PSE

General Site
Consideration

Copyright@FKKKSA, UTM Computer-Aided Process Simulation Project Intro to PD - 1

PSE
Learning Outcomes
After studying this topic, participants should:

 Be able to recognize suitable site for a new project,

and the site and equipment layout planned. Provision
must be made for the ancillary buildings and services
needed for plant operation; and for the
environmentally acceptable disposal of effluent.

Intro to PD - 2
PSE
PLANT LOCATION AND SITE
SELECTION
1. Location, with respect to the marketing area.
2. Raw material supply.
3. Transport facilities.
4. Availability of labour.
5. Availability of utilities: water, fuel, power.
6. Availability of suitable land.
7. Environmental impact, and effluent disposal.
8. Local community considerations.
9. Climate.
10. Political and strategic considerations.
Intro to PD - 3
PSE
Marketing area
Materials in bulk quantities eg.cement, mineral acids,
& fertilisers, where:
1. the cost of the product per tonne is relatively low
and
2. the cost of transport a significant fraction of the sales
price,
the plant should be located close to the primary market.
This consideration will be less important for low
volume production,high-priced products; such as
pharmaceuticals.

Intro to PD - 4
 Raw Materials
PSE

 Site locationDepends on availability and

price of suitable raw materials
 Plants that produce bulk chemicals are best
located close to the source of the major raw
material, as long as the costs of shipping
product are not greater than the cost of
shipping feed.

Intro to PD - 5
 Raw Materials
PSE

 Eg. new ethylene capacity that is being added

worldwide is being built in the Middle East, close to
supplies of cheap ethane from NG.
 Oil refineries, on the other hand, tend to be located
close to major population centers, as an oil refinery
produces many grades of fuel, which are expensive to
ship separately.

Intro to PD - 6
PSE Transport
 If practicable, a site should be selected that is close to
at least two major forms of transport: road, rail,
waterway (canal or river), or a sea port.
 Road transport is increasingly used and is suitable for
local distribution from a central warehouse.
 Rail transport is usually cheaper for the long-distance
transport of bulk chemicals.
 Air transport is convenient and efficient for the
movement of personnel & essential equipment and
supplies, and the proximity of the site to a major
airport should be considered.
Intro to PD - 7
 Availability of Labor
PSE

 Labor for construction of the plant and its

operation.
 Skilled construction workers are usually
brought in from outside the site area, but
there should be an adequate pool of
unskilled labor available locally, & labor
suitable for training to operate the plant.

Intro to PD - 8
 Availability of Labor
PSE

 Skilled craft workers such as

electricians, welders, and pipe fitters
will be needed for plant maintenance.
 Local labor laws, trade union customs,
and restrictive practices must be
considered when assessing the
availability & suitability of the local
labor for recruitment and training.

Intro to PD - 9
 Utilities (Services)
PSE

 Chemical processes invariably require large

quantities of water for cooling & general
process use, & the plant must be located near a
source of water of suitable quality.
 Process water may be drawn from a river, from
wells, or purchased from a local authority.
 At some sites, the cooling water required can be
taken from a river, lake, or from the sea; at other
locations cooling towers will be needed.
Intro to PD - 10
 Utilities (Services)
PSE

 Electrical power is needed at all sites.

Electrochemical processes (eg. chlorine
manufacture or aluminum smelting) require
large quantities of power & must be located
close to a cheap source of power.
 A competitively priced fuel must be available
on site for steam and power generation.

Intro to PD - 11
 Utilities (Services)
PSE

 Electrical power is needed at all sites.

Electrochemical processes (eg. chlorine
manufacture or aluminum smelting) require
large quantities of power & must be located
close to a cheap source of power.
 A competitively priced fuel must be available
on site for steam and power generation.

Intro to PD - 12
 Environmental Impact
PSE
& Effluent Disposal
 Full consideration must be given to the difficulties
& cost of industrial disposal.
 The disposal of toxic and harmful effluents will be
covered by local regulations, & the appropriate
authorities must be consulted during the initial site
survey to determine the standards that must be met.
 An environmental impact assessment should be
made for each new project or major modification or
addition to an existing process.

Intro to PD - 13
 Local Community
Consideration
PSE

 The proposed plant must fit in with & be

acceptable to the local community.
 safe location of the plant so that it does not
impose a significant additional risk to the local
population.
 Plants should generally be sited so as not to be
upwind of residential areas under the prevailing
wind.

