Prof Dr.A.K.

SALARIYA

Lecture#04 Process Design Development

 Introduction
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 Process design can provide chemical engineer with probably

the most creative activity enjoyed by the engineering
professions.
 Chemical engineer in process design face challenges in
creating ingenious and often complex flow sheets or new or
revised processes.
 Process engineer during process design make many design
decisions that can affect the success and failure of the process
design.
 Process development involve innovative approaches to
entirely new processes or revisions to existing processes that
are more profitable, better controlled, operationally safe, as
well as environmentally sound.
chemical engineering plant design
  Development of design database
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 The development of design project is always initiated

with the creation of one or more potential solutions to
meet a recognized societal or engineering need.

 A careful analysis of each proposed solution must be

made so that the approach recommended can be stated as
clearly and concisely as possible to define the scope of
the project, recognize potential design Problems and
identify data will be required in the solution

chemical engineering plant design

 1. Literature survey
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 Starting a literature survey is to obtain a recent publication

dealing with the subject under investigation.
 publication will give additional references, and each of these
references will, in turn, indicate other sources of information.
 Chemical Abstracts, published semimonthly by the American
Chemical Society, can be used for comprehensive literature
surveys on chemical processes and operations.
 Yearly and decennial indexes of subjects and authors permit
location of articles concerning specific topics.

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 Literature survey....
Electronically available chemical abstracts
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 The engineering index

With access to 4500 journals technical reports and books
electronically since 1985

 The applied science and technology index

With electronic access to 350 journals since 1985

 Science citation index

With access to 3300 journals since 1955 and electronically
since 1985
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Literature Survey.....
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Handbooks
 Perry’s chemical Engineering Handbook(1997)
 Handbook of chemistry and physics(annually by CRE press)
 Unit operation Handbook(1933)
 Riegel’s Handbook of Industrial chemistry(1992)
 JANAF Thermo chemical tables(1985)
 Reactive chemical Hazards(1990)
 Standard Handbook of Hazardous Waste treatment and
Disposal(1989)
 Data for process Design and Engineering practice(1995)
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Literature survey....
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Encyclopedias
 Three comprehensive multivolume encyclopedias that
describe the uses ,history, typical process flow sheets,
operating condition ,and related information for the most
produced chemicals are

 Kirk Othmer Encyclopedia of chemical Technology

 Ullaman’s Encyclopedia of Industrial chemistry(1988)

 Encyclopedia of chemical processing and Design(1976)

chemical engineering plant design

 2. Patent Search
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 Design engineer must be aware of patents to avoid

duplication of design protected by these patents
 However, expired patents can provide helpful
information in the design of processes to produce
chemicals that have similar properties or chemical
reactions.

chemical engineering plant design

 Feasibility Survey
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 Before any detailed work is done on the design, the technical

and economic factors of the proposed process should be
examined.
 The various reactions and physical processes involved must be
considered, along with the existing and potential market
conditions for the particular product.

 A preliminary survey of this type gives an indication of the

probable success of the project and also shows what additional
information is necessary to make a complete evaluation.
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 Feasibility Survey contd...
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1. Raw materials (availability, quantity, quality, cost)

2. Thermodynamics and kinetics of chemical reactions
involved (equilibrium, yields, rates, optimum conditions)
3. Facilities and equipment available at present
4. Facilities and equipment which must be purchased
5. Estimation of production costs and total investment
6. Profits (probable and optimum, per pound of product and
per year, return on investment)
7. Materials of construction
8. Safety considerations
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 Feasibility Survey contd...
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9. Markets (present and future supply and demand, present uses, new uses,
present buying habits, price range for products and by- products,
character, location, and number of possible customers)
10. Competition (overall production statistics, comparison of various
manufacturing processes, product specifications of competitors)
11. Properties of products (chemical and physical properties,
specifications, impurities, effects of storage)
12. Sales and sales service (method of selling and distributing,
advertising required, technical services required)
13. Shipping restrictions and containers
14. Plant location
15. Patent situation and legal restrictions.
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  Process creation
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 After careful review of the social or engineering need and

surveying the literature for possible leads to one or more
practical solutions.

 Design engineer frequently encounters a major challenge in

creating a new process or significantly improving an existing
process to satisfy this need.

