KATHMANDU UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
B.E.
Course Handout
Existing
Course No: CHEG314 (3 Cr.)
Course Title: Process Equipment Design
Text Book: *Sinnott, R. K. Chemical Engineering Design. Chemical Engineering, 4th edition, Vol.
6, 2005.
** Manning, F. S., Thomson, R. E. Oil Field Processing of Petroleum, 2nd edition,
1995, ISBN: 087814-354-8
***Nnaji, U., Introduction to Chemical Engineering for Chemical Engineers and
Students, 2019, ISBN: 978-1-119-59210-5.
Course Objectives:

The objective of this course is to acquire basic understanding of design parameter, complete
knowledge of design procedures for commonly used process equipment and their attachments (e.g.
internal and external pressure vessels, tall vessels, high pressure vessels, supports etc.), and different
types of equipment testing methods. This course also gives up-to-date knowledge for designing the
process equipment such as heat and mass transfer equipment used in chemical process plants.After
undergoing this course, the students will have the knowledge to analyze a problem and finding a
process design method for heat and mass transfer equipment used in chemical plants especially in
heat exchangers and distillation columns.

Course Outcomes:
• Knowledge of field instrumentations
• Dynamic modeling and system behavior study
• Design of controllers
• Application of control systems in processes
• Able to process design of shell & tube heat exchanger
• Able to process design of plate heat exchanger
• Able to process design of sieve tray distillation column.
• Able to process design of packed bed distillation column

Course Plan:
Topics No. of lectures* Ref. to textbook
*
Introduction to Design:
- Introduction, Nature of design, The anatomy of a 2 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6,
chemical manufacturing process, The organisation of 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10
a chemical engineering project, Project
documentation, Codes and standards, Factors of
safety (design factors), Systems of units, Degrees of
freedom and design variables. The mathematical
representation of the design problem, Optimisation
*
Fundamentals of Material Balances:
- Introduction, Mass balance and procedure, Basis of 2 2.1-2.18
 calculation, Tie Component,Excess reagent,
Conversion and yield, Recycle processes, Purge, By-
pass, Unsteady-state calculations

