The aim of this project was to develop a method for phenomena-based process synthesis that automatically generates flow sheet variants by means of superstructure optimization. By assembling processes from Phenomenal Building Blocks (PBB) instead of predefined unit operations, creativity in process synthesis is maximized and process intensification principles such as integrated or hybrid separation processes can be considered beyond conventional plants. The optimization-based approach generates promising phenomena-based flow sheet variants that can be further interpreted and implemented in plants by using databases or by proposing new equipment that implements the phenomena-based design. A scheme of the generic superstructure proposed for the automatic generation of flow sheet variants is shown in the following figure:
