linear, non-equilibrium processes and phenomena occurring on different length and time scales of the supply chain is required. That is, a good understanding of how phenomena at a smaller length-scale relates to properties and behaviour at a longer length-scale is necessary (from the molecular-scale to the production-scales). This has been defined as the triplet “molecular Processes-Product-Process (3PE)” integrated multiscale approach of chemical engineering. Indeed a modern chemical engineering can be summarized by four main objectives: (1) Increase productivity and selectivity through intensification of intelligent operations and a multiscale approach to processes control: nano and micro-tailoring of materials with controlled structure. (2) Design novel equipment based on scientific principles and new production methods: process intensification using multifunctional reactors and micro-engineering for micro structured equipment. (3) Manufacturing end-use properties to synthesize structured products, combining several functions required by the customer with a special emphasis on complex fluids and solid technology, necessating molecular modeling, polymorph prediction and sensor development. (4) Implement multiscale application of computational chemical engineering modeling and simulation to real-life situations from the molecular-scale to the production-scale, e.g., in order to understand how phenomena at a smaller length-scale relate to properties and behaviour at a longer length-scale. The presentation will emphasize the 3PE multiscale approach of chemical engineering for investigations in the previous objectives and on its success due to the today's considerable progress in the use of scientific instrumentation, in modeling, simulation and computer-aided tools, and in the systematic design methods.     

Current situation and future implementation of safety curricula for chemical engineering education in France

The paper describes an overview of the curricula concerning the safety and loss prevention courses delivered in the three following French departments of chemical engineering: Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Industries Chimiques de Nancy (ENSIC), Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Ingénieurs en Arts Chimiques et Technologiques de Toulouse (ENSIACET) and Ecole Nationale Supérieure en Génie des Technologies Industrielles de Pau (ENSGTI).The arguments to introduce safety in the chemical engineering were first examined. The two main ways to teach safety, health and loss prevention concepts were then discussed. The detailed content of the courses was reported and compared with the recommendations of EFCE Bologna (I), of IChem (UK) and of Dechema GVC (D) guidelines. The proposed core compulsory curricula and the optional or elective courses were formulated according to the first and second cycle degrees European system, with the corresponding European Credit Transfer Unit (ECTU).Finally an evaluation of the safety education experimented in the three chemical engineering departments was commented. Some propositions concerning the amelioration and the future development particularly from the point of view of the ethics and social process of safety were suggested, but the challenge is strong.     

A combined heuristic and indicator-based methodology for design of sustainable chemical process plants

The current emphasis on sustainable production has prompted chemical plants to minimize raw material and energy usage without compromising on economics. While computer tools are available to assist in sustainability assessment, their applications are constrained to a specific domain of the design synthesis problem. This paper outlines a design synthesis strategy that integrates two computer methodologies - ENVOPExpert and SustainPro - for simultaneous generation, analysis, evaluation, and optimization of sustainable process alternatives. ENVOPExpert diagnoses waste sources, identifies alternatives, and highlights trade-offs between environmental and economic objectives. This is complemented by SustainPro which evaluates the alternatives and screens them in-depth through indicators for profit and energy, water, and raw material usage. This results in accurate identification of the root causes, comprehensive generation of design alternatives, and effective reduction of the optimization search space. The framework is illustrated using an acetone process and a methanol and dimethyl ether production case study.     

Thermophysical and thermochemical properties on-demand for chemical process and product design

The article provides a perspective of chemical process and product design on-demand, plus its implementation and impact in addressing modern challenges faced by the chemical industry. The concepts of Global Information Systems in Science and Engineering in application to the field of thermodynamics as well as Dynamic Data Evaluation for thermophysical and thermochemical properties are discussed as underlying principles for implementation of chemical process and product design on-demand.     

中国化工教育的历史、现状及展望

我国化工教育在世纪之交经历了快速的发展,而当前日新月异的科学和技术、国家安全的关注、制造业的重构、能源和环境问题、全球化等又给化工教育的发展提出了许多新的命题。回顾我国化工教育的历史,分析现状,有助于启迪未来。分析表明,中国化工教育规模居世界前列;化工人才培养的数量和质量基本满足当前中国经济发展的需要,但未来化工工程师的培养还应在全面工程教育的框架下更加重视创新能力、实践能力和全球化理念的培养。     

