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What is
Process Intensification?
Process Intensification (PI)
is the strategy of making dramatic reductions in
the size of unit operations within chemical
plants, in order to achieve given production
objectives.
The concept was pioneered in
ICI during the late 1970s, where the primary
goal was to reduce the capital cost of
production systems. The virtue of the PI
approach was recognised when it was appreciated
that the Main Plant Items involved in the
process (i.e. reactors, heat exchangers,
separators etc.) only contribute around 20% of
the cost of a given plant. The balance is
incurred by installation costs which involve
pipework, structural support, civil engineering
and so on.
A major reduction of
equipment size, coupled preferably with a degree
of integration of equipment function (e.g. reactor/heat exchangers or combined
condenser/distillation/re-boilers) could
generate very significant cost savings by
eliminating support structure, expensive column
foundations and long pipe runs.
The Process Intensification
Group at Newcastle has achieved this by
developing novel approaches to equipment design
and process synthesis with the aim of
miniaturising process plants and making them
environmentally friendly and flexible in terms
of manufacturing capabilities and providing
rapid response to market demand. The Group's
research activities include:
...finding application in the
fine chemicals, polymers, food, bio-medical,
medical, offshore, pharmaceuticals, electronics,
transport and energy industries.
2020 Group Photo
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2019 Group Photo - Rotating
Packed PIGs
2017 Group Photo -
Celebrating Like Bolt
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