Transformation of Process Engineering - A Software Perspective

Advances in process design software tools have helped transform process engineering over the years by creating tremendous value for many companies through capital and energy savings, increased safety and reliability, and optimized designs with significant improvements in engineering quality and productivity. Today, process engineers can utilize a variety of software tools to perform projects and achieve promising solutions quicker than ever before. Modeling and analysis tools have had a huge impact on the process engineers' ability to rapidly analyze many alternative solutions and present design and cost tradeoffs to decision-makers. However, many challenges remain, especially pertaining to engineers collaborating on large projects requiring high quality and timely solutions. This is critical, as companies across the globe are facing an increasingly interconnected and highly competitive environment. This paper outlines specific innovations, emerging technologies, and new industrial applications that promise to have a significant impact on industrial practice and economic effectiveness, as well as gaps requiring further research.