Dale F. Rudd

Bio: Dale F. Rudd is an academic researcher from University of Wisconsin-Madison. The author has contributed to research in topics: Petrochemical & Technology assessment. The author has an hindex of 16, co-authored 33 publications receiving 913 citations.

Parametric studies in industrial distillation: Part I. Design comparisons

Abstract: Minimum cost surfaces compare eight distillation systems separating ternary feeds. The regions of optimality for various designs depend upon the species separated, but changes in feed composition have characteristic effects on the relative costs. These characteristic effects can be used to generate heuristics in the form of expected regions of optimality, based on composition and simple physical properties. The expected effects, however, are somewhat uncertain, because the costs of designs depend upon many variables in a complex way. Of all factors considered, the vapor requirements for a tower are perhaps the most important, but the tower operating pressure and the required tower should also be considered.

Synthesis of failure‐safe operations

Abstract: Methods are developed for the computer-aided synthesis of sequences of valve operations to reach complex operation goals with safety. Given dangerous events which must not occur and operation goals to be reached, sequences of valve openings and closings are formed rapidly for industrially significant problems.

The synthesis of system designs: I. Elementary decomposition theory

Abstract: A system synthesis principle is proposed from which processes can be composed to perform an assigned task. Synthesis is performed by the sequential decomposition of the design problem into subproblems which eventually reach the level of available technology.

A Critical Review and Annotated Bibliography for Heat Exchanger Network Synthesis in the 20th Century

Abstract: This paper provides a critical review of the literature on heat-exchanger network synthesis, the most commonly studied problem in process synthesis. After a review of solution methods, we present the chronological milestones in the development of the field and we discuss separately each of 461 related works leading up to the turn of the century. Then, we present several classification schemes of this body of work based on a number of modeling and algorithmic criteria. Finally, we offer a critical assessment of the current status of research in this area and provide suggestions for future research.

State-of-the-Art Review of Pinch Analysis Techniques for Water Network Synthesis

Abstract: Water network synthesis has been an active area of research for the past one and a half decades. Many think that the technology reached a mature stage in the late 1990s, especially for the insight-based technique based on pinch analysis. The only review for the field dates back to 2000. However, many new papers published in this century reveal that new research gaps are found and more works were carried out to address the limitations of the “old” techniques. The main objective of this review is to provide a state-of-the-art overview of the insight-based techniques developed in the 21st century, particularly those developed for single impurity network of the fixed flow rate problems. Comparisons were also made between these recent techniques and those developed for the fixed load problems in the past century. Various flow rate targeting techniques developed for water reuse/recycle, regeneration, and wastewater treatment are reviewed in detail, along with the network design techniques that achieve the estab...

A hierarchical decision procedure for process synthesis

Abstract: A new procedure for synthesizing process flow sheets and base-case designs has been developed. The procedure is evolutionary in nature and proceeds through a hierarchy of decision levels, where more fine structure is added to the flow sheet at each decision level. Heuristics are used to obtain some of the structural elements of the flow sheet, and other heuristics are used to make some of the decisions required at the various decision levels. In many cases, no heuristics are available, so that process alternatives are generated. The analysis protion of the procedure has strong focus on the economic tradeoffs that are associated with the significant design variables.