# Technical, Economic, and Sustainability Evaluation Integrated with PI System Monitoring: A Case Study on Different Process Alternatives for Acetone Production

## TL;DR

This paper evaluates different acetone production processes using technical, economic, and sustainability analysis, showing how process optimization can improve profitability and reduce costs.

## Contribution

The novel integration of PI System monitoring with technical-economic-sustainability analysis for acetone production is demonstrated.

## Key findings

- Combining energy source changes and temperature optimization increased revenues by 5.2% and reduced costs by 0.26%.
- The optimized process achieved a net present value (NPV) of US$4.63 M, 372% higher than the baseline.
- Using a PI System environment enabled real-time monitoring and improved process safety and KPI tracking.

## Abstract

Process optimization, monitoring, and control play important
roles
in chemical plants. In an ever-changing environment related to climate
concerns, reducing costs, keeping the product’s quality, producing
more, and finding eco-friendly solutions are crucial to a company’s
financial stability. Therefore, technical–economic techniques
are often applied to verify the feasibility of those practices. Alternative
scenarios on process configurations of acetone production via the
dehydrogenation of isopropyl alcohol are the object of study of this
work. A temperature optimization case study in the reactor was executed
to evaluate the possibility of increasing the production. An economic
analysis was performed for each scenario, comparing them and evaluating
their attractiveness. To simulate as if they were a real and live
plant, a PI System environment was developed, creating a dashboard
for variables, key process indicators (KPIs), and process anomalies
monitoring, and sending alerts if needed. The combined energy source
change and temperature optimization scenario made the process economically
feasible, increasing revenues by 5.2% and reducing production costs
by 0.26%, achieving a net present value (NPV) of US$4.63 M (372% higher
than the baseline). This work is a demonstration of how associating
process data with a data historian and analyzer allows live testing,
enhances safety, and deepens KPI monitoring.