Page 118 - Plant design and economics for chemical engineers

94 PLANT DESIGN AND ECONOMICS FOR CHEMICAL ENGINEERS

structure must be considered, since either or both may have a pronounced effect
on construction costs. The cost of the land is important, as well as local building
costs and living conditions. Future changes may make it desirable or necessary
to expand the plant facilities. Therefore, even though no immediate expansion
is planned, a new plant should be constructed at a location where additional
space is available.

Flood and fire protection. Many industrial plants are located along rivers or
near large bodies of water, and there are risks of flood or hurricane damage.
Before selecting a plant site, the regional history of natural events of this type
should be examined and the consequences of such occurrences considered.
Protection from losses by fire is another important factor in selecting a plant
location. In case of a major fire, assistance from outside fire departments should
be available. Fire hazards in the immediate area surrounding the plant site must
not be overlooked.

Community factors. The character and facilities of a community can have quite
an effect on the location of the plant. If a certain minimum number of facilities
for satisfactory living of plant personnel do not exist, it often becomes a burden
for the plant to subsidize such facilities. Cultural facilities of the community are
important to sound growth. Churches, libraries, schools, civic theaters, concert
associations, and other similar groups, if active and dynamic, do much to make a
community progressive. The problem of recreation deserves special considera-
tion. The efficiency, character, and history of both state and local government
should be evaluated. The existence of low taxes is not in itself a favorable
situation unless the community is already well developed and relatively free of
debt.

Selection of the Plant Site
The major factors in the selection of most plant sites are (1) raw materials,
(2) markets, (3) energy supply, (4) climate, (5) transportation facilities, and
(6) water supply. For a preliminary survey, the first four factors should be
considered. Thus, on the basis of raw materials, markets, energy supply, and
climate, acceptable locations can usually be reduced to one or two general
geographical regions. For example, a preliminary survey might indicate that the
best location for a particular plant would be in the south-central or south-east-
ern part of the United States.
In the next step, the effects of transportation facilities and water supply
are taken into account. This permits reduction of the possible plant location to
several general target areas. These areas can then be reduced further by
considering all the factors that have an influence on plant location.
As a final step, a detailed analysis of the remaining sites can be made.
Exact data on items such as freight rates, labor conditions, tax rates, price of
land, and general local conditions can be obtained. The various sites can be