BHARATI VIDYAPEETH

(DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY)
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, PUNE

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

A. A.Y. 2024-2025
B. Semester-6
 PROCESS DEVELOPMENT &
ENGINEERING

NAME ROLL NO. PRN

AAGAMAN ARAWAL 01 2214110572
AKSHAT CHEKETKAR 04 2214110576
ANIKET SINGH 12 2314110709

PROJECT CORDINATOR: Dr P. B. PATIL

TOPIC: DESIGN AND SCALE-UP

PROJECT BASED LEARNING

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all

those who have contributed to this presentation.
Special thanks to my mentors and professors for
their guidance, and to the research materials
and books that have been invaluable in shaping
this presentation. Lastly, I would like to thank my
peers and colleagues for their support and
inspiration throughout the process.
 CONTENTS

• INTRODUCTION

• IMPORTANCE

• IDENTIFICATION OF RATE CONTROLLING STEPS

• BATCH, SEMI-BATCH AND CONTINUOS PROCESSES

• CONCEPT OF DEDICATED & MULTIPRODUCT PLANT FACILITIES

• PILOT PLANT & MINI PLANT CONCEPTS

• CHELLENGES IN PROCESS SCALE-UP

• STATEGIES IN SUCESSFUL SCALE-UP

• CONCLUSION
 INTRODUCTION

What is Process Design & Scale-Up?

✅ Process Design:
• Involves planning, developing, and optimizing chemical processes
for industrial applications.
• Focuses on selecting raw materials, equipment, and operating
conditions to ensure efficiency.
✅ Scale-Up:
• The transition of a chemical process from laboratory (small scale) to
pilot plant and finally to full-scale industrial production.
• Ensures that the process maintains efficiency, safety, and product
quality at larger volumes.
 IMPORTANCE

Importance of Process Design & Scale-Up

✅ Efficiency:
• Optimizes energy and raw material use to maximize production output.
• Reduces production costs and minimizes waste.
✅ Safety:
• Identifies potential hazards and ensures compliance with industrial safety
standards.
• Helps prevent equipment failures and dangerous chemical reactions.
✅ Economic Viability:
• Ensures profitability by balancing costs, production rates, and resource
utilization.
• Helps industries make informed decisions before large-scale investments.
 IDE NTIF ICATIO N OF RATE -
CO NTR OL L ING STE PS

1. What is a Rate-Controlling Step?

✅ Definition:
• The slowest step in a chemical process that determines the overall reaction
speed.
• Acts as a "bottleneck," limiting how fast the entire process can proceed.

✅ Why is it Important?
• Helps in optimizing process conditions for faster and more efficient
production.
• Identifying and improving this step can enhance process scalability and
industrial performance.
2. Factors Affecting Rate-Controlling Steps
✅ Reaction Kinetics (Reaction Speed):
• Determines how quickly reactants convert to products.
• Affected by temperature, catalysts, and reactant concentrations.
✅ Mass Transfer (Diffusion of Reactants):
• Movement of reactants to the reaction site and removal of
products.
• Limited by fluid properties, mixing efficiency, and concentration
gradients.
✅ Heat Transfer (Energy Needed for Reactions):
• Some reactions require external heat input or cooling to proceed
efficiently.
• Poor heat transfer can lead to hot spots, uneven reaction rates, or
process inefficiencies.
3. Strategies to Improve Rate-Controlling Steps
• ✅ Use of Catalysts: Increases reaction speed by lowering
activation energy.
✅ Enhanced Mixing: Improves mass transfer and prevents
concentration gradients.
✅ Optimized Reactor Design: Ensures proper heat
distribution and flow patterns.
✅ Process Intensification: Uses advanced technologies like
microreactors to boost efficiency.
 BATCH, SEMI-BATCH, AND CONTINUOUS PROCESSES

