CHENG422 Chemical Plant Design

Dr. M. Rizwan
Department of Chemical Engineering
University of Bahrain
mrizwan@uob.edu.bh
 Course Introduction

• Why this course?

– Enhance problem solving skills
– Enhance Design Engineering skills
– Broaden Chemical Plant Design Skills (Cost,
Environmental, Safety, and Project Execution)
– Get started on your term projects
 Course Introduction
• Get students to understand that the whole is more than the
sum of its parts, and that there are many solutions to a
problem.
• To instill a broad-based, interdisciplinary systems
perspective in student.
• Basic skills needed:
– technical skills
– technical knowledge and ability to do research
– capacity for abstraction
– systems thinking
– experimentation
– communication
– collaboration
 Evaluation Criteria

Assessment Type Number Weight Date

Quizzes 0 %
Assignments 4 10 % See weekly breakdown
Midterm Tests 2 35 % Test 1: 26 Oct 2021 @ 4 PM
(On Campus)

Test 2: 21 Dec 2021 @ 4 PM

(On Campus)
Term Project 1 15 % Project Submission:
25 Dec 2021
Final 1 40 % 9 January 2022 @ 11:30 (On
Campus)
 Engineering Design
• What is it?
– The (engineering) designing process is one of working with
others to solve complex open-ended and often ill-structured
problems and synthesize a specification of the function,
form, behavior, performance, manufacture, operation,
maintenance, and disposal of a technological artefact (an
element, system, or process), such that the artefact's use
promotes a preferred situation addressing identifiable
objectives and constraints in a given technological,
environmental, health and safety, economic, corporate,
societal, political, and cultural context.
(Canadian Design Engineering Network)
 Engineering Design

– “Engineering design is the process of devising a

system, component, or process to meet desired
needs. It is a decision making process (often
iterative), in which the basic sciences,
mathematics, and engineering sciences are
applied to convert resources optimally to meet a
stated objective.”

(From ABET, Accreditation Board for Engineering

and Technology, the U.S. equivalent of CEAB).
 Skills and Qualities
• Technical Skill
• Communication (with peers, clients, public – simply all
stakeholders)
 Formal and Informal
 Presentation
 Written Letter of Intents, Proposals, Progress Reports, Reports
• Team work
• Project Management (including cost estimation & budget management)
• Research (and the ability to seek the appropriate help)
• Sourcing of Equipment and Materials
• Modeling and Computer Simulation
• Design for the Environment
 Basic Engineering Design Process

• Problem Identification
• Analysis of the problem, preliminary ideas and
solutions
• Refinement of each of the preliminary solutions
• Analysis and further Refinement
• Decision
• Implementation
 Problem Identification

• Problem definition is very important. Majority of

engineering time wasted is due to trying to solve
the wrong problem.

• What is the real problem, task or activity that has

to be considered ?

• Are there any special concepts involved ?

• What requirements are to be met ?
• What are the constraints within which the solution
must be found ?
 Sample Design Milestones

• Problem Definition
• Research
• Criteria Establishment
• Option Identification
• Option Ranking
• Detailed Design
 Chemical Plant Design

The major objectives are to:

• Understand how to invent chemical processes and

draw their flow sheets, how to generate and
develop process alternatives, and how to evaluate
and screen them quickly.

• Understand and apply basic economic principles.

 Chemical Plant Design

• Understand the relationship between reaction

chemistry (selectivity, reversible side reactions,
etc) and flow sheet structure at the input/output
level.

• Understand and apply overall mole balances for

complex chemistries to the input/output structure
of a flow sheet, and to generate the corresponding
economic potential of a project.
 Chemical Plant Design

• Be able to synthesize reactor sub-systems, in order

to:
o Develop the recycle structure(s).
o Perform recycle material and energy balances
for process flow sheets.

• Be able to synthesize separation sub-systems in

the context of the total flow sheet.
 Chemical Plant Design

• To understand, develop, and evaluate process

alternatives.

• Be able to simulate (using a software) the steady-

state behavior of process flow sheets at each level
of process development.
 Process Design

• Process design is the design of processes for

desired physical and/or chemical transformation of
materials.

• Process design is central to chemical engineering

and it can be considered to be the summit of
chemical engineering, bringing together all of the
components of that field.
 Process Design

• Process design can be the design of new facilities

or it can be the modification or expansion of
existing facilities. The design starts at a conceptual
level and ultimately ends in the form of fabrication
and construction plans.

• Process design is distinct from equipment design,

which is closer in spirit to the design of unit
operations. Processes often include many unit
operations.
Thank you