Page 29 - Plant design and economics for chemical engineers

12 PLANT DESIGN AND ECONOMICS FOR CHEMICAL ENGINEERS

Another important factor in the approach to any design problem involves
economic conditions and limitations. The engineer must consider costs and
probable profits constantly throughout all the work. It is almost always better to
sell many units of a product at a low profit per unit than a few units at a high
profit per unit. Consequently, the engineer must take into account the volume
of production when determining costs and total profits for various types of
designs. This obviously leads to considerations of customer needs and demands.
These factors may appear to be distantly removed from the development of a
plant design, but they are extremely important in determining its ultimate
success.