PROCESS INTEGRATION FROM ENERGY-SAVING TO SYSTEMIC CONCEPT

This paper is meant at presenting an introduction, illustrated by original results, to a new field of the Chemical Engineering, i.e. Process integration. In our opinion, this may bring a real contribution to rendening profitable and to tbe modernization of the chemical industry in Romania. Thus, tbe energetical integration leads, tipically to 30-50% savings in the utilities consumption, even in those units considered as ''integrated''. The industrial platforms integration can disengage enormous steam and power reserves, making useless the investment in new thermal power stations The main fields interested here are obviously tbe refining, petrochemistry and basic chemistry sectors. The low tonnage, discontinuous branches (i.e. pharmaceuticals, agricultural - food branch) can get substatial benefits from this technique. Anyhow the Process Integration does not stop with the energy saving function having, in fact, an important, creative one too. It offers the key to approaching tbe technology of any process type, starting from the physico-chemical and thermodynamic bases. The Process integration allows a rapid and flexible concept, mininizing the financial risks in the context of the technologies rapid dynamics. Last, but not lest, the Process Integration creates the systematic quantitative basis and the optimum material and energetical resources administration system, to consider the environment protection.