Conceptual design of chemical devices

Abstract

Chemical devices are chemical products that transform a feed stream into an outlet stream with the desired attributes by performing reaction, fluid flow, heating, cooling, and/or separations. They resemble small chemical plants and can be described by device flowsheets, similar to the process flowsheets of chemical plants. This article proposes a generic design framework for chemical devices. It shares some steps with Douglas' hierarchical design procedure for chemical processes but has its own distinguishing features such as capturing of consumer preferences, formulation of an engineering statement, and the use of unconventional processing techniques in device manufacturing. Two examples, domestic dehumidifier and air purifier, are discussed to illustrate the design framework. A new dehumidifier design was found using this framework.

Triggers for chemical product design: A systematic literature review

“…Devices (e.g., ozone generator, domestic water filter, mist humidifier, continuous positive airway pressure system, etc.) are miniaturized chemical processes transferred to the end‐user with operating and safety conditions defined by the application; their design is based on the development of intellectual property and follows principles of chemical processes and chemical reaction engineering 19 . Molecules (e.g., ibuprofen, penicillin, tadalafil, styrene) are pure chemical compounds usually associated with specific chemical or biological functionalities.…”

“…are miniaturized chemical processes transferred to the end-user with operating and safety conditions defined by the application; their design is based on the development of intellectual property and follows principles of chemical processes and chemical reaction engineering. 19 Molecules (e.g., ibuprofen, penicillin, tadalafil, styrene) are pure chemical compounds usually associated with specific chemical or biological functionalities. Their design process is related to the opportunity of their discovery; techniques such as the group contribution and Quantitative Structure-Property Relationship methods [20][21][22] are used to model and optimize them.…”

“…(Continues) product): formulated (126), molecules (78), commodities (19), and devices (9). It is worth noting that in the evolution by product type, there is a marked interest in formulated products for the perspectives of product design in chemical engineering, as remarked by some authors.…”