 Process design involves the synthesis of various

configurations of processing operations that will produce a
product in a reliable, safe, and economical manner with a high
yield and minimum by- product or waste.
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 CONTD...
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 In past the creative activity was normally

performed from experience and by using heuristics
and rules of thumb but now synthesis strategies
have become more quantitative and scientific with
the use of decision tree analysis and mathematical
programming.
 In Process synthesizing the design engineer first
must select the processing mode either batch or
continuous.

chemical engineering plant design

 Batch versus continuous operation
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 Continuous processing is the preferred mode of

operation used in the production of commodity
chemicals, petroleum products, plastic, paper, solvents,
because of reduced labor costs, improved processes
control, and more uniform product quality.

 Batch and semi continuous processes are often utilized

when the production rates are small, such as in the
manufacture of specialty chemicals pharmaceuticals,
and electronic materials
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 Contd...
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 In such cases the processing equipment is cleaned

between batches and used alternately to carry out
the steps involved in the production of different
products.

 Normally continuous process is assumed unless a

quantitative analysis indicates that batch or
semicontinuous processing provide a better mode
of operation.
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 Raw material and product specifications
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 Once the operational mode is determined the design engineer

should establish a number of specification that can define the
state condition of the raw material and the product.

 The flow rates required for the product , as a market analysis is

of primary interest. (Capacity selection)

 After the flow rate have been established the composition,

phase, form, temperature, and pressure of each raw material
and product stream are established as well.

 The specifications listed are usually sufficient to establish the

condition of both the raw material and the product stream
chemical engineering plant design
Process synthesis steps

Synthesis step Basic process operation

 Molecular change  Chemical reaction

 Composition change  Separation of mixture
 Phase elimination  Phase separation
 Temperature difference  Change in temperature
 Pressure difference  Change in pressure
 Phase difference  change in phase
 Distribution change  Mixing of streams
 Process synthesis steps
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 Most chemical engineering equipment involves one or more

of these basic programming operation.
 Reactors are used in a chemical process to eliminate
differences in the molecular structure between the raw
material and the product streams.
 All reaction concerns in turn are closely related to the
temperature and pressure at which the reaction are carried out.
 The method for adding or removing energy during the
reaction and the choice of catalyst that provide both the
reaction rate and the selectivity required in the process.
 The process operations are inserted with the goal of reducing
the differenced in molecular structure, composition ,phase ,
temperature, pressure, etc.. until the process stream leaving
the last process is identical to that required by the desired
product.
 CONTD...
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 During the process synthesis many alternatives are

generated that should be considered , and many of these
alternatives cannot be rejected before proceeding to the nest
step.
 To achieve the objective of creating the most promising
process flow sheets , care must be taken to include
sufficient analysis for each synthesis step to make certain
that each new step does not lead to less profitable process
 Makwe quick economic analysis of various process
arrangements in the synthesis step with the aid of a suitable
simulator for the selection of most profitable process
flowsheet.
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  Process design
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 Quite often the process creation step after elimination

of the less profitable processes still provides entire
processing flow sheets for the manufacture of the same
product.

 These processes must be compared in order to select

the one that is best suited for the existing conditions.

 The following items should be considered in a

comparison

chemical engineering plant design

 Process design
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1-Technical factors 2-Raw Material

 Process flexibility  Present and future
 Continuous ,semi continuous or availability
batch operation  Processing required
 Special control involved  Storage requirements
 Commercial yield  Materials
 Technical difficulties involved
 Energy requirements
 Special auxiliaries
 Possibility of future developments
 Health and safety hazards involved

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 Process design
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3-Waste products and by-products
 Amount produced
 Value
 Potential markets and uses
 Manner of discard
 Environmental aspects
4-equipment
 Availability
 Materials of construction
 Initial costs
 Maintenance and installation cost
 Replacement requirement
 Special designs
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5-plant location
 Amount of land required
 Transportation facilities
 Proximity to markets and raw material
sources
 Availability of service and power facility
 Availability of labor
 Climate
 Legal restrictions and taxes
6-Time factor
 Project completion deadline
 Process development required
 Market timelines
 Value of money
 Process design
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7-costs 8-process considerations

 Raw material  Technology availability
 energy  Raw materials common with other
 Depreciation process
 Other fixed charges  Consistency of product within

 Processing labor
company
requirements  General company objective

 Real state
 patent rights
 Environmental controls

chemical engineering plant design

 Contd...
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 In many cases this comparison may indicate that

additional research, laboratory or pilot plant data
are necessary and a program to obtain this
information may be initiated.

 Process development on a pilot plant or semi work

scale is usually desirable in order to obtain accurate
design data.

chemical engineering plant design