Process Engineering: Process Design, Control, and Optimization

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Process Control and Monitoring".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 1223

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolas de los Garza 66455, Nuevo León, Mexico
Interests: process modeling and simulation; process dynamics and control; process optimization; advanced process control; sustainable distillation systems; industrial process applications

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Process engineering stands as a cornerstone of modern industry, driving innovation and efficiency across a vast spectrum of sectors, from the chemical and petrochemical to pharmaceutical, food, and environmental industries. The continuous evolution of global challenges, including resource scarcity, environmental sustainability, and the demand for higher product quality and lower operational costs, places ever-increasing emphasis on advanced methodologies in process design, control, and optimization. These three pillars are intrinsically linked, forming a synergistic framework essential in developing, operating, and improving industrial processes. Effective process design lays the foundation for sustainable and economically viable operations, integrating fundamental principles with cutting-edge technological advancements. Consequently, robust process control strategies are crucial for maintaining desired operating conditions, ensuring safety, quality, and stability in dynamic environments. Finally, process optimization provides the tools to maximize performance, minimize resource consumption, and enhance profitability throughout the entire life cycle of a process.

This Special Issue, titled “Process Engineering: Process Design, Control, and Optimization” seeks high-quality works focusing on novel theoretical developments, computational methods, and practical applications in these critical areas. We invite contributions that advance the state of the art in designing new processes, enhancing the operability and safety of existing ones, and optimizing their performance under various constraints. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Advanced process synthesis and design methodologies for novel and sustainable processes;
  • Development and application of process modeling and simulation tools (e.g., steady state, dynamic, multi-scale) for chemical, biochemical, and physical processes;
  • Innovative control strategies for complex process systems, including model predictive control, adaptive control, and robust control;
  • Data-driven approaches for process monitoring, fault detection, and diagnosis;
  • Optimization techniques for process operations, scheduling, and planning (e.g., mixed-integer programming, global optimization, heuristic methods);
  • Integration of process design, control, and optimization for enhanced process performance and safety;
  • Application of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning in process engineering for design, control, and optimization;
  • Techno-economic analysis, life cycle assessment, and sustainability assessment of process systems;
  • Process intensification and modular design for improved efficiency and reduced environmental impact;
  • Optimization of supply chains and value chains in chemical and process industries.

Prof. Dr. Salvador Tututi-Avila
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • process design
  • process control
  • process optimization
  • modeling and simulation
  • process systems engineering
  • sustainable processes
  • chemical engineering
  • industrial processes
  • advanced control
  • artificial intelligence

