| A procedure is developed for the design of batch chemical plants, which consists of three steps. The first is the single product preliminary design where, following a hierarchical approach, we use a simple process description to make major decisions regarding the flowsheet characteristics such as batch vs. continuous and recycle vs. series. A procedure is developed to minimize the number of designs to be done in the screening of batch-continuous alternatives. The second step is the single product structural optimization, where we decide the optimal provision of storage tanks and the number of units in parallel at each stage that satisfy the plant scheduling constraints and minimize the cost of the process units. Finally, based on the single product designs, we generate flowsheet alternatives that satisfy the requirements for several products, and use a short-cut design procedure for the evaluation that allows a quick screening of the alternatives generated. |