1. Batch Process
✅ Definition:
• A process where all raw materials are loaded into the reactor at the start, and the
reaction is carried out in a single cycle.
✅ Characteristics:
• Produces fixed quantities per batch.
• Process is stopped after each cycle for cleaning and preparation.
✅ Applications:
• Used in pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, and food processing where
precise control over composition is needed.
✅ Advantages & Disadvantages:
• ✅ Advantages: High flexibility, easy to adjust formulations, suitable for small-scale
production.
• ❌ Disadvantages: Higher downtime between batches, labor-intensive, inconsistent
2. Semi-Batch Process
✅ Definition:
• A process where some reactants are added gradually instead of all at
once.
✅ Characteristics:
• Allows better control over reaction rate and heat generation.
• Used when certain reactions are too fast, exothermic, or sensitive to
reactant concentration.
✅ Applications:
• Polymerization, fermentation, and reactions involving gas-liquid
interactions.
✅ Advantages & Disadvantages:
• ✅ Advantages: Improved reaction control, better safety, reduces side
reactions.
• ❌ Disadvantages: More complex operation, requires careful monitoring.
3. Continuous Process
✅ Definition:
• A process where raw materials are continuously fed into the system,
and products are continuously removed.
✅ Characteristics:
• Uninterrupted production, leading to higher efficiency and
output.
• Requires steady-state conditions for optimal operation.
✅ Applications:
• Used in petrochemicals, cement, fertilizers, and bulk
chemical production.
✅ Advantages & Disadvantages:
• ✅ Advantages: High efficiency, lower production costs, consistent
product quality.
 CONCEPT OF DEDICATED & MULTIPRODUCT
PL ANT FACILITIES

1. What are Plant Facilities?

• In chemical and manufacturing industries, plant facilities are
designed to produce either a single product (dedicated
plants) or multiple products (multiproduct plants).
• The choice depends on production demand, flexibility
requirements, and cost considerations.

2. Dedicated Plants
✅ Definition:
• A facility designed to manufacture only one specific product or
process.
✅ Characteristics:
• High operational efficiency as all equipment is optimized for one
product.
• Lower chances of contamination since no product switching
occurs.
• Requires less frequent cleaning and changeovers.
✅ Applications:
• Large-scale production of petrochemicals, fertilizers, cement,
and pharmaceuticals.
✅ Advantages & Disadvantages:
• ✅ Advantages: High efficiency, optimized production, fewer
operational complexities.
• ❌ Disadvantages: Lacks flexibility, difficult to adapt to market
changes.
3. Multiproduct Plants
✅ Definition:
• A facility that can manufacture multiple products using the same
equipment with modular setups.
✅ Characteristics:
• Uses modular process design to allow switching between different chemical
processes.
• Requires automated control systems to manage multiple products
efficiently.
• Higher investment in flexible reactors, storage, and cleaning systems.
✅ Applications:
• Specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food processing, and fine chemicals
industries.
✅ Advantages & Disadvantages:
• ✅ Advantages: Greater flexibility, ability to adapt to changing market
 PILOT PLANT & MINI PLANT
CONCEPTS

1. What Are Pilot and Mini Plants?

• Pilot and mini plants are small-scale versions of industrial
plants used to test, optimize, and refine chemical
processes before full-scale production.
• They help reduce risks, optimize conditions, and improve
process efficiency.

2. Pilot Plant
✅ Definition:
• A small-scale replica of an industrial process designed to
simulate real-world operating conditions.
✅ Purpose & Benefits:
• Process Validation: Ensures the industrial feasibility of a process.
• Optimization: Helps refine reaction conditions, mass transfer, and
heat transfer.
• Troubleshooting: Identifies potential challenges before scaling up.
• Cost Savings: Reduces expensive failures at the full-scale plant level.
✅ Applications:
• Used in petrochemical, pharmaceutical, food, and chemical
industries before full-scale production.
✅ Limitations:
• Requires significant investment in infrastructure and skilled personnel.
3. Mini Plant
✅ Definition:
• A smaller and more cost-effective version of a pilot plant, typically used in the
early stages of process development.
✅ Purpose & Benefits:
• Early Feasibility Testing: Assesses whether a process is worth scaling up.
• Quick Experimentation: Allows rapid changes in process parameters for
evaluation.
• Cost-Effective: Requires less material and lower operational costs.
• Efficient Data Collection: Helps researchers gather critical insights before
investing in a pilot plant.
✅ Applications:
• Used in R&D laboratories, universities, and process development centers
for initial evaluations.
✅ Limitations:
 CHALLENGES IN PROCESS SCALE-UP

1. Kinetic & Thermodynamic Limitations

✅ Challenge:
• Reaction kinetics change at larger scales, affecting yield and
selectivity.
• Thermodynamic equilibrium may shift, leading to lower efficiency
or unwanted by-products.

