Page 13 - Design of Simple and Robust Process Plants

XIV Foreword
mer goods. Indeed,we may ask ourselves whether the chemical engineer has
reached the same level of maturity as the manufacturers of consumer goods.
It is to the great merit of Jan Koolen ± a process design engineer of many decades
experience ± that he reflected long term about the essential tasks of a process design
engineer. With regard to other products,Jan feels that even the design and produc-
tion of a relatively simple unit such as a freezer is a challenging example for chemic-
al plant designers ± and a great incentive for them to create improvements. Such a
machine may run unattended for 15 years,and with very simple control ± especially
when compared for example with the cold sections of cracking plants for olefins! In
this regard,Jan's vision is that we must move towards the use of robust and simple
plants. He is a pioneer in this field,and this book proves that there is still much
scope for improvement by the designers of process plants. Jan's faculties of abstrac-
tion,combined with his long-term experience in process design,have resulted in
this first practical book on robust and simple design,covering the entire field of
chemical engineering. This book will prove to be an indispensable tool for all engi-
neers in the operation,design,and development of processes. Moreover,it will
inspire them in their daily work,and also open their eyes to the many opportunities
and challenges that they will encounter in the future. Highly experienced process
designers will also find stimulating suggestions in this book,and we can be sure
that it will have a major impact on our future plants,making them ± in time ± bet-
ter,simpler,and more robust!

The Netherlands K. Roel Westerterp