Integrated design of pH processe

Resumen

This work shows a methodology for the optimal design of continuos processes in order to reduce the construction costs and the performance costs of the final systems within an Integrated Design framework. First of all, in the paper, a reference chemical plant from the sugar industry (a sulfitation tower) has been described and a non-linear mathematical model is presented. After this, a set of alternative plants have been selected in order to get the optimal dimension of the process units together with a stationary operating point for each designed plant. The plant designs are carried out taking into account economic objectives and using non-linear first priciple models. Different plants have been obtained for the particular case of the sulfitation tower and, after this, the effect of the designs has been clearly analysed by comparing the above mentioned costs. The reference sulfitation tower which is a very non-linear time varying process subjected to several load disturbances belongs to the sugar manufacturing processes. It has been taken from a real factory placed in Valladolid (Spain). The basis of this process lies in maintaining a pH of the water that comes into a big difussor bellow certain limits to avoid the growth of certain microbial population and consequently infections in the syrup obtained from the beets