Site condition and design

Title: Site condition and design

Authors: Alex Chandel, Eric Jiang, Minwook Kim, Todor Kukushliev, William Lassman

Stewards: Alex Chandel, Eric Jiang, Minwook Kim, Todor Kukushliev, William Lassman

Date Revised: 1/17/2014

Introduction

All chemical processes require land for chemical storage, process equipment, and labor facilities.

Geographical selection

The location surrounding a chemical plant can substantially influence its construction costs and operating costs, and may affect long-term profitability. Thus it is important to choose an appropriate location for every facility.

Factors considered

Natural resources

Proximity to continental and underwater oil deposits, natural gas, coal mines, and other resources.

Weather

Its influence on ambient temperature and thus on utility cost.^{[ citation needed ]} Also rain and humidity, and the sensitivity of the process to water exposure.

Proximity to related chemical operations

Oil rigs are found in the gulf, and oil refineries on its shore. Biofuel production plants are found in the midwest.^{[ citation needed ]}

Laws and regulations

Some states are more friendly to chemical engineering operations, or may impose additional regulations. Property costs, property taxes, corporate income taxes, and environmental contamination fines will vary between states.

Waste Minimization and Management

Waste Minimization

Production of waste is arises naturally in any plant and require a noticeable amount of resources to take care of. Before even considering methods of managing ways, cost can significantly be reduced by efficient management by source reduction. Below are some source reduction strategies which can be employed:

1. Purification of feeds.

2. Protect catalysis and adsorbents.

3. Eliminate use of extraneous materials.

4. Increase recovery from separations.

5. Improve fuel quality.

Headline text

Cost

All of the above criteria ultimately influence the capital and operating costs of a plant, and its expected lifespan.

$TC=rK+wL$

Local wages, prices of chemical feedstock, shipping costs, and utilities all contribute to total operating costs.

Property prices, rental fees, taxes, and existing company property in the area contribute to recurring investment costs.

Common locations

There are many common locations for chemical processes, often specific to one or more industries.

Site Design and Construction

Site Layout

The needs of a site for a chemical process vary considerably from process to process. In general, however, all chemical plants require the following:

-Shipping and receiving of products and raw materials -Storage -Utilities -Offices and laboratories for management and quality control personnel -Medical and fire services for emergency management -Cafeterias, parking lots, and other amenities for employees.

(All this came from Towler/Sinnot page 508-510)

These auxiliary buildings are often referred to as ancillary structures and they are placed within a chemical process to minimize transportation of goods and personnel, and to maximize safety. The following procedure is followed when determining the site layout of a chemical process:

1. Major process equipment is placed in a logical order to minimize transportation of process streams. Extra emphasis is placed on the separation and treatment of hazardous materials as quickly as possible.

2. Utilities such as boilers and power plants are placed to minimize transportation of utility to its use within the process. Utilities are usually consolidated into one section of the chemical plant because they are usually generated together. For example, a boiler produces high pressure steam; half the steam is sent through a turbine to generate electricity and to expand the steam into low pressure steam.

3. Shipping and receiving are placed wherever there is a need to conform to preexisting infrastructure. For example, if the plant is located on a harbor, shipping and receiving for all barge shipments are located by the water. If the plant is built next to a railway, shipping by rail is located next to the tracks.

4. Storage tanks and warehouses are consolidated as much as possible. Storage of raw materials and products are stored between where they enter or exit the process and where they are shipped or received.

5. Ancillary buildings are placed to minimize time personnel spend traveling around the site.

6. Offices and labs are located as far away from hazardous processes as possible.

(All this came from Mecklenburgh, J. C. (Ed.). (1985). Process plant layout. Godwin/Longmans.)

Site Construction

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Footprint

Areas with greater land costs require vertically oriented equipment.^{[ citation needed ]}

References

• Gavin Towler and Ray Sinnott, Chapter 11 - General Site Considerations, In Chemical Engineering Design (Second Edition), edited by Gavin Towler and Ray Sinnott, Butterworth-Heinemann, Boston, 2013, Pages 505-524, ISBN 9780080966595, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-096659-5.00011-0.

(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780080966595000110)

External links

• (Relevant wikipedia article)