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 8105 KB  
Article
Research on Optimization of Sealing Process and Explosion Hazard of Railway Auxiliary Tunnels Containing Methane
by Jiaqi Hu, Haoran Hu and Xinghua Zhang
Processes 2025, 13(12), 3987; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13123987 - 10 Dec 2025
Viewed by 171
Abstract
To ensure the safe operation of railway tunnels and prevent methane disasters in auxiliary tunnels, this paper focuses on the post-construction closure of an auxiliary tunnel (cross tunnel) in a railway tunnel with methane presence. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were employed to [...] Read more.
To ensure the safe operation of railway tunnels and prevent methane disasters in auxiliary tunnels, this paper focuses on the post-construction closure of an auxiliary tunnel (cross tunnel) in a railway tunnel with methane presence. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were employed to investigate methane migration and accumulation patterns under different sealing conditions in railway auxiliary tunnels. The optimal auxiliary tunnel end-face closure method was identified. Subsequently, the influences of factors such as tunnel length and methane concentration on the explosion characteristics were analyzed under the optimal closed process conditions. The results show that after methane escapes from the coal seam, it initially accumulates at the tunnel’s roof and then diffuses downward due to the concentration gradient. When the lower end face of the auxiliary tunnel is opened and the upper end face is sealed, the degree of methane enrichment in the tunnel is the lowest and the enrichment speed is the slowest. Under partial methane conditions, the explosion pressure propagated and released more easily within the tunnel, leading to higher peak pressure. As the length of the tunnel increases, the peak pressure of the explosion increases, and the explosion power becomes greater. The overpressure of the explosion shock wave follows a nonlinear relationship with distance and is inversely proportional to the square root of the distance. The findings provide theoretical guidance for the prevention and control of methane-related accidents and disasters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Process Engineering: Process Design, Control, and Optimization)
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22 pages, 2951 KB  
Article
Multivariate Monitoring and Evaluation of Dimensional Variability in Additive Manufacturing: A Comparative Study of EBM, FDM, and SLA
by Abdulrahman M. Al-Ahmari, Moath Alatefi and Wadea Ameen
Processes 2025, 13(12), 3825; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13123825 - 26 Nov 2025
Viewed by 306
Abstract
This study evaluates AM dimensional performance using multivariate quality control methods. Three-dimensionally printed products include multivariate correlated quality characteristics (QCs) that should be evaluated together. Furthermore, the same 3D-printed product can be produced by various additive manufacturing techniques, necessitating a comparative analysis to [...] Read more.
This study evaluates AM dimensional performance using multivariate quality control methods. Three-dimensionally printed products include multivariate correlated quality characteristics (QCs) that should be evaluated together. Furthermore, the same 3D-printed product can be produced by various additive manufacturing techniques, necessitating a comparative analysis to figure out which process provides superior quality. This study evaluates three AM processes—electron beam melting (EBM), fused deposition Modeling (FDM), and stereolithography (SLA)—to assess their performance in multivariate quality control. The research methodology focuses on monitoring, evaluating, and comparing these three AM processes. A standardized benchmark specimen is designed and fabricated using each AM process. Seven critical dimensional QCs were identified, and their specification limits were established based on ISO standards. Data collection was conducted using a high-precision measurement technique. This study used an improved Multivariate Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (MEWMA) control chart for process monitoring to detect deviations. The subsequent process evaluation used Multivariate Process Capability Indices (MPCIs) to assess conformance to specification limits. Then, a sensitivity study was conducted to assess the variability within each AM process. The findings identify the QC that contributes most to variation in each AM process and show clear differences in dimensional performance among EBM, SLA, and FDM, supporting process selection for precision applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Process Engineering: Process Design, Control, and Optimization)
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16 pages, 2980 KB  
Article
Multi-Objective Optimization of ETBE Intensified Processes Considering Economic, Environmental, and Inherent Safety Aspects
by Gabriel Hernández-Morales, Edgar Daniel Montaño-Olvera, Manuel Gómez-Ochoa and Arturo Jiménez-Gutiérrez
Processes 2025, 13(11), 3539; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13113539 - 4 Nov 2025
Viewed by 344
Abstract
Process intensification has gained significant importance during the last few years because of its potential to develop innovative structures with improved energy efficiency and better economics. One approach that has been developed in this field is the transformation of a process flowsheet with [...] Read more.
Process intensification has gained significant importance during the last few years because of its potential to develop innovative structures with improved energy efficiency and better economics. One approach that has been developed in this field is the transformation of a process flowsheet with a series of conventional units into another one with minimal pieces of equipment. In this work we consider a base process to produce ethyl tert-butyl ether, which consists of a reactor and an isobaric distillation sequence. Given a set of design options provided by the gradual intensification of any processes that contain a dividing wall, reactive distillation, or reactive dividing wall columns, we take those intensified structures and make them subject to a multi-objective optimization task. The formulation consists of the minimization of the combination of economic, environmental, and inherent safety components. Different policies are simulated through weights assigned to each of those components. It is shown that the optimal structure depends on the priorities given to each term of the multi-objective formulation, and that the application of the optimization procedure further improves the economic and environmental potential provided by the base, fully intensified process, with reductions of up to 27.9 and 6.2 percent in those metrics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Process Engineering: Process Design, Control, and Optimization)
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