✅ Solution:
• Adjust reaction conditions, catalyst concentration, and
residence time for industrial-scale performance.
• Use computational modeling to predict large-scale reaction
2. Mixing & Heat Transfer Issues
✅ Mixing Challenges:
• Inefficient mixing at a large scale leads to concentration gradients,
reducing reaction efficiency.

✅ Heat Transfer Issues:

• Uneven heat distribution causes hot spots, side reactions, or
thermal degradation.

✅ Solutions:
• Optimize agitator design, reactor geometry, and flow patterns.
• Use heat exchangers, cooling jackets, and controlled heating
systems.
3. Equipment Selection

✅ Challenge:
• Choosing the right reactors, separators, heat exchangers,
and pumps that match process needs.
• Equipment must handle large volumes, high pressures, and
temperature variations.

✅ Solution:
• Perform pilot-scale testing to determine the best equipment
design.
• Use computational simulations to optimize reactor and
equipment performance.
4. Regulatory & Safety Compliance

✅ Challenge:
• Industrial-scale production involves hazardous chemicals,
emissions, and operational risks.
• Must comply with OSHA, EPA, and industry-specific safety
regulations.

✅ Solution:
• Implement real-time monitoring, emergency shutdown
systems, and proper ventilation.
• Conduct hazard analysis (HAZOP) and risk assessments before
full-scale implementation.
 STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL
SCALE-UP

1. Mathematical Modeling & Simulations

✅ Why It’s Important:

• Predicts how the process will behave at a larger scale without
physical trials.
• Helps in understanding reaction kinetics, heat & mass transfer,
and equipment performance.

✅ Key Approaches:
• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for flow and mixing analysis.
• Process modeling software like ASPEN Plus, MATLAB, and COMSOL.
2. Pilot Testing

✅ Why It’s Important:

• Identifies and resolves issues before moving to full-scale
production.
• Ensures the process performs as expected under real-world
conditions.

✅ Key Steps:
• Conduct pilot plant trials to refine process parameters.
• Collect data on yield, efficiency, and safety performance.
• Implement modifications based on pilot plant observations.
3. Process Intensification

✅ Why It’s Important:

• Reduces energy consumption, raw material usage, and
operational costs.
• Leads to a more sustainable and efficient process.

✅ Key Techniques:
• Microreactors for faster reactions and better heat transfer.
• Integrated separation processes (e.g., reactive distillation) to
reduce steps.
• High-efficiency heat exchangers for better thermal
management.
4. Automation & Advanced Control Systems

✅ Why It’s Important:

• Ensures precision, consistency, and safety in large-scale
operations.
• Minimizes human errors and enhances process control.

✅ Key Approaches:
• Real-time monitoring & feedback loops for automated
adjustments.
• Use of AI and machine learning for predictive maintenance and
process optimization.
• SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems
for industrial automation.
 CONCLUSION

Process design and scale-up are essential for efficiently transitioning

chemical processes from lab to industrial production. By identifying
rate-controlling steps, selecting the appropriate process type, and
choosing between dedicated or multiproduct plants, industries can
optimize efficiency and flexibility. Pilot testing helps address
challenges like mixing inefficiencies, heat transfer issues, and
regulatory compliance before full-scale implementation. Successful
scale-up relies on mathematical modeling, process intensification,
and automation to enhance precision, reduce costs, and ensure
safety. Ultimately, a well-structured scale-up strategy leads to
sustainable, cost-effective, and high-performance industrial
operations.
THANK YOU