Page 8 - Applied Process Design For Chemical And Petrochemical Plants Volume III

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Foreword to the Second Edition

The techniques of process design continue to improve as Chapter 12, “Compression Equipment,” has been gener-
the science of chemical engineering develops new and bet- ally updated.
ter interpretations of fundamentals. Accordingly, this sec- Chapter 13, “Compression Surge Drums,” presents sev-
ond edition presents additional, reliable design methods eral new techniques, as well as additional detailed examples.
based on proven techniques and supported by pertinent Chapter 14, “Mechanical Drivers,” has been updated to
data. Since the first edition, much progress has been made inlcude the latest code and standards of the National Elec-
in standardizing and improving the design techniques for trical Manufacturer’s Association and information on the
the hardware components that are used in designing new energy efficient motors.
process equipment. This standardization has been incorpo- Also, the new appendix provides an array of basic refer-
rated in this latest edition, as much as practically possible. ence and conversion data.
The “heart” of proper process design is interpreting the Although computers are now an increasingly valuable
process requirements into properly arranged and sized tool for the process design engineer, it is beyond the scope
mechanical hardware expressed as (1) off-the-shelf mechan- of these three volumes to incorporate the programming and
ical equipment (with appropriate electric drives and instru- mathematical techniques required to convert the basic
mentation for control); (2) custom-designed vessels, process design methods presented into computer programs.
controls, etc.; or (3) some combination of (1) and (2). The Many useful computer programs now exist for process
unique process conditions must be attainable in, by, and design, as well as optimization, and the process designer is
through the equipment. Therefore, it is essential that the encouraged to develop his/her own or to become familiar
process designer carefully visualize physically and mathe- with available commercial programs through several of the
matically just how the process will behave in the equipment recognized firms specializing in design and simulation com-
and through the control schemes proposed. puter software.
Although most of the chapters have been expanded to The many aspects of process design are essential to the
include new material, some obsolete information has been proper performance of the work of chemical engineers and
removed. other engineers engaged in the process engineering design
Chapter 10, “Heat Transfer,” has been updated and now details for chemical and petrochemical plants. Process
includes several important design techniques for difficult design has developed by necessity into a unique section of
condensing situations and for the application of ther- the scope of work for the broad spectrum of chemical engi-
mosiphon reboilers. neering.
Chapter 11, “Refrigeration Systems,” has been improved
with additional data and new systems designs for light hydro-
carbon refrigeration.

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