CMET401 Plant Design & Economics

Instructor: Dr. Abdel-Karim Mahgoub

 Plant Design & Economics

Process Flowsheet Development I

Dr. Abdel-Karim Mahgoub

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Development I
 Process Flowsheet Development I
Key Learning Objectives:
(Process Flowsheet Development I & II):

1. How to prepare and present a process flow diagram

2. Factors to consider when adopting or improving comme

rcially-proven technology

3. How to develop a flowsheet for a revamp design and to

synthesize a flowsheet for an entirely new process.

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 Flowsheet Presentation

A
A flowsheet
flowsheet is
is aa diagrammatic
diagrammatic representation
representation of
of the
the
process
process steps
steps with
with their
their interconnections.
interconnections.

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 Flowsheet Presentation (BFD)

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 Flowsheet Presentation (BFD)

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 Flowsheet Presentation (BFD)

• Block flow diagram for the vinyl-chloride process

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 Flowsheet Presentation (PFD)

• PFD symbols in Appendix A.

• Information to be Included

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 Symbols for Drawing PFD

PFD symbols for reactors, vessels, mixers, and tanks.

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 Symbols for Drawing PFD

PFD symbols for heat transfer equipment

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 Symbols for Drawing PFD

PFD symbols for fluid-handling equipment.

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 Symbols for Drawing PFD

PFD symbols for solids-handling equipment

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 Process Flow Diagram (PFD)

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 Process Flow Diagram (PFD)

Process flow diagram for the vinyl-chloride process

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 Stream Summary Table for the
Vinyl-Chloride Process

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 Stream Summary Table for the
Vinyl-Chloride Process

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 Equipment Summary Sp
ecifications

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 P&ID

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 P&ID Letter Code for Instrument
Symbols

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 P&ID for Pump & Storage Tank

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CMET401 Process Flowsheet Development I
 P&ID for Benzene Distillation

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 3-D Representation of DME Process
(Reactor & Feed Section)

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Commercially-Proven Processes: Selecti
on, Modification & Improvement
• Engineers normally don’t design processes from scratch
if a commercially-proven alternative is available.

• Avoid extra cost & risk inherent in technology commerci

alization.

• Commercial processes may need modifications to make

desired product or byproducts, or to process an unusual
feed material.

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Commercially-Proven Processes: Selecti
on, Modification & Improvement

Stages of Process Selection:

1. Information on alternative commercial processes

2. Customization & optimization of the designs

3. Complete full PFD and mass and energy balances for prelimina
ry costing & sizing of the main process equipment to estimate c
apital investment and cost of production

4. Economic analysis to determine the overall project economics a

nd choose the design which gives the best overall economic pe
rformance.

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Commercially-Proven Processes: Selecti
on, Modification & Improvement

Factors Considered in Process Selection:

1) Freedom to Practice

2) Safety and Environmental Performance

3) Government and International Restrictions

4) Experience and Reliability

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Commercially-Proven Processes: Selecti
on, Modification & Improvement
Modification and Improvement of Establi
shed (Existing) Processes:
1. Modifications to Improve Process Economics
 Improve reactor selectivity and process yield
 Improve process energy efficiency
 Improve process fixed costs, Reduce capital investment & w
orking capital

2. Modifications to Improve Plant Safety

3. Modifications to Improve Plant Reliability

4. Modifications
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to Improve Environmental Impact
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 REVAMPS OF EXISTING PLANTS
 Revamps generally fall into two categories:
 Debottlenecking projects: are carried out to increase t
he production rate of a plant while making the same p
roduct.

 Retrofit projects are carried out to change the design

of a plant to handle different feeds; make different pro
ducts; exploit better reactor, catalyst, or separation te
chnology; or improve plant safety or environmental im
pact in response to new regulatory requirements.
 Once the revamped flowsheet has been completed, the
designers can assess the costs of the new components t
hat must be added.

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 REVAMPS OF EXISTING PLANTS
 The cost of revamping a plant should always be compar
ed to the cost of building a new plant from scratch.

 The revamp will usually be a cheaper method for adding

small increments of capacity, but for larger capacity incre
ases a new unit will become more attractive.

 An item of equipment at its maximum capacity is the bottl

eneck to prevent increased capacity.

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 REVAMPS OF EXISTING PLANTS
 To overcome the bottleneck or debottleneck, the item of
equipment is modified, or replaced with new equipment
with increased capacity, or a new item is placed in parall
el or series with the existing item, or the connections bet
ween existing equipment are reconfigured, or a combinat
ion of all these actions is taken.

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 Retrofits & Grassroots Designs

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