PLANT DESIGN – BASICS

Dr. Aqeel Ahmad TAIMOOR

Instructions

 Keep a separate folder for this course. A lot of information will be given in lectures,
you will not find it in the book
 Lot of mathematics will be involved. You need to design in this subject. MS EXCEL is
must along with ASPEN
 Tutorials are specifically designed to improve your designing skills. Think like a
designer!
 Do not miss the class!
 If you put in some effort, you will enjoy the course.
 PLEASE DO NOT LET ME GO FURTHER IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND EVEN A
SINGLE WORD OR CONCEPT WRITTEN ON THE SLIDES!
Introduction

 This course is an epic of chemical engineering design

 It involves\recaps all the subjects you have studied so far including economics
 Plant design works in a teamwork. In this course, preliminary knowledge will be
provided for the design of a complete plant
Text Books

 Peters, Max Stone, Klaus D.

Timmerhaus, and Ronald Emmett
West. Plant design and economics for
chemical engineers. Vol. 4. New York:
McGraw-Hill, 2003.

 Sinnott, Ray, and Gavin

Towler. Chemical engineering design:
SI Edition. Butterworth-Heinemann,
2019.
Design Engineers

 Chemical Engineer is an important member of Plant Design

Team
 Starting from very vague statement, it is our job to come up
with customer needs
 Environmental Aspects
 Health and Safety
 Plant location
 Plant layout
 Plant operation and control
 Utility requirements
 Structural design
 Storage and buildings
 Materials handling
 Patent
Steps in Plant Design
1. Recognize a societal or engineering need.
a. Make a market analysis if product is new.

2. Create one or more potential solutions to meet this need.

a. Make a literature survey and patent search.
b. Identify the preliminary data required.

3. Undertake preliminary process synthesis of these solutions.

a. Determine reactions, separations, and possible operating conditions.
b. Recognize environmental, safety, and health concerns.

4. Assess profitability of preliminary process or processes (if negative, reject process

and create new alternatives).
5. Refine required design data.
a. Establish property data with appropriate software.
b. Verify experimentally, if necessary, key unknowns in the process.
Steps in Plant Design
6. Prepare detailed engineering design.
a. Develop base case (if economic comparison is required). Prepare process flowsheet.
b. Integrate and optimize process. Check process controllability.
c. Size equipment, Estimate capital cost.
7. Reassess the economic viability of process (if negative, either modify process or investigate other process
alternatives).
8. Review the process again for environmental, safety, and health effects.
9. Provide a written process design report.
10.Complete the final engineering design.
a. Determine equipment layout and specifications.
b. Develop piping and instrumentation diagrams.
c. Prepare bids for the equipment or the process plant.
11.Procure equipment (if work is done in-house).
12.Provide assistance (if requested) in the construction phase.
13.Assist with start-up and shutdown runs.
14.Initiate production.