CHENG 422

CHEMICAL PLANT
DESIGN
INSTRUCTOR
Dr. E. M. ELKANZI

Semester I 2014/2015

INTRODUCTION
Chemical Engineering Design is the most
creative of chemical engineering activities, with
many opportunities to invent imaginative new
products or processes. It is also the essence of
chemical engineering, differentiating a chemical
engineer from a chemist or a technologist. The
creation of product and process designs are
rarely straightforward and routine; rather they
involve innovative approaches that lead to more
profitable products and processes that are
environmentally sound and operationally safe.
Courses on chemical Engineering Design are
required for evidence of major design
experience by ABET. In fact, it satisfies
Program Outcome c (ability to design system,
component or process to meet desired needs)
of ABET a-k Program Outcomes.

Course Objectives
1.

The major objective is to understand how

to invent chemical process flow sheets,
how to generate and develop process
alternatives, and how to evaluate and
screen them quickly.

2.

Understand and apply basic economic principles,

3.

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.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Be able to synthesize reactor subsystems, to develop the recycle

structure(s), and 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.
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 (chemical

engineering)

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 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 .

Documentation

Process design documents serve to define the design and

they ensure that the design components fit together. They are
useful in communicating ideas and plans to other engineers
involved with the design, to external regulatory agencies, to
equipment vendors and to construction contractors.
In order of increasing detail, process design documents
include:
Block Flow Diagrams (BFD): Very simple diagrams
composed of rectangles and lines indicating major material or
energy flows.
Process Flow Diagrams (PFD's): Typically more complex
diagrams of major unit operations as well as flow lines. They
usually include a material balance, and sometimes an energy
balance, showing typical or design flowrates, stream
compositions, and stream and equipment pressures and
temperatures.

Documentation

Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&ID's):

Diagrams showing each and every pipeline with piping
class (carbon steel or stainless steel) and pipe size
(diameter). They also show valving along with instrument
locations and process control schemes.
Specifications: Written design requirements of all major
equipment items.
Process designers also typically write operating manuals
on how to start-up, operate and shut-down the process.
Documents are maintained after construction of the
process facility for the operating personnel to refer to. The
documents also are useful when modifications to the
facility are planned.
A primary method of developing the process documents
is process flowsheeting.

Design Considerations

Designs have objectives and constraints, and even a

simple process requires a trade-off among such
factors.
Objectives that a design may strive to include:
Throughput rate
Process yield
Product purity
Constraints include:
Capital cost
Available space
Safety concerns
Environmental impact and projected effluents and
emissions
Waste production
Operating and maintenance costs

Other factors that designers may include are:

Reliability
Redundancy
Flexibility
Anticipated variability in feedstock and allowable
variability in product.

Sources of Design
Information

Designers usually do not start from scratch, especially

for complex projects. Often the engineers have pilot
plant data available or data from full-scale operating
facilities. Other sources of information include
proprietary design criteria provided by process
licensors, published scientific data, laboratory
experiments, and input.
Computer Help
The advent of low cost powerful computers has aided
complex mathematical simulation of processes, and
simulation software is often used by design engineers.
Simulations can identify weaknesses in designs and
allow engineers to choose better alternatives.
However, engineers still rely on heuristics, intuition,
and experience when designing a process. Human
creativity is an element in complex designs.

WHAT IS MEANT BY CHEMICAL PLANT

DESIGN?

CHEMICAL: THE PURPOSE OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

IS TO CREATE NEW MATERIAL WEALTH VIA THE
CHEMICAL TRANSFORMATION AND/OR SEPARATION OF
MATERIALS.
PLANT: EQUIPMENT & PROCESSES FOR PRODUCING
THE NEW MATERIAL.
DESIGN: THE GOAL OF DESIGN IS TO FIND THE BEST
PROCESS FLOWSHEET (i.e. TO SELECT THE PROCESS
UNITS AND THE INTERCONNECTONS AMONG THESE
UNITS)
AND
TO
ESTIMATE
OPTIMUM
DESIGN
CONDITIONS.

PROCESS & PLANT DESIGN IS THE CREATIVE

ACTIVITY WHEREBY WE GENERATE IDEAS AND
THEN TRANSLATE THEM INTO EQUIPMENT AND
PROCESSES FOR THE ECONOMIC PRODUCTION
OF A NEW MATERIAL OR FOR SIGNIFICANTLY
UPGRADING THE VALUE OF AN EXISISTING ONE

EXAMPLE
IN A PARTICULAR COMPANY, WE MIGHT
TRY TO GENERATE NEW IDEAS:

TO PRODUCE A PURCHASED RAW MATERIAL.