Intro to PD - 14
 Local Community
Consideration
PSE

 Local community must be able to provide

adequate facilities for the plant personnel:
schools, banks, housing, and recreational and
cultural facilities.
 The local community must also be consulted
about plant water consumption & discharge &
the effect of the plant on local traffic.

Intro to PD - 15
 Local Community
Consideration
PSE

 Some communities welcome new plant

construction as a source of new jobs and
economic prosperity.
 More affluent communities generally do less to
encourage the building of new manufacturing
plants & in some cases may actively discourage
chemical plant construction.

Intro to PD - 16
 Land (Site
Consideration)
PSE

 Sufficient suitable land must be available for the

proposed plant and for future expansion.
 The land should ideally be flat, well drained,
and have suitable load-bearing characteristics.
 A full site evaluation should be made to
determine the need for piling or other special
foundations.

Intro to PD - 17
 Land (Site
Consideration)
PSE

 Particular care must be taken when building

plants on reclaimed land near the ocean in
earthquake zones because of the poor seismic
character of such land.

Intro to PD - 18
PSE Climate
 Adverse climatic conditions at a site will
increase costs.
 Abnormally low temperatures require the
provision of additional insulation and special
heating for equipment & pipe runs.
 Stronger structures are needed at locations
subject to high winds (cyclone/hurricane areas)
or earthquakes.

Intro to PD - 19
 Political & Strategic
Considerations
PSE

 Capital grants, tax concessions, and other inducements

are often given by governments to direct new
investment to preferred locations, such as areas of high
unemployment.
 The availability of such grants can be the overriding
consideration in site selection.
 In a globalized economy, there may be an advantage to
be gained by locating the plant within an area with
preferential tariff agreements, such as the European
Union (EU).
Intro to PD - 20
PSE
SITE LAYOUT
 The process units and ancillary buildings should be laid
out to give the most economical flow of materials and
personnel around the site.
 Hazardous processes must be located at a safe distance
from other buildings.
 Consideration must also be given to the future
expansion of the site.

Intro to PD - 21
PSE
SITE LAYOUT
The ancillary buildings and services required on a site, in
addition to the main processing units (buildings),
include:
1. Storage for raw materials and products: tank farms and
warehouses;
2. Maintenance workshops;
3. Stores, for maintenance and operating supplies;
4. Laboratories for process quality control;
5. Fire stations and other emergency services;
6. Utilities: steam boilers, compressed air, power
generation, refrigeration, transformer stations;
Intro to PD - 22
PSE
SITE LAYOUT

7. Effluent disposal plant: waste water treatment, solid and

or liquid waste collection;
8. Offices for general administration;
9. Canteens and other amenity buildings, such as medical
centers;
10. Parking lots.

Intro to PD - 23
 PSE
SITE LAYOUT
 the process units are normally sited first and arranged
to give a smooth flow of materials through the various
processing steps, from raw material to final product
storage.
 Process units are normally spaced at least 30m apart;
greater spacing may be needed for hazardous
processes.
 Next, decide the location of the principal ancillary
buildings.
 They should be arranged so as to minimize the time
spent by personnel in traveling between buildings.
Intro to PD - 24
 PSE
SITE LAYOUT
 Administration offices and laboratories, in which a
relatively large number of people will be working,
should be located well away from potentially
hazardous processes.
 Control rooms are normally located adjacent to the
processing units, but those with potentially hazardous
processes may have to be sited at a safer distance.
 The location of the main process units determines the
layout of the plant roads, pipe, alleys, and drains.
 Access roads to each building are needed for
construction and for operation and maintenance.
Intro to PD - 25
 PSE
SITE LAYOUT
 Utility buildings should be sited to give the most
economical run of pipes to & from the process units.
 Cooling towers should be sited so that, under the
prevailing wind, the plume of condensate spray drifts
away from the plant area and adjacent properties.
 The main storage areas should be placed between the
loading and unloading facilities and the process units
they serve.
 Storage tanks containing hazardous materials should be
sited at least 70m (200 ft) from the site boundary.

