The Development and Optimization of an Ethylbenzene Process

The purpose of this thesis was to optimize a pre-existing vapor phase ethylbenzene process, and to develop a base case liquid phase ethylbenzene process. A brief introduction is included to present an overview of process optimization and suggest common strategies to employ. While optimizing the vapor phase process, discrete optimization was performed to determine the local optima for multiple unit operations by comparing their net present value to that of the base case. After optimization, an $81.5 million increase in net present value was obtained. When developing the liquid phase ethylbenzene process, Antoine’s Equation, Raoult’s Law, the first law of thermodynamics, and material and energy balances were used to create a base case for a process that produced 80,000 tonnes per year of 99.8 mol% ethylbenzene. This included the creation of a process flow diagram, equipment and utility tables, and stream tables containing temperature, pressure, and component molar flow rates. Explanations as to how the results were obtained and the conclusions of the study are presented