Page 215 - Analysis, Synthesis and Design of Chemical Processes, Third Edition

Approach

For processes involving only a few pieces of equipment, estimating the capital cost of the plant by hand is
relatively easy. For complex processes with many pieces of equipment, these calculations become
tedious. To make this process easier, a computer program has been developed that allows the user to
enter data interactively and obtain cost estimates in a fraction of the time required by hand calculations
with less chance for error. The program (CAPCOST_2008.xls) is programmed in Microsoft Excel, and a
template copy of the program is supplied on the CD that accompanies this book.

The program is written in the Microsoft Windows programming environment. The program requires the
user to input information about the equipment—for example, the capacity, operating pressure, and
materials of construction. The cost data can be adjusted for inflation by entering the current value of the
CEPCI. Other information such as output file names and the number of the unit (100, 200, etc.) is also
required.

The equipment options available to the user are given below.
• Blenders
• Centrifuges
• Compressors and blowers without drives

• Conveyors
• Crystallizers
• Drives for compressors, blowers, and pumps
• Dryers
• Dust collectors
• Evaporators and vaporizers
• Fans with electric drives
• Filters
• Fired heaters, thermal fluid heaters, and packaged steam boilers
• Furnaces
• Heat exchangers
• Mixers
• Process vessels with/without internals

• Power recovery equipment
• Pumps with electric drives
• Reactors
• Screens
• Storage vessels (fixed roof and floating roof)
• Towers
• User-added modules

The type of equipment required can be entered by using the mouse-activated buttons provided on the first
worksheet. The user will then be asked a series of questions that appear on the screen. The user will be
required to identify or enter the same information as would be needed to do the calculations by hand—that
is, operating pressure, materials of construction, and the size of the equipment. The same information as
contained in the cost charts and tables in Appendix A is embedded in the program, and the program