Description of Chemical Processes

CHEE 2404

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Objectives

• To be able to define different streams in a

process.
• To describe the meaning of standard
abbreviations and symbols used on process
flowsheets.
• Write a description of a process flowsheet.
• Draw a process flowsheet from a written
description.

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Introduction
• What is a Process?
• A process is some operation carried out to modify
input(s) to output(s) – based on physical and/or chemical
changes

Inputs Process Outputs

“feeds” “products”

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 Your role in the chemical process
1. Specification of equipment, and materials and their
subsequent arrangement into processes which control
the environment of a chemical or physical operation to
achieve a desired output.

2. The analysis of the operation of existing chemical or

physical processes in order to alter the processing
operation to achieve a desired result.

Process design vs. Process analysis

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Both problems require analysis and design functions.
Example:
An oil fired boiler in an oil refinery is not producing the
required amount of steam. The chemical engineer first
analyses the boiler to determine the nature of the problem
(like a diagnosis, this is the analysis).

Then the engineer proposes a solution which may involve

some design. So for example, If the poor performance was
caused by inadequate supply of air for combustion, the
engineer would determine the correct amount of air, and to
supply the amount of air s/he might have to design (or
specify) a new air blower.

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Describing Processes

• Input – output diagram

• Block diagram
• Process Flow Diagram (PFD)

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Block flow diagram

Raw Materials Products

Process

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Block Flow Diagram
• Group of connected blocks of process units
• Lines with arrows connect blocks and represent process
streams
• Raw materials enter on the left
• Products exit on the right
• 4 kinds of “process” units:
Mixers
Reactors
Splitters
Separators

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 butter

C12H22O11

flour
Raw chocolate chip
eggs Cookie dough
Mixer
NaCl

NaHCO3
Chocolate chips

Raw chocolate chip Baked chocolate chip

Cookie dough Reactor (Oven) Cookies

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 4 dozen cookies 3 dozen cookies
75% choc chip 75% choc chip
25% peanut butter 25% peanut butter
Splitter

1 dozen cookies
75% choc chip
25% peanut butter

4 dozen cookies 3 dozen cookies

75% choc chip 97.5% choc chip
25% peanut butter 2.8% peanut butter
Separator

1 dozen cookies
8.3% choc chip
91.7% peanut butter10
Flowsheets

The first step in any process design or analysis is the

construction of a flowsheet that shows the major material
flows and processing steps.
– common flowsheet symbols
–common abbreviations
•The flow sheet allows for better visualization and
quantification of the process.“A picture is worth a thousand
words.”
•A process flow sheet is comprised of units, represented by
simple shapes like circles or rectangles.

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Some common flowsheet symbols

Pumps are used to increase a fluids pressure so the fluid will flow from high
pressure to low pressure, or used to condense a fluid or increase the speed of
a chemical reaction.
Gas compressor – a different unit description is used as the fluid responds
differently than liquid in a pump (ie increase in pressure causes gas to condense)

Gas expander or turbine is similar but with flows reversed.

Valves are needed to control flows between various units.

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• Combiner and splitter:

• Avoid crossing streams. If streams must cross, you

need to indicate whether they mix or not.

Ambiguous streams combine streams cross

and split without mixing

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Example

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Classification of processes
An integrated series of operations through which materials and/or energy are
converted from one form to another.

Batch process:
•has a definite end
•material is put in, processed, and discharged
•applies to more than just reactors (washing machine for example)

Continuous process
•materials enter and leave in uninterrupted streams
•periodic shutdown is required
•Garden sprinker

Semibatch or Semicontinuous
•Some materials are charged/discharged at intervals while some enter/exit continuously
•Biotechnology industry, to add nutrients

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Examples: are these batch, semibatch or continuous? What
are the raw materials and products?

1. A coffee maker
2. A home oil furnace
3. An oil refinery
4. A toaster
5. The kidney

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Processes, plants and pipes
Processing operations are carried out in specially designed vessels (distillation
columns, tanks, reactors, etc).

Material is brought to these vessels in pipes or on conveyer belts (example….?)

we often refer to these as streams
Net overhead

feed *Directional arrows

are important!

bottoms
The lines represent the piping or flow of material, the rectangle represents
many physical changes and possibly multiple pieces of equipment.
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• A PDF or process flow diagram shows the
basics without the inner workings of equipment
or the control schemes.
• The concept of the flowsheet is applicable to
many industries
• The essential elements are
– The different operations that make up the process
– The sequence in which these operations occur (ie the
relationship between the operations)

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Example: flowsheet for a home oil burner heating
air in a forced circulation system
Flue gas to chimney

Cool air from house Warm air to house

oil Air

•Rectangle represents the oil burner itself

•Two separate air streams: the air circulated to the house
the air used for combustion
•The arrows indicate input to the furnace and output from the furnace
•The continuous line of the circulated air indicates that it does not mix with
the
fuel, air and combustion products in the furnace.
•You could use this same flowsheet to represent different fuels or products
(for example…..?) 19
• How would you modify the flowsheet to
show the fan that circulates air to the
house, the pump for the oil and the oil
storage tank?
• Modify to include the house?

