Eurochem News
22 Aug 2000
Although widely adopted, Computer Aided Process Engineering (CAPE) has yet to make its mark in many sectors, particularly in many of the batch sectors.
CAPE promises much. Modelling techniques are now so sophisticated that a true `life cycle' approach can be taken, examining the repercussions of design decisions for parameters such as cost, quality, energy consumption and emissions through the lifetime of a plant.
So, why haven't these benefits been recognised by all? One reason is that specialised product industries have not historically faced the competitive pressures common in commodities. Another is that CAPE has been more technically difficult to apply to specialised products. It can be hard to predict the behaviour of the complex molecules being produced, making process modelling difficult. This view is backed by Dr David Bogle of University College London, who is the coordinator of CAPE.NET, an EU-sponsored association of CAPE developers and users. But Bogle says such problems are now being tackled. `Our goal is to get the chemist and the engineer working better together,' he says. `If the CAPE tools are there and are easy to use, the process design can begin on the laboratory bench.'
The Eurochem 2001 exhibition (5-7 June 2001) will feature a special CAPE section. (www.eurochem.co.uk)
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