Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-8-2026
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Chemical Engineering
First Advisor
Brenda Prager
Second Advisor
Michael Gill
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
The proposed acetone production plant, scheduled for start-up in 2028, is capable of producing 3,750 kg/h of 99.9 wt% acetone. Using an endothermic catalytic dehydrogenation reaction, a feed of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is reacted to produce 30,000 metric tons per year (MT/y) of acetone. Initial design and economic analysis of this process found that this plant will not be economically viable due to its Net Present Value (NPV) of -$132M. Optimization efforts prioritized reductions in raw materials and improved product recovery. Several optimizations were performed to reduce the feed rate, including switching to the low temperature catalyst, shortening the reactor length, increasing the pressure of the phase separator, increasing the pressure of the absorber, adding a process water stream to the wastewater stream to dilute the exiting wastewater stream, and reducing the feed of IPA. These changes resulted in a reactor conversion of 98% and a feed reduction of 1,900 MT/y of IPA. Economically, this optimization saved $31M in NPV, leaving the final NPV equal to -$101M. The second portion of this work investigated advanced Aspen Plus simulation methodologies, specifically focusing on convergence behavior within highly interconnected recycle systems. The limitations of the default Wegstein convergence method for this flowsheet were evaluated, and the Broyden convergence algorithm was implemented to improve numerical stability and convergence performance. Additional damping strategies were explored to mitigate oscillatory behavior caused by tightly coupled separation systems and hydrogen-containing recycle streams. 6 The final portion of this work evaluated process safety considerations, proposed control strategies, and operating protocols for the acetone production facility. Hazards associated with hydrogen, acetone, IPA, and pressurized equipment were analyzed using inherently safer design principles. Proposed safeguards included pressure, temperature, flow, and level control systems, pressure relief protection, and operational controls intended to improve process stability and reduce the likelihood of hazardous events. General startup, normal operation, shutdown, and emergency shutdown procedures were also developed to support safer plant operation. Although all technical design requirements for product purity, recovery, and production rate were successfully achieved, the process remained economically unfavorable. Future work could include heat integration studies and further hydrogen purification to evaluate the potential sale of hydrogen as a byproduct. However, based on the economic findings of this investigation, it is recommended that implementation of the project not proceed under current market conditions.
Recommended Citation
Garrison, Holley J., "Optimization and Safety Protocols for an Acetone Production Plant" (2026). Honors Theses. 3615.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/3615