Intro to PD - 26
PSE
SITE LAYOUT
A typical site plan

Intro to PD - 27
 PSE
PLANT LAYOUT
 The economic construction and efficient operation of a
process unit will depend on how well the plant and
equipment specified on the process flowsheet is laid out.
 The principal factors to be considered are
1. Economic considerations: construction and operating costs;
2. The process requirements;
3. Convenience of operation;
4. Convenience of maintenance;
5. Safety;
6. Future expansion;
7. Modular construction.
Intro to PD - 28
PSE Cost
 The cost of construction can be minimized by
adopting a layout that gives the shortest run of
connecting pipe between equipment and the
least amount of structural steel work;
 however, this will not necessarily be the best
arrangement for operation & maintenance.

Intro to PD - 29
PSE Process Requirements
 An example of the need to take into account
process considerations is the need to elevate the
base of columns to provide the necessary net
positive suction head to a pump (see Chapter 5,
Sinnot) or the operating head for a
thermosiphon reboiler (see Chapter 12, Sinnot).

Intro to PD - 30
PSE Operation
 Equipment that needs to have frequent operator
attention should be located convenient to the
control room.
 Valves, sample points, and instruments should
be located at convenient positions and heights.
 Sufficient working space and headroom must be
provided to allow easy access to equipment. If it
is anticipated that equipment will need
replacement, then sufficient space must be
allowed to permit access for lifting equipment.
Intro to PD - 31
PSE Maintenance
 Heat exchangers need to be sited so that the tube
bundles can be easily withdrawn for cleaning
and tube replacement.
 Vessels that require frequent replacement of
catalyst or packing should be located on the
outside of buildings.
 Equipment that requires dismantling for
maintenance, such as compressors and large
pumps, should be placed under cover.

Intro to PD - 32
PSE Safety
 Blast walls may be needed to isolate potentially
hazardous equipment and confine the effects of
an explosion.
 At least two escape routes for operators must be
provided from each level in process buildings.

Intro to PD - 33
PSE Plant Expansion
 Equipment should be located so that it can be
conveniently tied in with any future expansion
of the process.
 Space should be left on pipe racks for future
needs, and service pipes should be oversized to
allow for future requirements.

Intro to PD - 34
PSE Modular Construction
 In recent years there has been a move to
assemble sections of a plant at the plant
manufacturer’s site.
 These modules include the equipment, structural
steel, piping, and instrumentation.
 The modules are then transported to the plant
site, by road or sea.

Intro to PD - 35
PSE Modular Construction
 The advantages of modular construction are
1. Improved quality control;
2. Reduced construction cost;
3. Less need for skilled labor on site;
4. Less need for skilled personnel on overseas sites.

Intro to PD - 36
PSE Modular Construction
 Some of the disadvantages are
1. Higher design costs;
2. More structural steel work;
3. More flanged connections;
4. Possible problems with assembly, on site;

Intro to PD - 37
PSE Modular Construction
 The advantages of modular construction are
1. Improved quality control;
2. Reduced construction cost;
3. Less need for skilled labor on site;
4. Less need for skilled personnel on overseas sites.

Intro to PD - 38
PSE General Consideration
 Open, structural-steelwork buildings are normally used
for process equipment.
 Closed buildings are used for process operations that
require protection from the weather, for small plants, or
for processes that require ventilation with scrubbing of
the vent gas.
 The arrangement of the major items of equipment often
follows the sequence given on the process flowsheet:
with the columns and vessels arranged in rows & the
ancillary equipment, such as heat exchangers and
pumps, positioned along the outside.
Intro to PD - 39
PSE
General Consideration
 A typical
preliminary
layout

Intro to PD - 40
PSE
Techniques Used in Site and
Plant Layout
 Cardboard cutouts of the equipment outlines can be
used to make trial plant layouts.
 Simple models, made up from rectangular and
cylindrical blocks, can be used to study alternative
layouts in plan and elevation.
 Cutouts and simple block models can also be used for
site layout studies.
 Once the layout of the major pieces of equipment has
been decided, the plan and elevation drawings can be
made and the design of the structural steelwork and
foundations undertaken.
Intro to PD - 41
PSE
Techniques Used in Site and
Plant Layout
 Large-scale models, to a scale of at least 1:30, are
normally made for major projects.
 These models are used for piping design and to decide
the detailed arrangement of small items of equipment,
such as valves, instruments, and sample points.
 Piping isometric diagrams are taken from the finished
models.
 The models are also useful on the construction site and
for operator training. Proprietary kits of parts are
available for the construction of plant models.

