We discuss the impact over the past 40 years of process systems thinking on the design of chemical processes. We first explore the rich set of issues related to process design, only some of which are technical. We then briefly examine simulation, optimization and more extensively process synthesis ideas as they relate to design. Throughout we note that this progress is inextricably linked with ...

The theory of regions and the algorithms for synthesizing a Petri net model from a transition system, which are based on this theory, have interesting practical applications – in particular in the design of electronic circuits. In this paper, we show that this theory can be also applied for mining the underlying process from the user interactions with a document management system. To this end, ...

A method of reusing existing design cases for synthesis of distillation process sequences is presented. The approach uses case-based reasoning (CBR) that finds the most similar existing separation designs and applies the knowledge of their concept for solving new problems. The method has previously been developed for selection of single separations and simple sequences but has now been extended...

Assurance Based Development (ABD) is a novel approach to the synergistic construction of critical software systems and their assurance arguments. In ABD, the need for assurance drives a unique process synthesis mechanism that results in a detailed operational process for building both software and an argument demonstrating its fitness for use in given operating contexts. In this paper, we intro...

The combined use of heuristics such as expert systems, databases, mathematical process simulators, equipment sizing and cost estimation is a potential way of exploring improved chemical process synthesis. We report on the development of a software that integrates knowledge based system with HYSYS process simulator and Icarus economic evaluator utilising knowledge from existing processes to obta...

This paper introduces a new framework to support synthesis of complex engineering problems and which combines stochastic serach optimisation with ontological knowledge modelling. The framework uses Tabu search to generate new solutions and introduces the mechanism of digital certificate to translate between structural information of solutions and semantics of ontology. The solutions are respect...

In this paper, we define a process algebra DS@ to formally describe distributed systems and a process logic SP@ to formally describe their specifications. Then, we present a method to synthesize a distributed system (described in DS@) from given specifications (described in SP@). The main contribution of this paper is to show how to check the satisfiability of process logics in which concurrent...

The moment we are introduced to science we are told it is a cooperative, cumulative enterprise. Like the artisans who construct a building from blueprints, bricks, and mortar, scientists contribute to a common edifi ce, called knowledge. Theorists provide our blueprints and researchers collect the data that are our bricks. To extend the analogy further yet, we might say that research synthesist...

Synthesis is the generation of a process model that fulfills a set of declarative constraints, a. k. a. properties. In this article, we study synthesis in the presence of both so-called sequential and parallel constraints. Sequential constraints state that certain tasks must occur in a specific ordering. Parallel constraints specify the maximal degree of parallelization at a certain position in...

Process support approaches use process models to allow for communication, reasoning, guidance, improvement, and automation. Two approaches are compared and combined to build a more powerful one. In this paper we describe the synthesis of the CoMo-Kit and MVP-E approaches. CoMo-Kit is based on AI/KE technology. It was developed for supporting complex design processes and is not specialized to so...