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Preface

The chemical process industry involves a broad spectrum of manufacturing sectors and facilities around the world. With increased global competition, escalating environmental concerns, dwindling energy, and material resources, it is imperative for industry to seek continuous process improvement. Process intensification and integration are among the most effective strategies leading to improved process designs and operations with enhancement in cost effectiveness, resource conservation, efficiency, safety, and sustainability. Process integration is a holistic framework for designing and operating industrial facilities with an overarching focus on the interconnected nature of the various pieces of equipment, mass, energy, and functionalities. On the other hand, process intensification involves efficiency improvement through effective strategies such as increasing throughput for the same physical size or decreasing the physical size for the same throughput, coupling units and phenomena, enhancing mass and energy utilization, and mitigating environmental impact. There is a natural synergism between process integration and intensification. For instance, mass and energy integration (two key pillars of process integration) are ideal approaches for enhancing mass and energy intensities.

This book is intended to provide a compilation of the various recent developments in the fields of process intensification and process integration with focus on enhancing sustainability of the chemical processes and products. It includes state‐of‐the‐art contributions by world‐renowned leaders in process intensification and integration. It strikes a balance between fundamental techniques and industrial applications. Both academic researchers and industrial practitioners will be able to use this book as a guide to optimize their respective plants and processes.

The 14 chapters in the book are classified into two broad areas: process intensification and process integration. As expected, several intensification chapters include integration and vice versa. These chapters may be read independently of each other, or with no particular sequence. Synopses of all chapters are given as follows.

Section 1 – Process Intensification

The first section of the book consists of six chapters focusing on process intensification. Chapters 1 and 2 focus on process intensification for the shale gas industry. Chapter 1 entitled “Shale Gas as an Option for the Production of Chemicals and Challenges for Process Intensification” (by Ortiz‐Espinoza and Jiménez‐Gutiérrez) discusses alternatives to produce chemicals from shale gas, and opportunities for process intensification. In Chapter 2 entitled “Design and Techno‐Economic Analysis of Separation Units to Handle Feedstock Variability in Shale Gas Treatment” (by Bohac and coworkers), a systematic approach is proposed for the design of a processing plant to treat raw shale gas with variable composition. Chapters 3–5 focuses on various process intensification aspect of membrane separation processes. In Chapter 3 entitled “Sustainable Design and Model‐Based Optimization of Hybrid RO–PRO Desalination Process” (by Lu and coworkers), a dimensionless model‐based optimization approach was developed to evaluate the performance of a hybrid systems consisting of reverse osmosis and pressure retarded osmosis processes. In Chapter 4, entitled “Techno‐Economic and Environmental Assessment of Ultrathin Polysulfone Membranes for Oxygen‐Enriched Combustion” (by Lock and coworkers), multiscale simulation was used for techno‐economic feasibility study of ultrathin polysulfone membrane for oxygen‐enriched combustion; the multiscale simulation covers molecular scale, mesoscale, and eventually process optimization and design. Chapter 5, entitled “Process Intensification of Membrane‐Based Systems for Water, Energy, and Environment Applications” (by Md Nordin and coworkers), outlined three important applications of membrane technology in process intensification, i.e. membrane electrocoagulation flocculation for dye removal, membrane diffuser in photobioreactor, and forward osmosis/electrolysis. Chapter 6, entitled “Design of Internally Heat‐Integrated Distillation Column (HIDiC)” (by Harvindran and Foo), discussed the use of process simulation software for the design of an internal HIDiC.

Section 2 – Process Integration

The second section of the book features eight chapters on process integration. Chapters 7–9 present some latest advancements in heat exchanger network (HEN) synthesis. While Chapters 7 and 8 are based on pinch analysis techniques, Chapter 9 is based on mathematical programming technique. Chapter 7 entitled “Graphical Analysis and Integration of Heat Exchanger Networks with Heat Pumps” (by Yang and Feng), presents pinch analysis‐based strategies for the integration with heat pumps as well as heat pump‐assisted distillation with HEN. In Chapter 8 that is entitled “Insightful Analysis and Integration of Reactor and Heat Exchanger Network” (by Zhang and coworkers), a combined multi‐parameter optimization diagram (CMOD) is proposed to allow better integration of reactors with the HEN, taking into consideration of energy consumption, temperature, selectivity, and reactor conversion. Next, a new methodology named as velocity optimization is proposed in Chapter 9, entitled “Fouling Mitigation in Heat Exchanger Network Through Process Optimization” (by Wang and Feng). This new methodology allows the correlation of fouling, pressure drop, and heat transfer coefficient of heat exchangers with velocity; this allows velocity distribution to be determined among all the heat exchangers in the HEN. Chapter 10 entitled “Decomposition and Implementation of Large‐Scale Interplant Heat Integration” (by Song and coworkers) proposed a three‐step strategy for the decomposition of large‐scale inter‐plant heat integration problem. The chapter also proposes a new pinch analysis technique to identify the maximum interplant heat recovery potential, while minimizing the corresponding flow rates of heat transfer fluids. Chapter 11 entitled “Multi‐objective optimisation of integrated heat, mass and regeneration networks with renewables considering economics and environmental impact” (by Isafiade and coworkers) presents a mathematical programming method for multi‐period combined heat and mass exchange networks (CHAMENs) in which a regeneration network is included; the latter consists of multiple recyclable mass separating agents and regenerating streams. In Chapter 12 entitled “Optimization of Integrated Water and Multi‐regenerator Membrane Systems Involving Multi‐contaminants: A Water‐Energy Nexus Aspect” (by Abass and Majozi), another mathematical approach was presented for the synthesis of integrated water and membrane network; the latter consists of detailed models of electrodialysis and reverse osmosis units that are embedded within a water regeneration network. Chapter 13 entitled “Optimization Strategies for Integrating and Intensifying Housing Complexes” (by Núñez‐López and Ponce‐Ortega) provides an overview of process integration and intensification for housing complexes, the latter is typically a much larger scale as compared to industrial processes. In the last chapter entitled “Sustainable Biomass Conversion Process Assessment Contributing to ‘Process Intensification and Integration for Sustainable Design’” (by Tan), a multi‐objective process sustainability evaluation methodology known as GREENSCOPE (Gauging Reaction Effectiveness for ENvironmental Sustainability of Chemistries with a multi‐Objective Process Evaluator) is demonstrated to track process sustainability performance for a biomass conversion process.

These 14 chapters cover some of the most recent and important developments in process intensification and process integration. We hope the book will serve as a useful guide for researchers and industrial practitioners who seek to develop tools and applications for process improvement and sustainable development.

Dominic C. Y. Foo

Mahmoud M. El‐Halwagi

Kajang, Malaysia

College Station, United States

January 2020