Intro to PD - 42
PSE
Techniques Used in Site and
Plant Layout
 Computer-aided design (CAD) tools are being
increasingly used for plant layout studies, and
computer models are complementing, if not yet
replacing, physical models.
 Several proprietary programs are available for the
generation of three-dimensional models of plant layout
and piping.
 Present systems allow designers to zoom in on a
section of a plant and view it from various angles.
 Developments of computer technology will soon
enable engineers to virtually walk through the plant.
Intro to PD - 43
PSE
Techniques Used in Site and
Plant Layout
A typical computer-generated model

Intro to PD - 44
PSE
Techniques Used in Site and
Plant Layout
 Some of the advantages of computer graphics modeling
compared with actual scale models are:
1. The ease of electronic transfer of information. Piping
drawings can be generated directly from the layout
model. Bills of quantities: materials, valves,
instruments, etc. are generated automatically.
2. The computer model can be part of an integrated project
information system, covering all aspects of the project
from conception to operation.
3. It is easy to detect interference between pipe runs and
pipes and structural steel that occupy the same space.
Intro to PD - 45
PSE
Techniques Used in Site and
Plant Layout
4. A physical model of a major plant construction can
occupy several square meters. The computer model is
contained on a single CD.
5. The physical model has to be transported to the plant
site for use in the plant construction and operator
training. A computer model can be instantly available
in the design office, the customer’s offices, and at the
plant site.
6. Expert systems and optimization programs can be
incorporated in the package to assist the designer to
find the best practical layout.
Intro to PD - 46
 PSE
UTILIIES
1. Electricity;
2. Steam, for process heating;
3. Cooling water;
4. Water for general use;
5. Demineralized water;
6. Compressed air;
7. Inert-gas supplies;
8. Refrigeration;
9. Effluent disposal facilities.

Intro to PD - 47
 ENVIRONMENTAL
PSE CONSIDERATIONS
1. All emissions to land, air, and water;
2. Waste management;
3. Smells;
4. Noise;
5. Visual impact;
6. Any other nuisances;
7. The environmental friendliness of the products.

Intro to PD - 48
 Environmental
Legislation
PSE

 Environmental Quality Act 1974 An Act relating to the

prevention, abatement, control of pollution and
enhancement of the environment, and for purposes
connected therewith.

Intro to PD - 49
 Elements Covered
Under EQA 1974
PSE

Water Noise

Industrial
Air
Waste
EQA
1974
Intro to PD - 50
 Examples of Regulations
Under EQA 1974
PSE

Environmental Quality (Licensing)

Regulations 1977

Environmental Quality (Control of Emissions

from Petrol Engines Regulations 1996

Environmental Quality (Delegation of Powers)

(Investigation of Open Burning) Order 2000

Environmental Quality (Declared Activities)

(Open Burning) Order 2003

Environmental Quality (Appeal Board)

Regulations 2003

Intro to PD - 51
PSE Waste Minimization
 Before considering ‘‘end-of-pipe’’ approaches for
treating and managing waste products, the design
engineer should always try to minimize production of
waste at the source. The hierarchy of waste
management approaches is
1. Source reduction: Don’t make the waste in the first
place. This is the best practice.
2. Recycle: Find a use for the waste stream.
3. Treatment: Reduce the severity of the environmental
impact.
4. Disposal: Meet the requirements of the law.
Intro to PD - 52
PSE Waste Minimization
 A technique that is sometimes used for waste
minimization is the 5-step review:
1. Identify waste components for regulatory impact.
2. Identify waste streams for size and economic impact.
3. List the root causes of the waste streams.
4. List and analyze modifications to address the root
causes.
5. Prioritize and implement the best solutions..

Intro to PD - 53
PSE Waste Management
 When waste is produced, processes must be
incorporated in the design for its treatment and safe
disposal.
 The following techniques can be considered:
1. Dilution and dispersion;
2. Discharge to foul water sewer (with the agreement of
the appropriate authority);
3. Physical treatments: scrubbing, settling, absorption, and
adsorption;
4. Chemical treatment: precipitation (for example, of
heavy metals), neutralization;
Intro to PD - 54
PSE Waste Management
5. Biological treatment: activated sludge and other
processes;
6. Incineration on land or at sea;
7. Landfill at controlled sites;
8. Sea dumping (now subject to tight international
control).
Refer to standards and regulations

Intro to PD - 55
PSE Waste Management

Liquid Solid

Gaseous Aqueous
Wastes

Intro to PD - 56
PSE

Thank You

Intro to PD - 57