*Fundamentals of Energy Balances (and Energy

Utilisation):
- Introduction,Conservation of energy, Forms of 2 3.1, 3.2, 3.3-3.12, 3.13, 3.14-
energy (per unit mass of material), Compression 3.16, 3.17
and expansion of gases Energy balance calculation,
Process integration and pinch technology
*Flow-sheeting:
- Introduction, Flow sheet representation: 1. Block 3 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6
diagram 2. Process Flow Diagram (PFD) 3.
Engineering Line Diagram (ELD or PID) 4. Utility
line Diagram (ULD) 5. Plant Layout 6. Tank Farm
and Pl, Manual flow-sheet calculations, Computer-
aided flow-sheeting, Full steady-state simulation
programs, Full steady-state simulation programs,
Manual calculations with recycle streams
*Piping and Instrumentation:
- Introduction, The P and I diagram, Valve selection, 2 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6,
Pumps, Mechanical design of piping systems, Pipe 5.7, 5.8, 5.9, 5.10
size selection, Control and instrumentation, Typical
control systems, Alarms and safety trips, and
interlocks, Computers and microprocessors in
process control
*Costing and Project Evaluation:
- Introduction, Cost estimates, Economic evaluation 1 6.1, 6.2-6.9, 6.10, 6.11
of projects, Computer methods for costing and
project evaluation
*Materials of Construction:
- Introduction, Material properties and Corrosion 1 7.1, 7.2-7.5, 7.6-7.12
resistance, Material costs, Contamination,
Commonly used materials of construction, Plastics
as materials of construction for chemical plant,
Ceramic materials (silicate materials), Carbon,
Protective coatings, Design for corrosion resistance
*Design Information and Data:
- Introduction, Sources of information on 2 8.1, 8.2-8.13, 8.14, 8.15, 8.16
manufacturing processes, General sources of
physical properties, Accuracy required of
engineering data, Prediction of physical properties,
Critical constants, Enthalpy of reaction and enthalpy
of formation, Phase equilibrium data
*Safety and Loss Prevention:
- Introduction, Intrinsic and extrinsic safety, The 2 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5, 9.6,
hazards, Dow fire and explosion index, Hazard and 9.7, 9.8, 9.9
operability studies, Hazard analysis, Acceptable risk
and safety priorities, Safety check lists, Major
hazards
*Equipment Selection, Specification and Design:
- Introduction, Separation processes, Solid-solid 2 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5,
 separations, Liquid-solid (solid-liquid) separators, 10.6, 10.7, 10.8
Separation of dissolved solids, Liquid-liquid
separation, Separation of dissolved liquids, Gas-
solids separations (gas cleaning),
- Gas liquid separators, Crushing and grinding 1 10.9, 10.10, 10.11, 10.12,
(comminution) equipment, Mixing equipment, 10.13
Transport and storage of material, Reactors
**
Phase Separation of Gas, Oil and Water 3
- Introduction, Physical description, Comparison of
Separators, Phase separation theory, Design
Considerations
*Separation Columns (Distillation, Absorption and
Extraction):
- Introduction, Continuous distillation: process 2 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 11.5,
description, Continuous distillation: basic principles, 11.6, 11.7
Design variables in distillation, Design methods for
binary systems, Multicomponent distillation: general
considerations, Multicomponent distillation: short-
cut methods for stage and reflux requirements
- Multicomponent systems: rigorous solution 2 11.8, 11.9, 11.10, 11.11,
procedures (computer methods), Other distillation 11.12, 11.13
systems, Plate efficiency, Approximate column
sizing, Approximate column sizing, Plate contactors
- Packed columns, Column auxiliaries, Solvent 1 11.14, 11.15, 11.6
extraction (liquid liquid extraction),
*Heat-transfer Equipment:
- Introduction, Basic design procedure and theory, 2 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.5,
Overall heat-transfer coefficient, Fouling factors 12.6, 12.7, 12.8
(dirt factors), Shell and tube exchangers:
construction details, Mean temperature difference
(temperature driving force),Shell and tube
exchangers: general design considerations, Tube-
side heat-transfer coefficient and pressure drop
(single phase)
- Shell-side heat-transfer and pressure drop (single 2 12.9, 12.10
phase), Condensers
- Reboilers and vaporisers, Plate heat exchangers, 1 12.11, 12.12, 12.13, 12.14
Direct-contact heat exchangers, Finned tubes
- Double-pipe heat exchangers, Air-cooled 1 12.15, 12.16, 12.17, 12.18
exchangers, Fired heaters (furnaces and boilers),
Heat transfer to vessels
*Mechanical Design of Process Equipment:
- Introduction, Pressure vessel codes and standards, 2 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.4, 13.5,
Fundamental principles and equations, General 13.6, 13.7
design considerations: pressure vessels, The design
of thin-walled vessels under internal pressure,
Compensation for openings and branches, Design of
vessels subject to external pressure
- Design of vessels subject to combined loading, 5 13.8, 13.9, 13.10, 13.11,
Vessel supports, Bolted flanged joints, Heat- 13.12,13.13, 13.14, 13.15,
exchanger tube-plates, Welded joint design, Fatigue 13.16, 13.17
assessment of vessels, Pressure tests, High-pressure
 vessels, Liquid storage tanks, Study of various types
of storage vessels and applications, Atmospheric
vessels, vessels for storing volatile and non-volatile
liquids, storage of gases, Losses in storage vessels,
Various types of roofs, Design of cylindrical storage
vessels as per IS: 803- design of base plates, shell
plates, roof plates, wind girders, curb angles for self-
supporting and column supported roofs, stresses due
to dead weight, wind load, Storage of gases
(spherical vessels or hortonspheres). Mechanical
design of centrifuges

*General Site Considerations:

- Introduction, Plant location and site selection, Site layout, 1 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 14.5, 14.6
Plant layout, Utilities, Environmental considerations
***
Chemical Process Safety Engineering and Management 2 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4
- Introduction, Chemical Engineering Design for
Process Safety, Process Hazard Analysis
Techniques, Process Safety Management
***
Sustainability in Chemical Engineering Design 1 7.1,7.2,7.3,7.4
- Introduction, Sustainability Model, Sustainability in
Chemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering
Sustainability Design and Research Problems
Total 45