CHAPTER 1

PLANT DESIGN (I)

 1.1 Definitions

 Design:

Is defined as creation activity or idea or as creation manufacturing

process to fulfill public need or commercial opportunity.

 Process design:

It includes group of items which could be prepared on paper before

implementing it, such as flow sheets, material balance, energy
balance, and specification sheets.

 Plant design:

It includes plant location and plant layout.

 1.2. Aim of chemical engineering design

 Construction of new chemical plants.

 Expansion or revision of existing plants in order to increase
the productivity.
 Modification of existing plant in order to change the
product or the way of production.
 1.3. plant design stages:

1. Recognition of social need or an economic

opportunity “objective of design”.
2. Conception of one or more ideas.
3. Analysis: Which is a rough estimation in order to
determine if the idea is technically accepted or not
(involving research, pilot plant, laboratory studies,
previous work from other plants, and market
survey.).
4. Detailed design: It comes after the analysis step and is
considered to be an economic analysis. It involves market
survey, material and energy balances, material and
construction. If the idea is economically not accepted, stop
and select another idea, and it is accepted economically
continue stage 5.
5. Construction and start up.
6. Operation in order to produce profitable product.

Note: stages 4,5,6 are called action.

 • 1.4. Optimum design

 In almost every case encountered by a chemical engineer, there are

several alternative methods which can be used for any given process
or operation. For example, formaldehyde can be produced by
catalytic dehydrogenation of methanol, by controlled oxidation of
natural gas, or by direct reaction between CO and H, under special
conditions of catalyst, temperature, and pressure.

 Each of these processes contains many possible alternatives

involving variables such as gas-mixture composition, temperature,
pressure, and choice of catalyst. It is the responsibility of the
chemical engineer, in this case, to choose the best process and to
incorporate into the design the equipment and methods which will
give the best results.
 • 1.5. optimum economic design

If there are two or more methods for obtaining exactly equivalent
final results, the preferred method would be the one involving the
least total cost. This is the basis of an optimum economic design.
One typical example of an optimum economic design is
determining the pipe diameter to use when pumping a given
amount of fluid from one point to another.

 Here the same final result (i.e., a set amount of fluid pumped
between two given points) can be accomplished by using an
infinite number of different pipe diameters. However, an economic
balance will show that one particular pipe diameter gives the least
total cost. The total cost includes the cost for pumping the liquid
and the cost (i.e., fixed charges) for the installed piping system. A
graphical representation showing the meaning of an optimum
economic pipe diameter is presented in the following Figure.
 As shown in this figure, the pumping cost increases with
decreased size of pipe diameter because of frictional effects, while
the fixed charges for the pipeline become lower when smaller pipe
diameters are used because of the reduced capital investment.

 The optimum economic diameter is located where the sum of the

pumping costs and fixed costs for the pipeline becomes a
minimum, since this represents the point of least total cost. In the
Figure, this point is represented by E.

 The chemical engineer often selects a final design on the basis of

conditions giving the least total cost. In many cases, however,
alternative designs do not give final products or results that are
exactly equivalent. It then becomes necessary to consider the
quality of the product or the operation as well as the total cost.
 • 1.6. optimum operation design

 Many processes require definite conditions of

temperature, pressure, contact time, or other
variables if the best results are to be obtained. It is
often possible to make a partial separation of these
optimum conditions from direct economic
considerations. In cases of this type, the best design
is designated as the optimum operation design.

 The chemical engineer should remember, however,

that economic considerations ultimately determine
An excellent example of an optimum operation design is
the determination of operating conditions for the catalytic
oxidation of sulfur dioxide to sulfur trioxide. Suppose that
all the variables, such as converter size, gas rate, catalyst
activity, and entering-gas concentration, are tied and the
only possible variable is the temperature at which the
oxidation occurs.

If the temperature is too high, the yield of SO3, will be

low because the equilibrium between SO2, SO3, and 02, is
shifted in the direction of SO, and 02. On the other hand, if
the temperature is too low, the yield will be poor because
the reaction rate between SO2, and 02 will be low.

Thus, there must be one temperature where the amount of

sulfur trioxide formed will be a maximum. This particular
temperature would give the optimum operation design.
 The following Figure presents a graphical method for
determining the optimum operation temperature for
the sulfur dioxide converter in this example. Line AB
represents the maximum yields obtainable when the
reaction rate is controlling, while line CD indicates
the maximum yields on the basis of equilibrium
conditions controlling.
 Point 0 represents the optimum operation
temperature where the maximum yield is obtained.
The preceding example is a simplified case of what
an engineer might encounter in a design. In reality, it
would usually be necessary to consider various
 • 1.7. practical considerations in design

The chemical engineer must never lose sight of the

practical limitations involved in a design. It may be
possible to determine an exact pipe diameter for an
optimum economic design, but this does not mean that this
exact size must be used in the final design. Suppose the
optimum diameter were, 3.43 in. (8.71 cm).

