INTRODUCTION TO
PLANT DESIGN
Plant Design and Economics for Chemical Engineers
By: Peters and Timmerhaus
SCOPE OF
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PLANT DESIGN
CLASS TUTORIAL
CAUSTIC PLANT
INTRODUCTION
In this modern age of industrial competition, a successful chemical engineer
needs more than a knowledge and understanding of the fundamental sciences
and the related engineering subjects such as thermodynamics, reaction
kinetics, and computer technology.
The engineer must also have the ability to apply this knowledge to practical
situations for the purpose of accomplishing something that will be beneficial
to society.
However, in making these applications, the chemical engineer must
recognize the economic implications which are involved and proceed
accordingly.
Chemical engineering design of new chemical plants and the expansion or
revision of existing ones require the use of engineering principles and
theories combined with a practical realization of the limits imposed by
industrial conditions.
WHAT CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PLANT DESIGN
ACTUALLY IS :
Development of a new plant or process from CONCEPT
EVALUATION to PROFITABLE REALITY is often an
enormously complex problem that we will learn in “Chemical
Engineering Plant Design”.
PRODUCT DESIGN
PRODUCT DESIGN
PRODUCT DESIGN
A plant-design project moves to completion through a series of stages
such as is shown in the following:
1. Inception.
2. Preliminary evaluation of economics and market.
3. Development of data necessary for final design.
4. Final economic evaluation.
5. Detailed engineering design.
6. Procurement.
7. Erection/Commissioning.
8. Startup and trial runs.
9. Production.
PLANT DESIGN PROJECT
This brief outline suggests that the plant-design project
involves a wide variety of skills.
Among these are research, market analysis, design of
individual pieces of equipment, cost estimation, computer
programming, and plant-location surveys.
In fact, the services of a chemical engineer are needed in
each step of the outline, either in a central creative role, or as
a key advisor.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PLANT DESIGN
The general term plant design includes all engineering aspects
involved in the development of either a new, modified, or expanded
industrial plant. In this development, the chemical engineer will be
making
Economic evaluations of new processes.
Designing individual pieces of equipment for the proposed new
venture.
Developing a plant layout for coordination of the overall operation.
Because of these many design duties, the chemical engineer is many
times referred to as a design engineer. On the other hand, a chemical
engineer specializing in the economic aspects of the design is often
referred to as a cost engineer.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PLANT DESIGN
HOME WORK:
Read out and develop fully understanding of 1st Chapter (INTRODUCTION) of
Timmerhaus Book.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PLANT DESIGN
Chapter 2:
General Design Consideration.
Chapter 3:
Process Design Development.
Chapter 4:
Flowsheet Synthesis and Development.
CHAPTER 2
• Health and Safety Hazards
• Loss Prevention/Hazop Study
• Environment Protection
• Plant Location
• Plant Layout
• Plant Operation and Control
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PLANT LOCATION
PLANT LOCATION
The geographic location of a final plant can have a strong influence
on the success of an industrial venture. Considerable care must be
exercised in selecting the plant site, and many different factors must
be considered.
Primarily, the plant should be located where the minimum cost of
production and distribution can be obtained; but other factors, such as
room for expansion and safe living conditions for plant operation as
well as the surrounding community, are also important.
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FACTORS INVOLVED
1. Raw materials availability
2. Markets
3. Energy availability
4. Climate
5. Transportation facilities
6. Water supply
7. Waste disposal
8. Labor supply
9. Taxation and legal restrictions
10. Site characteristics
11. Flood and fire protection
12. Community factors 18
Raw Materials Availability
The source of raw materials is one of the most important factors
influencing the selection of a plant site. This is particularly true if
large volumes of raw materials are consumed, because location
near the source of raw materials permits considerable reduction in
transportation and storage charges.
Attention should be given to the purchased price of the raw
materials, distance from the source of supply, freight or
transportation expenses, availability and reliability of supply,
purity of the raw materials, and storage requirements.
19
MARKETS
The location of markets or intermediate distribution centers
affects the cost of product distribution and the time required
for shipping.
Proximity to the major markets is an important consideration
in the selection of a plant site, because the buyer usually finds
it advantageous to purchase from nearby sources.
Note that markets are needed for by-products as well as for
major final products.
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ENERGY AVAILABILITY
Power and steam requirements are high in most industrial plants, and fuel
is usually required to supply these utilities. Consequently, power and fuel
can be combined as one major factor in the choice of a plant site.
Electrolytic processes require a cheap source of electricity, and plants using
electrolytic processes are often located near large hydroelectric
installations.
