Technology Development Sequence
The sequential outline is can help guide projects
Framing
- Define products, specifications, requirement
- Reconcile published product specification with in-use requirements to obtain preliminary real-world specification
- Specify scales of operation contemplated
- Define feedstocks, variation, storage/supply
- Postulate impurities generated in conversion steps
- Postulate anticipated side-reactions in downstream
- List components and impurities, tag key trace species
- Define separation and reaction tasks & needs
- Prepare preliminary mass balance & economics
- Safety review: exotherms, toxicity, etc
Concept Development
- Review prior art, results to date
- Postulate likely separation steps and sequences
- Prepare technical & computational evaluation of process alternatives
- Brainstorm improvements, new concepts
- Select base case(s) of downstream sequence
- Estimate needed physical properties and reaction data
- Physical and chemical properties for species
- Prepare process design at appropriate detail level
- Reconcile with available data
- Prepare mass and energy balances, calculate economics
- Request additional data and testing
- Design lab/bench pilot steps for separations, kinetics, or PPD
Process Design and Economics
- Excel calculations, model input, assumptions list
- Steady state model at full scale: ASPEN plus
- Economic inputs: site related energy chemical costs
- ASPEN mass and energy balances review and output
- Coproducts, emissions, control equipment, costs
- Specialized process equipment design tasks, costs
- Capital cost estimation
- Energy and chemical costs
- Economics
- Sensitivity, key parameters for design
Data and Reiteration
- Define data needs based on model uncertainties
- Review analytical methods
- Property data
- Scaledown from full scale to pilot
- ASPEN or other model of pilot scale
- Obtain data at scaledown conditions
- Reiterate as needed framing, concept, design & data
- Competive analysis
- IP
- Freedom to operate
- Control analysis
- Samples for clients, qualification