Novel tools to speed up the technology commercialization process

As a leading technology supplier, UOP LLC is under continuous pressure to renew its technology portfolio, to stay abreast of the competition and to help customers comply with the latest in environmental legislation. In this context we have developed a suite of tools, consisting of both hardware and software, to enhance and speed up our technology commercialization capability. These tools have been implemented all along the technology development path and seamlessly communicate through the use of flowsheets as energy carriers. The current paper will attempt to give an overview of the advanced chemistry and chemical engineering tools that are enabling UOP today. Where applicable, we will give a measure of the intensification achieved and the pros and cons of the various techniques. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.