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 Flue gas to chimney

Cool air
Warm air to house

Fan/blower

oil Air

Storage tank

pump

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 Flue gas to chimney

house

Cool air
Warm air to house

Fan/blower

oil Air

Storage tank

pump

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• For process analysis: chemical engineer must
take a complex flowsheet and reduce it to a
description
• For process design: you must draw a flowsheet
from a process description.

Exercise: Draw a flowsheet for a home washing

machine and a home dryer. Write a description
of the process.

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Draw a flowsheet from the following simplified description
of the synthesis of ammonia:

A mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen is fed to a catalytic

reactor where some of the hydrogen and nitrogen is
converted to ammonia. The reactor effluent is sent to a
condenser where all of the ammonia is condensed. The
condensed ammonia is sent to product storage. The
uncondensed hydrogen and nitrogen are recycled by
being mixed with a fresh feed of the same composition.
The resulting mixture is fed to the reactor.

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• Type of process?
– Reactor and condenser are continuous
– Storage tank is semi-continuous
• Reaction: N2 + 3H2 2NH3

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A mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen is fed to a catalytic reactor
where some of the hydrogen and nitrogen is converted to
ammonia. The reactor effluent is sent to a condenser where all of the
ammonia is condensed. The condensed ammonia is sent to product
storage. The uncondensed hydrogen and nitrogen are recycled by
being mixed with a fresh feed of the same composition. The resulting
mixture is fed to the reactor.
•Step 1 is the feed to the reactor:

“feed” reactor “effluent”

N2 NH3
H2 N2
H2

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A mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen is fed to a catalytic reactor where
some of the hydrogen and nitrogen is converted to ammonia. The
reactor effluent is sent to a condenser where all of the ammonia
is condensed. The condensed ammonia is sent to product storage.
The uncondensed hydrogen and nitrogen are recycled by being
mixed with a fresh feed of the same composition. The resulting
mixture is fed to the reactor.
•Step 2 is to purify the product:

“feed”
N2
reactor condenser
H2 “effluent”
NH3
NH3
N2
liquid
H2

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A mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen is fed to a catalytic reactor where
some of the hydrogen and nitrogen is converted to ammonia. The
reactor effluent is sent to a condenser where all of the ammonia is
condensed. The condensed ammonia is sent to product storage.
The uncondensed hydrogen and nitrogen are recycled by being
mixed with a fresh feed of the same composition. The resulting
mixture is fed to the reactor.
•Step 3 is to send product to storage:

“feed”
N2
reactor condenser
H2 “effluent”
NH3
NH3
N2
liquid
H2
Storage
tank
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A mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen is fed to a catalytic reactor where
some of the hydrogen and nitrogen is converted to ammonia. The
reactor effluent is sent to a condenser where all of the ammonia is
condensed. The condensed ammonia is sent to product storage. The
uncondensed hydrogen and nitrogen are recycled by being
mixed with a fresh feed of the same composition. The resulting
mixture is fed to the reactor.
•Step 4 is to recycle unreacted feeds: purge
recycle
N2, H2

“feed”
N2
reactor condenser
H2 “effluent”
NH3
NH3
N2
liquid
H2
Storage
tank
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Process Variables

The variables that describe the condition of a process fall

into two categories:

• Extensive variables: which depend on the size of the

system (mass, volume)
• Intensive variables: do not depend on the size of the
system (e.g. T, p, , mass and mole fractions)

Often on a process flowsheet we would want to specify

process variables (size and temperature of condenser
for example)
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Flowsheet conventions
• Process flowsheet: shows the essential elements of the process (operations
and sequence). Sometimes information on energy and mass flows are placed
on the flowsheet near the streams or n an adjoining table.

• Process Control Flowsheet: shows the basic instrumentation necessary to

control the process and its utilities.

• Engineering flowsheets: a series of flowsheets that show all the data

required to specify the process equipment. Typically consists of separate
flowsheets:
– Piping flowsheet shows all pipes and equipment with sizes and other necessary
specifications. This flowsheet contains one symbol for each piece of equipment in
the process.
– Instrumentation flowsheet shows the relationship of every instrument to the
process (often combined with piping flowsheet in a P&ID)
– Utility flowsheet shows the relationship of the utilities (steam, water, air
electricity) to the process and specifies pipe sizes etc.
– Plot plan show a plan view of the plant giving the physical arrangement of the
equipment.

