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Chapter 6

specificationsincludedinthePhase 1 packagesconcentrateonprocess-related requirements and certain critical mechanical items, leaving most of the mechanical and structural details to the engineering contractor. On many occasions, specifications from previous projects are included in Phase 1 packages. This is a dangerous practice since they are not necessarily updated andor applicable to the current project. The Project Manager must avoid this trap carefully and always keep in mind that a good general specification is much better than an outdated, or even incorrect, detailed specification. On large projects, where detailed engineering is performed by an outside firm, the Project Manager can rely on the engineering contractor to critique, complete, and/or update the Owner's specifications as required. On small projects, the Project Manager is at a great disadvantage and must compensate by being continuously cost conscious and bold enough to challenge the "experts."

6.4 Conceptual Plant Layout Guidelines

General Considerations
Preliminary plot plans and conceptual equipment layouts must be developed during the Phase OPhase 1 work in order to determine the plot requirements and help the estimators visualize the proposed facilities and prepare realistic cost estimates. This information will be useful for estimating:
- Site development -

- roads, railroads, fences, etc.

Civil work - foundations, buildings, structures, etc.

- Tank farms and other off-site facilities. - Process and yard piping and other distribution systems.

Preparationof final. optimizedlayouts is atime-consumingprocessrequiring participation of many experienced people. On the other hand, conceptual layout adequatetomeettheaboveobjectivescanbeeasilypreparedbyaprocessor project engineer. The ensuing guidelines will be useful for doing so. They should also be useful for reviewing layout work done by the contractor. The recommended parameters and criteria included in these guidelines reflect insurance and OSHA requirements as well as good practice standards. They are biased on the conservative side and their application should result in a layout that could be optimized during detailed engineering without unpleasant surprises. The following information is the minimum required for the preparation of a conceptuallayout.Itisoccasionallyprovided as partofaconceptualdesign package and must certainly be provided in the Phase 0 package: