A CASE-STUDY ON SYNTHESIS IN PRELIMINARY DESIGN

In preliminary design, the space of design alternatives can be large. Automated synthesis tools may be used interactively to explore the des ign space, starting with a broad but coarse search and gradually progr essing to more focussed and detailed searches. Recent developments in the search procedure used by the CHIPS process synthesis package enabl e the generation of partial solutions, solutions which although not fe asible can be useful in the analysis of the synthesis problem. This en ables one to use the tool as a device for exploration and experimentat ion. Furthermore, it provides a framework upon which the synthesis pro cedure can be expanded to provide automatic techniques for identifying suitable recycle structures. This paper briefly describes the approac h for generating partial solutions. It demonstrates the use of the res ulting tool in preliminary design through the presentation of a case s tudy for the design of a Hydrofluoric acid plant, showing how the synt hesis tool can be applied iteratively. The result is a process flowshe et suitable for more rigorous study.