Page 18 - Design of Simple and Robust Process Plants

Design of Simple and Robust Process Plants. J. L. Koolen 1
Copyright 2002 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA
ISBNs: 3-527-29784-7 (Hardback); 3-527-60047-7 (Electronic)

Chapter 1
Introduction

This book covers the design of simple and robust processing plants, and is intended
to inform managers and engineers in the process industry of the opportunities that
exist for the development of much cheaper and improved designs. The application
of the concept is not limited to the chemical industry, but rather covers the process
industry in general. Potential savings that are achievable on capital are in the order
of 30±40 %. The plant of the 21st century is defined as being the objective for a sim-
ple and robust processing plant, while the design philosophies, techniques and
methodologies that might make this a reality are explained in detail. One of the rea-
sons for simple design opportunities ± next to conservatism in design ± is the evolu-
tion of auto-complexification (Scuricini, 1988). The argument is that large technol-
ogy systems are subject to an evolution, and that this results in more complex sys-
tems. Greater complexity is achieved by an increase in the number of components,
procedures, rules and data handling. The opportunities to enhance the design of
processes are numerous, and many examples will be used to illustrate potential
improvements This book is not intended to inform the readers how to calculate the
different design, although the necessary design principles and approaches to achieve
simple and robust designs are outlined. In reading this book, engineers will appreci-
ate that the concept requires a broad view on process design.

1.1
A New Evolutionary Step

The design of chemical plants experiences a new evolutionary step. During the past
decades, a number of developments have been seen in the processing industry that
are considered trend setting for future process plant designs. These include:

. Improved modeling and computational technology:
± Capabilities for static and dynamic modeling and simulation have made
great progress, being complemented with optimizers to achieve optimal
designs and operations.
± The development of pinch technology for streams that can be optimized and
reused, such as energy, water, and hydrogen has also advanced.