Learning objectives
Learning outcomes are: i) development and management of chemical processes for the production of commodities, fine chemicals and specialties; ii) application of scale-up methodologies from lab to pilot and industrial plant; iii) application of methodologies of the registration and authorisation of chemical compounds; iv) evaluation of hazards associated to chemical productions, and perform risk assessment; v) application of strategies for products separation; vi) estimation of economic parameters, analysis of costs associated to a chemical production; vii) choice of the catalyst and of process parameters for a chemical process; viii) fundamentals of intellectual property, and marketing strategies.
Prerequisites
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Course unit content
Recalling fundamentals and guidelines for the design of flow-sheets. Main types of catalysts and their industrial applications. Homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis. Role of the main reaction parameters. Characteristics of the main types of reactor; performance and selection criteria.
Characteristic and structure of the chemical industry. Concepts of mass and energy balances. Concepts of chemical process economy. Concepts on toxicity and hazard of chemical compounds, and on their flammability. Concepts on the design of process flow-sheets. Concepts of thermodynamics and kinetics, in order to understand the effect of process parameters on yield and selectivity to products.
Strategies in the design and operation of a chemical process. Process and product types. Procedures for the regulation and authorization of chemicals. Life cycle of a product and added value: priorities in the design of a process. Practical examples of the evolution of chemical processes. Guidelines in the scale-up of chemical processes.
The management of chemical processes. Effect of the main operating parameters (temperature, pressure, partial pressures of reactants, time) on process performance indicators: conversion, yield, selectivity, productivity. Thermodynamic and kinetic aspects.
The risk analysis in chemical processes. Hazard and operability study (Hazop). Quantitative risk assessment. Fault tree analysis (FTA). Calculation of the frequency of accidents. Consequence assessment. Risk management.
Separations. classification in function of the separating agent; impact on overall economic costs. Degrees of freedom in the design and management. Strategies for the choice of the best separation method depending on the type of industrial process: from reverse osmosis distillation. Chemical-physical principles.
Economic analysis of chemical processes. Economic aspects in the design and management of chemical processes. Battery limit and calculation of costs. Fixed and variable costs, types and their impact. Main methods for the economic evaluation. Practical examples.
Intellectual and industrial property. Human resource management and marketing strategies.
Full programme
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Bibliography
Catalysis for Renewables (From Feedstock to Energy Production),
G. Centi, R. van Santen, Wiley VCH (2005)
Design and ◦Chemical Process Design and Integration,
Robin Smith, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2005
CHEMCAL PROCESS TECHNOLOGY
J.A. Moulijn, M.Makkee, A.E. van Diepen
Wiley , IBSN 0-471-63062-4
PROCESS DEVELOPMENT FROM THE INITIAL IDEA TO THE CHEMICAL PRODUCTION PLANT
G. H.Vogel
WILEY, ISBN: 3-527-31089-4
INDUSTRIAL ORGANIC CHEMICALS (2nd Ed)
H.A. Wittcoff, B.G. Reuben, J.S. Plotkin
Wiley, ISBN 0-471-44385-9
PRODUCT AND PROCESS DESIGN PRINCIPLES: SYNTHESIS
ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION
W.D. Seider , J. D. Seader , Dan iel R. Lewin
Wiley, ISBN: 978-0-471-21663-6
PLANT DESIGN FOR SAFETY: A USER FRIENDLY APPROACH
F. T. Klez CSB 543
PRODOTTI E PROCESSI DELL’INDUSTRIA CHIMICA
Pasquon – Pregaglia CSB 170
Teaching methods
The course is composed of 48 hours of lessons, during which students are guided to the understanding the main issues related with the development and management of an industrial chemical process. During the lessons the general problems associated with the conduction of a chemical reaction on industrial scale will be discussed. Theoretical concepts will be exemplified with some modern industrial processes. The slides used will be uploaded weekly on the Elly platform. Additional material is also available on Elly. To download the slides you need to subscribe to the online course. Slides are considered an integral part of the teaching material. It reminds non-attending students to check the available teaching material and the guidelines provided by the teacher through the Elly platform. The teacher is available by appointment (e-mail) for explanations.
Assessment methods and criteria
The exam is done through an oral test, aimed at ascertaining the acquisition of the expected knowledge and skills. The final exam consists of an interview on the topics:
Strategies in the design and operation of a chemical process (40%)
The management of chemical processes (20%)
Separation industrial processes (20%)
The risk analysis in chemical processes (10%)
Economic analysis of chemical processes (5%)
Intellectual and industrial property. Human resource management and marketing strategies (5%)
Laude is given in the case of achieving the maximum score on each item. Knowledge of the topic aspects will be verified as well as the ability to argue critically and the ability to connect the different parts of the course. The synthesis, the use of proper technical language and communication skills will be evaluated positively.
Other information
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