If the plant requires large quantities of coal or oil, location near a source of
fuel supply may be essential for economic operation.
The local cost of power can help determine whether power should be
purchased or self-generated.
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CLIMATE
If the plant is located in a cold climate, costs may be increased by
the necessity for construction of protective shelters around the
process equipment, and special cooling towers or air conditioning
equipment may be required if the prevailing temperatures are high.
Excessive humidity or extremes of hot or cold weather can have a
serious effect on the economic operation of a plant, and these
factors should be examined when a plant site is selected.
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TRANSPORTATION FACILITY
Water, railroads, and highways are the common means of transportation
used by major industrial concerns. The kind and amount of products and
raw materials determine the most suitable type of transportation facilities.
In any case, careful attention should be given to local freight rates and
existing railroad lines. The proximity to railroad centers and the
possibility of canal, river, lake, or ocean transport must be considered.
Motor trucking facilities are widely used and can serve as a useful
supplement to rail and water facilities. If possible, the plant site should
have access to all three types of transportation; certainly, at least two
types should be available.
There is usually need for convenient air and rail transportation facilities
between the plant and the main company headquarters, and effective
transportation facilities for the plant personnel are necessary.
23
WATER SUPPLY
The process industries use large quantities of water for cooling, washing,
steam generation, and as a raw material.
The plant, therefore, must be located where a dependable supply of water is
available. A large river or lake is preferable, although deep wells or artesian
wells may be satisfactory if the amount of water required is not too great.
The level of the existing water table can be checked by consulting the state
geological survey, and information on the constancy of the water table and
the year-round capacity of local rivers or lakes should be obtained.
If the water supply shows seasonal fluctuations, it may be desirable to
construct a reservoir or to drill several standby wells.
The temperature, mineral content, silt or sand content, bacteriological
content, and cost for supply and purification treatment must also be
considered when choosing a water supply.
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WASTE DISPOSAL
In recent years, many legal restrictions have been placed on the
methods for disposing of waste materials from the process industries.
The site selected for a plant should have adequate capacity and facilities
for correct waste disposal.
Even though a given area has minimal restrictions on pollution, it
should not be assumed that this condition will continue to exist.
In choosing a plant site, the permissible tolerance levels for various
methods of waste disposal should be considered carefully, and attention
should be given to potential requirements for additional waste treatment
facilities.
25
LABOR SUPPLY
The type and supply of labor available in the vicinity of a
proposed plant site must be examined.
Consideration should be given to prevailing pay scales,
restrictions on number of hours worked per week, competing
industries that can cause dissatisfaction or high turnover rates
among the workers, and variations in the skill and productivity
of the workers.
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TEXATION AND LEGAL RESTRICTIONS
State and local tax rates on property income, unemployment insurance,
and similar items vary from one location to another.
Similarly, local regulations on zoning, building codes, nuisance aspects,
and transportation facilities can have a major influence on the final choice
of a plant site.
In fact, zoning difficulties and obtaining the many required permits can
often be much more important in terms of cost and time delays than many
of the factors discussed in the preceding sections.
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SITE CHARACTERISTICS
The characteristics of the land at a proposed plant site should be
examined carefully. The topography of the tract of land and the soil
structure must be considered, since either or both may have a
pronounced effect on construction costs.
The cost of the land is important as well as local building costs and
living conditions.
Future changes may make it desirable or necessary to expand the plant
facilities.
Therefore, even though no immediate expansion is planned, a new
plant should be constructed at a location where additional space is
available.
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FLOOD AND FIRE PROTECTION
Many industrial plants are located along rivers or near large bodies
of water, and there are risks of flood or hurricane damage.
Before a plant site is chosen, the regional history of natural events
of this type should be examined and the consequences of such
occurrences considered.
Protection from losses by fire is another important factor in
selecting a plant location. In case of a major fire, assistance from
outside fire departments should be available. Fire hazards in the
immediate area surrounding the plant site must not be overlooked.
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COMMUNITY FACTORS
The character and facilities of a community can have quite an effect on
the location of the plant.
If a certain minimum number of facilities for satisfactory living of plant
personnel do not exist, it often becomes a burden for the plant to
subsidize such facilities.
Cultural facilities of the community are important to sound growth.
Churches, libraries, schools, civic theaters, concert associations, and other
similar groups, if active and dynamic, do much to make a community
progressive. Recreation opportunities deserve special consideration.
The efficiency, character, and history of both state and local government
should be evaluated. The existence of low taxes is not in itself a favorable
situation unless the community is already well developed and relatively
free of debt.
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THANKS
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