Criteria for Process Selection

Selection of the appropriate process is an important decision, as all the subsequent works depends upon
this choice. The profitability of the plant is greatly dependent on the process selected. The selection of the
best process to use depends upon various constraints that are to be considered. Among the constraints
considered in the selection are:
1. Availability of Raw Materials Used
The raw materials should be readily available in the country. Its supply must be high so that fluctuations in
production due to raw material scarcity will not occur in the future. As much as possible, the raw materials
should be present in great quantity to be utilized in the production of other products without hampering the
industries utilizing that material.
2. Cost of Raw Materials
The raw materials that should be used must be very cheap. Using cheap materials in production will not
only increase profitability but also it will cause a lesser selling price for the final product produced. This shall
in turn, result to a dynamic and competitive market for the product to be produced.
3. Types of Equipment Used
The types of equipment to be used in the process should be kept as simple as possible. Simple operations
require simpler design. A simpler design means lesser installation costs, great reliability in production, and
easier maintenance. Complex equipment should be avoided if simpler ones can be used.
4. Product Yield
The process to be used must have the greatest product yield. Having enormous losses is due to the
ineffective purification or separation processes used and this can greatly affect the financial aspect of the
plant. The profitability will be greatly decreased if a process with low product yield is chosen. Wise selection
of the process will eventually determine the profitability and financial feasibility of the plant.
5. Presence of By-products
In as much as possible, the presence of by-products is a disadvantage for a process because that means
the necessity for the installation of additional equipment for separation and purification. The presence of byproducts, if not purified and sold, decreases product yield and profitability. Selling them is an option but that
requires additional steps to meet the customers requirement. Hence, in choosing a process, the one with
the least amount of by-products and the one whose by-products require little purification shall be chosen.

6. Control Systems Required

The specification of a control system us greatly dependent on the critical variables that should be monitored
for effective production. Hence, equipment that is more complex requires a complex control system. A
process running in extreme conditions such as high pressures will also require a complex control. The
installation of complex control systems is more expensive, to add, the maintenance and operating costs are
also high. Hence, the process to be elected must be simple enough to avoid complexities that will affect the
production cost.
7. Waste Generation
The presence of waste streams is inevitable for any manufacturing company. Though waste generation is
unavoidable, the amount of waste generated is controllable. The process to be chosen must generate in as
much as possible, low volumes of wastes. The presence of large amounts of wastes necessitates the
installation of complex waste treatment facilities that will add to the companys expenses.
8. Energy Consumption
In every manufacturing plant, energy must be supplied to power pumps and compressors, supply heat to
boilers and heaters, and maintain temperature in equipment requiring temperature control. Theuse of too
much energy is undesirable because that means an additional cost to the company. More energy
requirement means the installation of large energy-producing utilities. Hence, the process to be chosen
must have the least possible energy consumption to minimize cost.

Criteria for
Process
Selection
Raw materials
used
Catalysts used
Availability of
raw materials
Cost of raw
materials
Product yield
By-products
produced
Types of
equipment used
Cost of
equipment

Process 1:
Steam

Process 2:

Process 3:

Control system
required
Waste
generation
Energy
consumption

Comparison of the Three Processes for

Process Evaluation
Having compared the three processes in the previous section, these processes are then evaluated to select
the best process to be used for the production of hydrogen.
In the evaluation of the three processes, the eight aforementioned constraints are considered. These
constraints are ranked according to the degree of importance. For each constraint, a percentage was
assigned according to its order of importance.
The three processes are then graded from a rubric of 1 to 3, 1 being the highest, ad 3 being the lowest. The
scores given are multiplied to the corresponding percentages to determine the overall grade of each
process. The lowest scoring process is deemed the best process and is used for the production of
hydrogen.
The following table shows the evaluation of the processes presented using the constraints set according to
degree of importance:

Evaluation of the three processes for the production of hydrogen

Criteria for
Process Selection
Raw materials
used
Catalysts used
Availability of raw
materials
Cost of raw
materials
Product yield
By-products
produced
Types of
equipment used
Cost of
equipment
Control system
required
Waste generation
Energy
consumption
Total

Percentage

Process 1: Steam

Process 2:

Process 3: