Page 265 - Design of Simple and Robust Process Plants

Design of Simple and Robust Process Plants. J. L. Koolen 251
Copyright 2002 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA
ISBNs: 3-527-29784-7 (Hardback); 3-527-60047-7 (Electronic)

Chapter 7
Optimization of an Integrated Complex of Process Plants
and Evaluation of its Vulnerability

7.1
Introduction

The integration of a chemical complex is a development that has been undertaken
for an extended period of time. The benefits are, clearly, the cost saving realized by a
strong logistic situation (less transportation), mass and energy integration, and
economy of scale. By the integration of process plants, a large demand is created at
one location that drives to large, front-end process plants. External safety aspects
that require large distances to be maintained between plant and domestic areas have
driven the building of plants (specifically petroleum and base chemical plants) to be
carried out at clustered locations. In the past, complexes were owned by one com-
pany, but with some add-on plants (e.g., oxygen plants). During the past few decades
however, there has been a tendency to integrate process plants from different own-
ers at a clustered location. In this respect, each company brings in its specific pro-
cess(es), and these are integrated to obtain cost savings. In this discussion, no differ-
ence will be made with regard to the type of complex, which will be seen as a cluster
of integrated processes.
The aspects of process integration at a complex to be discussed are:

. Development of design philosophies for integrated complexes:
. Selection aspects for a chemical complex
. Optimization of an integrated complex for mass flows
. Site utility integration
. Optimization of storage facilities
. Evaluation of the vulnerability of a clustered complex
In particular, the evaluation of site vulnerability is of major importance. Extensive
integration with the objective being to save costs can make the overall system vulner-
able. Evaluation of the site (complex) vulnerability will be based on reliability engi-
neering techniques to quantify the likelihood of process outages over time. The total
site (complex) vulnerability is expressed in terms of the product availability with
opportunity gaps and a prioritized list of main contributors to the unavailability.
This list is a good starting point for further optimization of design and operation of
the complex. An additional factor in the design of a complex is that it is not a steady-