REACTOR AND PROCESS SYNTHESIS

It is shown how the Attainable Region method may be used to synthesize both chemical reactors and more general systems. This is done by usin g geometric ideas to first define the allowable processes as vectors i n a space of the basic variables of the problem. A set of results is u sed to construct a region which satisfies the necessary conditions for the Attainable Region, that is the set of all possible outcomes using the allowable processes in a steady state system. The properties of t he boundary of this region are of particular importance. In particular , the boundary is the union of surfaces on which single processes occu r. Smooth intersections between single process surfaces may represent curves along which two or more processes occur simultaneously. Paths a re traced along which one can move from a feed point(s) to other point s on the boundary of the region; the paths can then be interpreted in terms of a structure, which we call the optimal structure, which will allow us to achieve any point on the boundary of the region. As these optimal structures arise from the solution of the problem they have ac tually been synthesized. It is further shown how these ideas might be used even for situations where the dimensionality of the problem makes it unlikely that one could find the full Attainable Region.