在教学中强化绿色过程工程教育的思考和尝试

培养具有较强绿色过程工程观念的人才是经济社会可持续发展的要求。化学、化工等过程工程相关专业应加强绿色过程工程教育。制药工业是一个以新药研究开发为基础的典型的过程工业。化学制药工艺学是制药工程专业本科教育的核心课程,为绿色过程工程教育提供了适宜载体。本文介绍了在化学制药工艺学教学中强化绿色过程工程教育的一些尝试,如重视案例教学、当代工程观教育,以及生命周期评价、原子经济性、E因子、环境商等概念等,以期为更好地开展绿色过程工程教育提供借鉴。     

过程控制系统自主设计与综合仿真教学方法

过程控制工程课程以控制系统分析、设计和应用为主要内容,具有很强的应用性和实践性。为了激发学生的学习热情,加深对教学内容的理解,任课教师在教学中会提出若干个典型的过程控制工程问题,由学生建立对象的仿真模型、自主设计相应的控制方案、完成控制系统的综合仿真与研究报告,最后在教师主导下进行课堂研讨。实践证明这种方式有效地提高了学生发现问题、分析问题和解决问题的能力,取得了很好的教学效果。     

过程装备与控制工程专业卓越工程师培养探索

卓越工程师培养计划是由中国工程院发起,联合教育部等众多部委实施的人才培养模式,是面向未来国民经济发展对人才需求的趋势而推出的新举措,也是我国高等工程教育发展的一种新尝试。依据过程装备与控制工程专业特点,我院研究制订了该专业卓越工程师培养方案,并建立了过程装备制造和检测检验两个实践基地,拓展了实践性教学的内涵,创新了实施的载体,培养模式上采取灵活而可操作的方法,积累了一些经验。     

煤直接液化技术发展的化学脉络及化学工程挑战

从对煤直接液化的化学本质的分析入手,讨论了煤直接液化技术发展的化学脉络及所面临的化学工程挑战。作者认为,煤直接液化技术的化学本质是煤大分子结构在热场中裂解产生自由基碎片的速率和自由基碎片加氢的速率的匹配,这两个速率的差异决定了煤浆预热、煤液化反应,甚至高温条件下产物分离等过程的特征,决定了油收率、系统中物料结焦、物料输送等行为。     

过程控制工程国家精品课程特色建设探讨与实践

本文针对华东理工大学过程控制工程国家精品课程建设中的主要特色,从教学内容、师资队伍、培养方案、实践教学和产学研结合等方面探讨了过程控制工程课程创新教学改革与实践,并详述了教学改革的基本思路、具体的教学措施和经验体会。     

过程装备专业工程流体力学课程的地位与教学要求

本文针对过程装备的专业内涵和人才培养,阐述对工程流体力学课程地位与意义的认识,明确了本课程性质、教学任务、教学目的,最后就过程装备专业工程流体力学课程的教学内容与要求提出了建议,以推进课程教学水平的提高。     

绿色化学——我国化学工业可持续发展的必由之路

绿色化学是当今国际化学研究的前沿 ,是 2 1世纪的科学。论述了绿色化学的研究内容、重要技术及其在磷酸盐工业、石油化工、化学制药、能源和新材料等领域中的应用 ,指出绿色化学是我国化学工业可持续发展的必由之路 ,并提出了相应的发展对策     

Towards a methodology for the systematic analysis and design of efficient chemical processes: Part 1. From unit operations to elementary process functions

A successful intensification of a chemical process requires a holistic view of the process and a systematic debottlenecking, which is obtained by identifying and eliminating the main transport resistances that limit the overall process performance and thus can be considered as rate determining steps on the process level. In this paper, we will suggest a new approach that is not based on the classical unit operation concept, but on the analysis of the basic functional principles that are encountered in chemical processes.A review on the history of chemical engineering in general and more specifically on the development of the unit operation concept underlines the outstanding significance of this concept in chemical and process engineering. The unit operation concept is strongly linked with the idea of thinking in terms of apparatuses, using technology off the shelf. The use of such “ready solutions” is of course convenient in the analysis and design of chemical processes; however, it can also be a problem since it inherently reduces the possibilities of process intensification measures.Therefore, we break with the tradition of thinking in terms of “unit apparatuses” and suggest a new, more rigorous function-based approach that focuses on the underlying fundamental physical and chemical processes and fluxes.For this purpose, we decompose the chemical process into so-called functional modules that fulfill specific tasks in the course of the process. The functional modules itself can be further decomposed and represented by a linear combination of elementary process functions. These are basis vectors in thermodynamic state space. Within this theoretical framework we can individually examine possible process routes and identify resistances in individual process steps. This allows us to analyze and propose possible options for the intensification of the considered chemical process.