PROCESS SYNTHESIS AND OPTIMIZATION GROUP

Department of Chemical Engineering, NTNU

Head of group: Prof. Kristian M. Lien

ANNUAL REPORT 1995

By the end of 1995, the group consists of seven members (one professor, one postdoc and five dr.ing. students) and five associated members (two dr.ing. students from the Physical Chemistry Department and three SINTEF researchers). Five diploma students have been associated with the group in 1995.

The main research activities have been within two areas:

1. Methods for Design and Optimization of Chemical Processes with emphasis on reactor - and separation systems.

Steinar Hauan (dr.ing. student) is developing new methods for design of reactive distillation systems, based on graphical representation of the elementary phenomena that occur in reactive distillation (reaction, separation and mixing). Steinars work has lead to an invitation to give a seminar on this topic at Carnegie Mellon University, USA (febr. -96).

Harald Nordgaard Hansen (dr.ing. student) is developing optimization models for synthesis gas processes. This project is carried out in cooperation with Statoil. Harald will spend 6 months at Imperial College, London, in 1996.

Eirik Bjerve Sund (dr.ing. student) is developing new methods for design and optimization of reactor systems. The new methods will be applied to LDPE (polyethylene) reactor systems. Cooperation with Borealis.

Erik Sauar (associated dr.ing. student) is developing new methods for design of energy- efficient separation systems. He applies insights from irreversible thermodynamics to come up with simplified, practical design guidelines for how to design systems that exhibit close to optimal thermodynamic efficiency. He has in addition been pursuing his M.Sc. in Socialanthropology. In -95, Erik won the prize "Kongeskipet Norge's price for best environmentally oriented diploma thesis at NTH, 1994", and a prize for excellent study results ("Innstilling").

Oddvar Gorseth (associated dr.ing. student) is developing new design methods for reactor systems based on insights from irreversible thermodynamics. In 1995, he won a prize for excellent study results ("Innstilling").

Torbjørn Pettersen (postdoc.) spent the first half of -95 as a postdoc at the University of Boulder, Colorado, where he developed models for combined membrane / distillation systems. After his return he has been working on further development and applications of models for gas separation by membranes. This work is done in close cooperation with a Norwegian membrane module manufacturer.

Diploma Students

5 diploma students were associated with the group in this area in 1995:

Eva Beck (in ENSIGC, Toulouse), working on optimization of batch processes.

Tone Anderaa (in Statoil, Stavanger), working on optimization of propane recovery from an offshore topside process.

Fredrik Savio, working on development of shortcut models for membrane separators.

Marit Retallack, working with process integration as an opportunity for further development of industrial clusters in Norway. (Focused towards natural gas) Marit will continue in the group as a research assistant in '96.

2. Operation of Process Plants

Our work in this area is part of the INPRO Program - a dr.ing. program with altogether 9 dr.ing. students and 4 faculty from the departments of Chemical Engineering, Engineering Cybernetics and Organization and Work Science. This program is based on close cooperation with 9 participating companies and the Confederation of Process Industries (PIL), where the dr.ing. research is closely coupled with internal research and development projects in the companies. In 1995, INPRO was awarded "The Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel Best Paper Award - 1995" by the Society for Design and Process Science.

Jahn Olaf Olsen (dr.ing. student, INPRO) is developing models and methods for improvement /optimization of the entire production complex at Borreggaard Industries, Ltd. He uses a sociotechnical approach: Optimization of the process equipment set points is not sufficient, since there is an operating organization which is responsible for the operation. In such a context, issues such as the production management's focus and the skills and priorities of the operators are crucial to actually achieve the kinds of improvements that may be predicted from a model.

Catharina Lindheim (dr.ing.student) is working with Statoil Tjeldbergodden, a new methanol plant that will utilize new organization principles. Catharina studies the information systems that are being built to support this new organization.

One diploma student was associated with the group in this area in 1995:

Eivind Willoch, whose thesis title was "Optimization of evaporator cleaning procedures". A project in cooperation with Borregaard Industries.

Activities and initiatives in -95.

"Political" activities

Teaching in 1995:

Spring: "Advanced Process Synthesis", a dr.ing. course in the Ch.E. department. Fall: "Operation of Process Plants II", a seminar based cross-disciplinary dr.ing. course for the INPRO students.

National and international cooperation:

National:

International:

Plans for 1996:

In addition to the activities implied by the above descriptions, the following is planned:

Publications, 1995:

"In the pipe":

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