Page 12 - APPLIED PROCESS DESIGN FOR CHEMICAL AND PETROCHEMICAL PLANTS, Volume 1, 3rd Edition

Chapter

rocess Planning, Scheduling and

Flowsheet Design

Process engineering design is the application of chem- The process engineer also develops tests and interprets
ical, mechanical, petroleum, gas and other engineering data and information from the research pilot plant. He
talents to the process-related development, planning, aids in scaling-up the research type flow cycle to one of
designs and decisions required for economical and effec- commercial feasibility.
tive completion of a process project ['7] Although process The process engineer must understand the interrela-
~
design engineers are organizationally located in research, tionship between the various research, engineering, pur-
technical service, economic evaluation, as well as other chasing, expediting, construction and operational func-
specific departments, the usual atrrangement is to have tions of a project. He must appreciate that each function
them available to the engineering groups concerned with may and often does affect or influence the process design
developing the engineering details of a project. This is in decisions. For example, it is foolish to waste time design-
order to provide process details as well as to evaluate bids ing or calculating in detail, when the basic components of
for the various items of equipment. Process design is usu- the design cannot be economically fabricated, or if capa-
ally a much more specific group responsibility in engi- ble of being fabricated, cannot possibly be delivered by
neering contractor organizations than in a chemical or the construction schedule for the project. Some specific
petrochemical production company, and the degree of phases of a project that require process understanding
distinction varies with the size of the organization. include plant layout, materials of construction for corro-
The average process engineer has the following sion as well as strength, start-up operations, trouble-shoot-
responsibilities: ing, maintenance, performance testing and the like.

1. Prepares studies of process cycles and systems for Organizational Structure
various product production or improvements or
changes in existing production units; prepares mate- The process design function may be placed in any one
rial and heat balances. of several workable locations in an organization. These
2. Prepares economic studies associated with process locations will be influenced by the primary function of the
performance. overall company, i.e., chemical production, engineering,
esigns and/or specifies items of equipment engineering sales, design and manufacture of packaged or
required to define the process flowsheet or flow sys- specific equipment manufacture, etc. For best efficiency,
tem; specifies corrosion resistant materials of con- regardless of the business nature of the company, the
struction. process design being a specialty type operation, works best
4. Evaluates competitive bids for equipment. when specifically identified and given the necessary free-
5. Evaluates operating data for existing or test equipment. dom of contact within and without the company to main-
6. Guides flowsheet draftsmen in detailed flowsheet tain a high level of practical, yet thorough direction.
preparation. A typical working arrangement is shown in Figure 1-1 [7].