It would be impractical to have a special pipe fabricated

with an inside diameter of 3.43 in. Instead, the engineer
would choose a standard pipe size which could be
purchased at regular market prices. In this case, the
recommended pipe size would probably be a standard
3$in.-diameter pipe having an inside diameter of 3.55 in.
(9.02 cm).
If the engineer happened to be very conscientious about
getting an adequate return on all investments, he or she
might say, “A standard 3-in.-diameter pipe would require
less investment and would probably only increase the
total cost slightly; therefore, I think we should compare
the costs with a 3-in.pipe to the costs with the 3.5 in. pipe
before making a final decision.” Theoretically, the
conscientious engineer is correct in this case.

Suppose the total cost of the installed 3$in. pipe is $5000

and the total cost of the installed 3-in. pipe is $4500. If
the total yearly savings on power and fixed charges,
using the 3.5-in. pipe instead of the 3-in. pipe, were $25,
the yearly percent return on the extra$500 investment
would be only 5 percent. Since it should be possible to
invest the extra $500 elsewhere to give more than a 5
percent return, it would appear that the 3-in.-diameter
pipe would be preferred over the 3.5in.-diameter pipe.
The logic presented in the preceding example is perfectly
sound. It is a typical example of investment comparison
and should be understood by all chemical engineers. Even
though the optimum economic diameter was 3.43 in., the
good engineer knows that this diameter is only an exact
mathematical number and may vary from month to month
as prices or operating conditions change. Therefore, all
one expects to obtain from this particular optimum
economic calculation is a good estimation as to the best
diameter, and investment comparisons may not be
necessary.

The practical engineer understands the physical problems

which are involved in the final operation and maintenance
of the designed equipment. In developing the plant layout,
crucial control valves must be placed where they are
easily accessible to the operators. Sufficient space must be
available for maintenance personnel to check, take apart,
and repair equipment.
The engineer should realize that cleaning operations are
simplified if a scale-forming fluid is passed through the
inside of the tubes rather than on the shell side of a tube-
and-shell heat exchanger.

Obviously, then, sufficient plant-layout space should be

made available so that the maintenance workers can
remove the head of the installed exchanger and force
cleaning worms or brushes through the inside of the tubes
or remove the entire tube bundle when necessary.

The theoretical design of a distillation unit may indicate

that the feed should be introduced on one particular tray in
the tower. Instead of specifying a tower with only one feed
inlet on the calculated tray, the practical engineer will
include inlets on several trays above and below the
calculated feed point since the actual operating conditions
for the tower will vary and the assumptions included in the
calculations make it impossible to guarantee absolute
accuracy.
The preceding examples typify the type of practical problems
the chemical engineer encounters. In design work, theoretical
and economic principles must be combined with an
understanding of the common practical problems that will arise
when the process finally comes to life in the form of a complete
plant or a complete unit.
 • 1.8. The Design Approach

 The chemical engineer has many tools to choose from

in the development of a profitable plant design. None,
when properly utilized, will probably contribute as
much to the optimization of the design as the use of
high-speed computers.
 Many problems encountered in the process
development and design can be solved rapidly with a
higher degree of completeness with high-speed
computers and at less cost than with ordinary hand or
desk calculators. Generally overdesign and safety
factors can be reduced with a substantial savings in
capital investment.
 At no time, however, should the engineer be led to
believe that plants are designed around computers.
They are used to determine design data and are used
as models for optimization once a design is
established. They are also used to maintain operating
plants on the desired operating conditions. The latter
function is a part of design and supplements and
follows process design.

 The general approach in any plant design involves a

carefully balanced combination of theory, practice,
originality, and plain common sense. In original
 In many cases, however, exact values for necessary
physical properties are not available, and the
engineer is forced to make approximate estimates of
these values.

 Many approximations also must be made in carrying

out theoretical design calculations. For example,
even though the engineer knows that the ideal-gas
law applies exactly only to simple gases at very low
pressures, this law is used in many of the calculations
when the gas pressure is as high as 5 or more
atmospheres (507 kPa).
 The engineer prefers to accept this error rather than
to spend time determining virial coefficients or other
factors to correct for ideal gas deviations.
 In the engineer’s approach to any design problem, it
is necessary to be prepared to make many
assumptions. Sometimes these assumptions are made
because no absolutely accurate values or methods of
calculation are available. At other times, methods
involving close approximations are used because
exact treatments would require long and laborious
calculations giving little gain in accuracy.
 The good chemical engineer recognizes the need for
 Another important factor in the approach to any design problem
involves economic conditions and limitations.

 The engineer must consider costs and probable profits constantly

throughout all the work. It is almost always better to sell many
units of a product at a low profit per unit than a few units at a high
profit per unit.

 Consequently, the engineer must take into account the volume of

production when determining costs and total profits for various
types of designs. This obviously leads to considerations of
customer needs and demands. These factors may appear to be
distantly removed from the development of a plant design, but
they are extremely important in determining its ultimate success.
THANKS