TO CONVERT A WASTE BY-PRODUCT TO A
VALUABLE PRODUCT.
TO CREATE A COMPLETELY NEW MATERIAL.
TO FIND A NEW WAY OF PRODUCING AN
EXISISTING PRODUCT (e.g. A NEW CATALYST
OR PROCESS).
TO EXPLOIT A NEW TECHNOLOGY.
TO EXPLOIT A NEW MATERIAL OF
CONSTRUCTION

The Nature of Process Synthesis

and Analysis
Process design problems are under
defined, and only about 1% of the
ideas for new designs ever become
commercialized. Hence, an efficient
strategy for developing a design is
initially to consider only rough,
screening-type calculations; i.e. we
eliminate poor projects and poor
process alternatives with a minimum
of effort. Then if the results of this

preliminary analysis seem

promising, we add detail to
the calculations and we use
more rigorous computational
procedures.
We can simplify the design
problem by breaking it down
into a hierarchy of decisions,
as shown in the following
Table:

Hierarchy of Decisions
1

.Batch versus continuous

.Input-output structure of the flow sheet

structure of the flow sheet

General structure of the separation system

a.Vapor recovery system
b.Liquid recovery system

.Heat-exchanger network

Recycle

Decomposition Procedures for

Existing Processes
1.

2.

3.

4.

Remove all energy equipment, drums

and storage tanks.
Remove all energy streams, all internal
recycle material streams and convert all
external recycle streams to output
streams (note here that fresh feed
streams will be redundant).
Group all equipment in series into a single
block.
Lump the complete process into a single
block; inside which write the balanced
reaction equations, conversion, selectivity,
..etc.

PLANT DESIGN PROCEDURE

1.

2.

3.

Name of product; annual rate of

production (tons/y); product
specification ( purity as wt.%);
product price (e.g. $/ton).
Is it produced via chemical and/or
physical change? Chemistry: main
and side reactions; reaction rates.
The physical and chemical
properties of the chemical species
present.

PLANT DESIGN PROCEDURE

Process variables.
5. Process description.
6. Draw the process flow sheet
(diagram)
This is a pictorial description of the
process.
Uses of the flow sheet:
4.

It shows the inlet, outlet and the intermediate

streams.
It shows the type and number of the equipment.
It shows the instrumentation and control devises.
It shows the piping, valves, transmission lines.
etc.

PLANT DESIGN PROCEDURE

There are three types of the flow
sheets:
Block Flow Diagram (BFD):

This is the simplest flow sheet showing the

main streams and equipments are
represented by blocks with their names
inside or just outside the block.

Process Flow Diagram(PFD):

This is a more developed BFD showing labeled

streams and the equipments are represented by
unique symbols indicating the type of the
equipments. This is accompanied by a Legend

listing the names of equipments

PLANT DESIGN PROCEDURE

Piping and Instrumentation

Diagram (P&ID):

This flow sheet shows the piping

(diameter and material of
construction) and instrumentation
(controller, measurement
instrumentations, control valves,
transmitter and etc.)

PLANT DESIGN PROCEDURE

7.

8.

9.

Reduce the flow sheet to input-output

structure.
Calculate the material balance for the
input-output structure of the flow
sheet.
Calculate Economic potential (1):
EP1 = Revenue Cost of Raw materials
IF EP1 > 0 Decision: proceed in design

IF EP1 < 0 Decision: Reject the process or

look for alternatives (e.g. recycle the unreacted reactants, find cheaper raw
materialetc.)

PLANT DESIGN PROCEDURE

10.

Perform energy balance and

calculate the utilities (e.g. cooling
water, fuel, steam, electricity, ..etc).

11.

Calculate Economic Potential (2):

EP2 = EP1 Cost of utilities

IF EP2 > 0 Decision: proceed in
design
IF EP2 < 0 Decision: Reject the
process or look for alternatives (e.g.
Heat integration, look for cheaper
fuel and etc.)

PLANT DESIGN PROCEDURE

12.
13.

Estimate the total investment.

Calculate Economic Potential (3):

EP3= EP2 0.186 (onsite) [Expansion]

EP3= EP2 0.515 (onsite) [New facility]
IF EP3 > 0 Decision: proceed in design
IF EP3 < 0 Decision: Reject the process or
look for alternatives.
14.

Determine the number of operators.

PLANT DESIGN PROCEDURE

15.

Profit.

Profit = EP3 2.13 * 105 (operators)

IF Profit > 0 Decision: go for profitability
analysis.
IF Profit < 0 Decision: Reject the process or
look for alternatives (e.g. reduce no. of shifts
and etc.)
16. Consider the Environment, Safety&
Health (determine the fate of all waste
streams in air, water or land), safety and
health (toxicology analysis, hazard, probability
analysis, risk analysis and management) and
ethical considerations.