Chapter 2 - Process intensification – an overview

Abstract

This chapter provides an introduction to process intensification (PI) and discusses the advantages of and obstacles to PI. The PI strategy was conceived by the Process Technology Group at ICI's New Science Laboratory in the late 1970s. At the time, the company was reviewing its capital development philosophy, having concluded that major capital cost savings in future plant were essential in order to secure its future. The PI concept arose from the question that if a dramatic reduction in the size and/or volume of all the process plant components could be made without compromising output, would there be a significant impact on the total plant capital cost? The size reduction envisaged corresponded to a volume reduction of 100–1000 or about an order of magnitude in the linear dimension. Novel or unusual approaches to plant design are essential to apply the envisaged size reduction. While capital cost reduction was the original target for PI, it quickly became apparent that there were other benefits, some of which have become even more important since PI was conceived. Advantages of PI include allowing a safer plant, reducing the environmental impact, and leading to reductions in carbon emissions. Carbon emission reduction is a key motivator in several national and international PI R&D programs. Furthermore the chapter discusses the opportunities afforded by PI to companies who wished to develop new and/or improved products in a relatively short time, such as Rhodia and Degussa. The chapter also presents a summary of the principal unit operations, the PI type(s) used to improve them, and the potential applications.