Page 18 - Plant design and economics for chemical engineers

CHAPTER

INTRODUCTION

In this modern age of industrial competition, a successful chemical engineer
needs more than a knowledge and understanding of the fundamental sciences
and the related engineering subjects such as thermodynamics, reaction kinetics,
and computer technology. The engineer must also have the ability to apply this
knowledge to practical situations for the purpose of accomplishing something
that will be beneficial to society. However, in making these applications, the
chemical engineer must recognize the economic implications which are involved
and proceed accordingly.
Chemical engineering design of new chemical plants and the expansion or
revision of existing ones require the use of engineering principles and theories
combined with a practical realization of the limits imposed by industrial condi-
tions. Development of a new plant or process from concept evaluation to
profitable reality is often an enormously complex problem. A plant-design
project moves to completion through a series of stages such as is shown in the
following:

1. Inception
2. Preliminary evaluation of economics and market
3. Development of data necessary for final design
4. Final economic evaluation
5. Detailed engineering design
6. Procurement
7. Erection
8. Startup and trial runs
t ’ . -
9. Production I

1