Majd Shhadi, PhD

Spring 2018
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 Process Selection
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 The selection of an appropriate process is an important decision,

all subsequent work depends upon this choice.

 Obtain a process flow diagram (flow-sheet) or Process and

Instrumentation Diagram (P & ID) for each process route under
consideration.

 Draw a simple block diagram from each process flowsheet

showing only the main chemical engineering plant items, e.g.
reactor, absorption column, purification stages, etc

Majd Shhadi, PhD

 Process Selection
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The selection of a process route for production of a chemical will

depend upon the following factors/considerations:
 Will the process produce what the customer requires?
 Is it possible to design, build and operate this plant economically
(and safely)?
 The necessary design data, technology, fabrication methods and
materials, raw materials, etc., must be available.
 The plant must operate in a safe manner, providing an acceptable
hazard risk to the plant employees and the public.
 The plant must conform to any environmental protection
requirements , and any possible future restrictions.
Majd Shhadi, PhD
 Process Selection
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 The plant must be as energy efficient (and energy self-sufficient)

as possible.

 Maintenance requirements should be minimised.

 The plant should be designed to operate adequately under

conditions of reduced throughput (say by 50%), and for
increased production (say 25%). The latter case represents an
overdesign of the plant and additional capital cost. In these
situations, the energy consumption is greater than the optimum
requirement. However, the need for operational versatility usually
overrides these considerations.

Majd Shhadi, PhD

 Process Selection
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 The production of any unusable by-products should be minimized.

 All necessary utilities should be available, e.g. electricity, cooling

water, etc. The utilities specifications must be established, these
are dependent upon whether a ‘grassroots’ plant is to be built or
the plant situated in an existing chemical complex. These
specifications include the steam-pressure levels, cooling water
and/or refrigerants available, etc.

 The unit costs must also be determined.

Majd Shhadi, PhD

 Process Selection
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 The following items should be considered in a comparison of this

type:
Technical factors
➢ Process flexibility

➢ Continuous operation

➢ Special controls involved

➢ Commercial yields

➢ Technical difficulties involved

➢ Energy requirements

➢ Special auxiliaries required

➢ Possibility of future developments

➢ Health and safety hazards involved

Majd Shhadi, PhD

 Process Selection
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Raw materials
➢ Present and future availability

➢ Processing required

➢ Storage requirements

➢ Materials handling problems

Waste products and by-products

➢ Amount produced
➢ Value

➢ Potential markets and uses

➢ Manner of discard

➢ Environmental aspects

Majd Shhadi, PhD

 Process Selection
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Equipment
➢ Availability

➢ Materials of construction

➢ Initial costs (purchased and delivered costs)

➢ Maintenance and installation costs

➢ Replacement requirements

➢ Special designs

Majd Shhadi, PhD

 Process Selection
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Plant Location
➢ Amount of land required
➢ Transportation facilities
➢ Proximity to markets and raw-material sources
➢ Availability of service and power facilities
➢ Availability of labor
➢ Climate
➢ Legal restrictions and taxes

Majd Shhadi, PhD

 Process Selection
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Plant Location
➢ Amount of land required
➢ Transportation facilities
➢ Proximity to markets and raw-material sources
➢ Availability of service and power facilities
➢ Availability of labor
➢ Climate
➢ Legal restrictions and taxes

Majd Shhadi, PhD

 Process Selection
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Costs
➢ Raw materials
➢ Utilities (Energy, steam, cooling water, etc)
➢ Depreciation
➢ Other fixed charges
➢ Processing and overhead
➢ Labor requirements
➢ Real estate
➢ Patent rights
➢ Environmental controls

Majd Shhadi, PhD

 Process Selection
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Time Factor
➢ Project completion deadline
➢ Process development required
➢ Market timeliness
➢ Value of money

Process Considerations
➢ Technology availability

➢ Raw materials common with other processes

➢ Consistency of product within company

➢ General company objectives

Majd Shhadi, PhD

 Plant Location: Selecting the location
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The principal factors to consider are:

1. Marketing area
For materials that are produced in bulk quantities, where the cost
of the product per tonne is relatively low and the cost of
transport a significant fraction of the sales price, the plant should
be located close to the primary market; such as cement, mineral
acids, and fertilisers.

This consideration will be less important for low volume

production, high-priced products; such as pharmaceuticals.

Majd Shhadi, PhD

 Plant Location: Selecting the location
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2. Raw materials
➢ The availability and price of suitable raw materials will often
determine the site location.
➢ Plants producing bulk chemicals are best located close to the source
of the major raw material; where this is also close to the marketing
area.
➢ Permits considerable reduction in transportation and storage
charges.

Majd Shhadi, PhD

 Plant Location: Selecting the location
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3. Transport
➢ Good transport links with materials suppliers and markets.
➢ The transport of materials and products to and from the plant will
be an overriding consideration in site selection.
➢ If practicable, a site should be selected that is close to at least two
major forms of transport: road, rail, waterway (canal or river), or a
sea port.

Majd Shhadi, PhD

 Plant Location: Selecting the location
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4. Availability of Labour
➢ Labour will be needed for construction of the plant and its
operation. Skilled construction workers will usually be brought in
from outside the site area.
➢ But there should be an adequate pool of unskilled labour available
locally.
➢ Local trade union customs and restrictive practices will have to be
considered when assessing the availability and suitability of the
local labour for recruitment and training.

Majd Shhadi, PhD

 Plant Location: Selecting the location
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5. Utilities (services)
➢ Proximity to relatively cheap and abundant energy
➢ Availability of water (cost and chemical composition)
➢ A competitively priced fuel must be available on site for steam
and power generation.

Majd Shhadi, PhD

 Plant Location: Selecting the location
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6. Environmental Impact, and Effluent Disposal

➢ All industrial processes produce waste products, and full
consideration must be given to the difficulties and cost of their
disposal.
➢ The disposal of toxic and harmful effluents will be covered by local
regulations, and the appropriate authorities must be consulted
during the initial site survey to determine the standards that must
be met.
➢ An environmental impact assessment should be made for each
new project, or major modification or addition to an existing
process.

Majd Shhadi, PhD

 Plant Location: Selecting the location
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7. Local Community Considerations

➢ The proposed plant must fit in with and be acceptable to the local
community. Full consideration must be given to the safe location of
the plant so that it does not impose a significant additional risk to
the community.
➢ On a new site, the local community must be able to provide
adequate facilities for the plant personnel: schools, banks, housing,
and recreational and cultural facilities.

Majd Shhadi, PhD

 Plant Location: Selecting the location
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8. Land (site considerations)

➢ Sufficient suitable land must be available for the proposed plant
and for future expansion.
➢ The land should ideally be flat, well drained and have suitable
load-bearing characteristics.
➢ A full site evaluation should be made to determine the need for
piling or other special foundations.

Majd Shhadi, PhD

 Plant Location: Selecting the location
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9. Climate
➢ Adverse climatic conditions at a site will increase costs. Abnormally
low temperatures will require the provision of additional insulation
and special heating for equipment and pipe runs.
➢ Stronger structures will be needed at locations subject to high winds
(cyclone/hurricane areas) or earthquakes.

Majd Shhadi, PhD

 Plant Location: Selecting the location
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10. Political and Strategic Considerations

➢ Capital grants, tax concessions, and other inducements are often
given by governments to direct new investment to preferred
locations; such as areas of high unemployment.
➢ The availability of such grants can be the overriding consideration
in site selection.

Majd Shhadi, PhD