Process Integration Gothenburg 20 Years Later

March 2013
Historical Overview of Early Development
Bodo Linnhoff

formerly ICI, UMIST, Linnhoff March

It all started in the 1970s........







Looking back 40 years......
1970s


Computers only for number crunching
No Word Processors Typewriters !!

Looking back 1970s


Use of Targets in Industry
Industry 1970s

Example BP:
Setting Targets was Standard Practice
Using
Boston Learning Curves

Boston Experience Curves (ref wikipedia)
eg, expect 20% improvement when doubling production
Industry 1970s

Boston Learning Curves:
Based on past performance
No concept of Best Possible

Looking back 1970s


Process Design in Industry
Process Design


How was it done in the 1970s?

Example ICI
Corporate Laboratory



Simulation Tools
Process Design in the late 1970s *)






Engineers Used Simulation Tools

*) imagine punched cards in the early 1970s

A Trial - and - Error Loop ?
S
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Industry 1970s

Process Design:
Trial - and - Error !!
Not much by way of Method

The Idea of
Process Synthesis

Invention of Flowsheet



Process Flowsheet &
Simulation Input Data
Processing Task
Simulation

Ultimate Goal: we only need one Simulation
Finish
University Research 1970s

Process Synthesis

Branch-and-Bound, Monte Carlo

LP, NLP, etc

Artificial Intelligence (IBM Deep Thought...)




University Research 1970s

Process Synthesis Research:

Computers could play the game......

ie design simple flowsheets

......but they couldnt hope to win!



Reaction from Industry 1970s

Whats more important?
Clever Algorithm?
Or Better Flowsheet?




Response from Researchers

Give us a chance!
....and a faster computer?

Reference: IBM and Computers for Chess



Special Interest
Heat Exchanger Networks
or
HEN Design
HEN Design
Library of standard problems
Name of the game:
My (big) computer found a better solution
than your (big) computer !!
A Different Approach


Ponton and Donalson, 1974

HEN Design
Match hottest cold stream with hottest
hot stream, etc
....same again, etc





Ponton and Donaldson (1974)


A simple rule thats worth knowing

Easy to see how an engineer
would use this



It Just Fits In
Simulation



Assess

Like it?

Finish



Linnhoff & Flower, AIChE Journal (1978)

Targets before Design
Zero Pinch *) Heatflow
Use of Driving Forces
Interactive Approach
*) was not called Pinch yet


Pinch Technology 1978


Grid DiagramGrid Diagram

Grid Diagram - helped with the interaction
Pinch Technology 1978

All standard literature problems:
(with a hand calculator)

Next: Try it out in Industry
It had seemed too easy......
Reality:
Control, Safety, Corrosion, Materials of Construction,
Design Types, Fouling, Foundations, Piping, Retrofit .....
??

Six Months Later
ICI Petrochemicals
HEN Design (Student) Project
(ref David Boland)
Real Project: Improvement!!!
Key Point
Simulation



Assess

Like it?

Finish



next step
ICI Corporate Laboratory:
IPDG
INTEGRATED PROCESS DESIGN GROUP
had a Process Synthesis project
ICI 1978 to 1982
Process Synthesis Team:
I Wardle, D Mason, J Turner, E Hindmarsh, H Dunford, W Townsend, R Smith
R&D (eg Pinch Design Method, Appropriate Placement)
More Publications
Projects
Training Course Development
etc
Links with Academic Researchers
ICI invited:
Ed Hohmann, Rudi Motard, Art Westerberg,
George Stephanopoulos, Jim Douglas, Manfred
Morari, Jeff Siirola, Jack Ponton,
and others


Acknowledgement Ray Day
Ray Day was the boss everybody wants: Vision and Support
Ray Days programme
Training Course with Engineers from Six Divisions
Six Projects All Successful
Second Training Course, Based on Projects
Further Projects
Two Years Later:


Projects
The Reality of Project Work
Data uncertain
Operating cases uncertain
Comfort zones (eg technologies)
Utilities (eg step change costs)
Infrastructure (tankage, piping, foundations, shared systems)
etc

Always a Key Point
Simulation



Assess

Like it?

Finish



A Pattern was Emerging
Two or three key ideas
80% of design unchanged
Practical constraints respected
Energy cost savings 20% and more

The Biggest Surprise
Capital energy costs reduced
Cheaper to build & cheaper to run
Contradicted the assumption of trade-off
ICI in 1982 The Good News

It Works!!


ICI in 1982 The Bad News

Therefore:

Lets stop publishing
The World in 1982........
ICI: it works (but we stop telling)
A famous Professor: You are costing us 10 years!
Process Design people: who builds the plant?
Others: Keep going!
......friends and foes

Resistance to Innovation: A Case Study
y:
One Third of Ships Lost

Astronomy or Clock
Makers?

Solution Found

30 Years Resistance

Partiality

Sabotage
UMIST 1982 onwards
Research and Software

Training Courses

Links to industry: Research Consortium

Links to projects: Linnhoff March

Publications (refereed and glossy)

UMIST today: wait for Robin Smith
Research Consortium (1983) First Six:
Shell
Exxon
BP
BASF
Norsk Hydro
Union Carbide

First Consortium of its Kind?
by the way.......BP (1982)

BP had replaced Boston Experience Curves
with .....
.....with sensational results:
Potential found in mature processes
by the way.......BASF (1983)

BASF Leverkusen: no third power station
Energy key to debottlenecking of site
100 processes 20% reduction
Published seven years later
Research 1983 to 1990s
HEN Capital Cost
Heat & Power Multiple Utilities
Distillation Process Onion
Retrofit Targets
Shaft Work targets (low T)
Constraints
Control
Total site
Water
etc


Terminology 1983 to 1990s

HEN Design

Heat Integration

Heat & Power Integration

Process Integration
Testimonials Early 1980s and on
Union Carbide (1983)
Shell (1984)
Procter & Gamble (1985)
BP (1987)
Exxon (1989)
BASF (1990)
Mitsubishi (1992)
etc.
Government Agencies, Legislation 1990s
Gothenburg 1992
Washington 1994 (Hazel OLeary)
Amoco EPA LM Project 1994 (USA)
IEA Implementing Agreement
UBA (Germany)
MITI (Japan)
Wrmenutzungsverordnung (Germany)
etc.


1990s to 2013

I now refer to other people


Many people here today
have been here in 1992 also?

Reflection: we are 40 years on, really
But allow me a question:

If we award 100% for
on target Process Design
each and every time in industry....

....then, where are we?

Good bye

Thank you for your attention


See you in 2034 ?
Bodo Linnhoff
Ticino
2013