AbstractProcess synthesis is a key design activity which focuses on the generation of alternatives for creating new processes or retrofitting existing ones. It is closely tied to process integration which is a holistic approach to design and operation which focuses on the unity of the process . This article provides a brief overview of process synthesis and integration. The focus is on key concepts, tools, and applications. The discussion is organized over classes of problems. First, the synthesis of energy systems is discussed with emphasis on the thermal pinch analysis for the conservation of heat through the integration of process hot and cold streams. Next, the material recovery pinch diagram is presented as a basis for reducing the use of fresh resources and the discharge of waste materials through reuse and recycle. Then, the field of process network synthesis is briefly reviewed. Moving to reactive systems, the topics of reaction pathways synthesis, attainable reaction regions, and reactor network synthesis are discussed. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the simultaneous process and molecular design.
