Plant Layout

For an organization to have an effective and productive manufacturing unit, it is paramount that
extraordinary consideration is given to plant layout. The plant was decided to be built in Port
Dickson, Negeri Sembilan. Inherent safety must take into account to ensure the safety of the site
is protected. Furthermore, plant layout is an arrangement of different aspects of manufacturing in
a proper way as to accomplish desired production results. Plant layout considers available space,
final product, safety users and plant and accommodation of operations. To develop a detailed
plant layout for butanol plant, very important factors are the possible nuisance and inconvenience
caused by noise and illumination of the environment, during normal operation and in
emergencies. The available area needs to be utilized and in good arrangement to provide
economical and safe operation and maintenance via optimal layout. Besides that, in case of
emergencies, such as explosions, large fire of major leaks, personnel and installations need to be
protected against the escalation.
Plant layout objectives:
1. To locate the optimum space in organizing the equipment and facilitate movement of
goods and also to create safe and comfortable work environment.
2. To reduce the movement of workers, raw material and equipment.
3. To improve safety reliability and operability of a project by recognizing and eliminating
potential hazards at design stage.
4. To avoid endangering the health and safety of the plant employers, employees and nearby
public.
5. To increase production capacity of the organization.
There are 7 principal factors that must be considered in a plant layout which are:
1. Economic Consideration, Construction and Operating Costs
- The cost of construction can be minimize by adopting layout that gives the shortest
run of connecting pipe between equipment and the least amount of structural steel
work.
2. The Process Requirement
- Interaction with existing or planned facilities on site, such as existing roadways,
drainage and utilities routings.
- Interaction with other on site plants.
3. Operation
- Convenience of equipment that needs a frequent attention from the operator should be
located near to the control room.
- Sufficient working space and headroom must be provided to allow easy access to
equipment convenience.
4. Maintenance
- Equipment that requires dismantling for maintenance, such as compressor and large
pumps should be placed under cover.
- Vessel that requires frequent replacement of catalyst should be located outside of the
buildings.
5. Safety
- At least two escape routes for operators must be provided from each level in process
building.
- In order to isolate potentially hazardous equipment and confine the effect of the
explosion, blast wall is needed.
6. Plant Expansion
- Equipment should be located so that in the future expansion of the process it can be
conveniently tied in.
- Some space should be left to on pipe alley for future needs and service pipes over size
to allow for future requirements.
7. Modular Construction
- The modules may include the equipment structural steel, piping and instrumentation.
- Advantages of modular construction:
a) Improved quality control
b) Reduced construction cost
c) Less need for skilled labor on site
d) Less need for skilled personnel on overseas site
- Disadvantages:
a) Higher design cost
b) More structural steel work
c) More flanged connection
d) Possible problems, with assembly on site
Normally, during roughing out the preliminary site layout, the first to be sited and arranged is the
process unit, in order to give the smooth flow of material starting from the raw material until the
final product storage. Process units are normally spaced at least 30 m apart and greater spacing is
needed when involving hazardous process. Then the location on of the principle ancillary
building should be decided. The arrangement of the ancillary building should minimize the time
spending by the personnel to traveling between the buildings. (Coulson and Richardson, 2005)
In addition, to reduce the noise which unwanted, loud and unexpected sounds that can affect the
nearby public, fence the surrounding hazard (isolate) and from this action the hazard can be
controlled. The Gate 1 is used as the main entrance of employers, employees and visitors but for
the Gate 4 acts as entrance and exit for the loading of raw materials to the raw materials storage.
Gate 2 and gate 3 act as emergency gate which always be closed and just open when there is
emergency occurred in the plant for the ambulance route.
The place that consist of many people such as offices and cafeteria, the best location to place this
area is should be far away 150 m from the potentially hazardous process which to reduce the
danger of explosion, fire and toxic materials due to the boiling liquid expanding vapour
explosion (BLEVE) that had been calculated in safety section which is 138 m.
Moreover, the control room should be located at a safer distance from the hazardous processes.
The recommended minimum distance between plant and control room tend in the range of 20
30 m. Control room should not be used as a center to control emergencies, nor it should be used
as an emergency assembly point. In our plant layout, control room is located at the edge of the
process unit. This will ensure the plant does not shut down automatically and the control room
does not affected when the accidents occur in the plant.
Evacuation route should not be blocked. The fire and emergency evacuation route sign ( )
must be place along the road and buildings to the assembly point areas to direct the employers,
employees and visitors when the accidents occurred in the site location. The layout for plant
roads, pipe alleys and drains also must be taken into consideration in locating the main process
units. The piping system must be keep neat and visually easy to follow. The process can be done
smoothly if each building for construction, operation and maintenance needs the easy access
road.
Treatment waste plant must be apart from processing buildings and should be incinerated. The
waste can be transferred by pipes or drains.
Lastly, the storage area to keep the products and raw materials must be located between the
loading and unloading facilities and the process units they serve. In case for the hazardous
storage tank, the site should be located at least 70 m from the site boundary. For the flammable
storage, it must be placed in the open air so that the minor leaks or thermal out-breathing can be
dissipated by natural ventilation. (Coulson and Richardson, 2005)