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Instrumentation and Control
• Instruments are used to sense process variables
and drive control valves.
• These are denoted on P&IDs by circles with
letters:
LC FRC

• Valves are connected by solid lines to the point

where variables are measured, and by dotted
lines to the equipment they control

FRC

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Instrumentation symbols
As 1st letter As 2nd letter As 3rd
letter
A analyzer Alarm Alarm
C - controller controller
F flow - -
I - indicator -
L Level/liquid level -
P Pressure - -
R - Recorder -
T Temperature - -
V - - Valve
D Differential Differential -
r ratio ratio -

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• First letter describes the variable sensed by the
instrument: Pressure (P), Temperature (T), Flow (F),
level or liquid level (L or LL), composition (A)
• The second and third letters describe the action taken:
Record ( R), Indicate (I), Sound an alarm (A), or Control
(C )
• Explain the symbols:

LC FRC

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Description
• Main pieces of equipment are the column (C1),
accumulator drum (D1), reboiler (E2) and condenser
(E1).
• The distillation column (C1) separates the feed stream
according to volatility into overhead and bottoms
products.
• The heat exchangers (E1) and (E2) condense the
overhead vapours and partially vaporize the liquid from
the bottom of the column.
• The drum (D1) accumulates the condensed liquid and
also accommodates surges in overhead product rate.
• Control elements are shown by circles and dashed lines.

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Control elements
• The rate of bottoms withdrawal is controlled by the liquid level in the bottom
of the column. When the level rises the valve is opened to increase the
withdrawal rate and thus lower the level.
• The net bottoms flow is controlled by an analyzer (with recorder) which sets
the flow controller on the steam to the reboiler to maintain the bottoms
composition within specified limits.
• The net overhead is withdrawn from the drum on level control (ie when the
level in D1 rises the valve is opened). This keeps the level in the tank within
a preset upper and lower limits.
• The rate at which reflux is returned to the column is controlled by the
Temperature at a particular point in the column, when this temperature rises
the valve is opened and more reflux flows to the column. This instrument is
an indicator as well as a controller so it sends a signal proportional to the
temperature to a readout instrument in the control room.
• The column is feed controlled by an FRC.

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Exercise: Using the flowsheet and description for
production of methyl methacrylate and answer the following
questions.
1. How many reactors are there?
2. How many heat exchangers are shown?
3. How is the temperature controlled in the hydrolysis kettle?
4. How many pumps are shown?
5. Why is the inhibitor added?
6. Which streams are bypass streams (indicate by stream number)
7. Which streams are recycle streams (indicate by stream number)
8. The bottoms from the CH3Oh recovery column is water. Where
did this water enter the process?
9. What are the main species present in the extraction column
bottoms?
10. Is the first reaction endothermic or exothermic? How do you
know?
11. How is the heat required for the second reaction supplied?

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Methyl methacrylate is a mononomer used in the production of polymeric materials.
It is manufactured in a 2 step chemical process starting with acetone cyanohydrin
and 98% sulfuric acid:

Acetone cyanohydrin and concentrated sulfuric acid are pumped into a cooled
hydrolysis kettle to make the intermediate.

The stream leaving the kettle is dehydrated at steam temperature.

After cooling it goes to an esterification kettle where it is reacted with methanol

continuously. To prevent polymerization inhibitors are added at various points in the
process.

The esterified stream is pumped to the acid stripping column. Methyl methacrylate
methanol and some water come overhead while the residue, made up of sulfuric acid,
ammonium bisulfate, and water, is sent to the ammonium sulfate plant.
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• The overhead stream from the acid stripping column enters a rectifier
column where methyl methacrylate with some methanol comes over the
top, is condensed, and sent to the wash column.

• The bottoms from the rectifier, containing methanol and water are sent to a
methanol recovery column. Recovered methanol is recylced to the
esterification kettle.

• The water solution leaving the bottom of the column, containing some
methyl methacrylate and methanol, is recycled to the rectifier column for
recovery.
• Crude methyl methacrylate (free from methanol) comes off the top of the
wash column. This crude material is shipped to another plant for further
purification by distillation.

• The inhibitor introduced in processing is sufficient for shipment of crude

methyl methacrylate.

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1. How many reactors are there?
• 2 reactors: hydrolysis kettle and esterification kettle

2. How many heat exchangers are shown?

– 5 (not including the steam jacket and reflux condenser)

3. How is the temperature controlled in the hydrolysis kettle?

– Some of the kettle contents are removed, cooled and returned to the
kettle

4. How many pumps are shown?

– 8

5. Why is the inhibitor added?

– To prevent polymerization

6. Which streams are bypass streams (indicate by stream number)

– None

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7. Which streams are recycle streams (indicate by stream number)
– 15,5,12,17

8. The bottoms from the CH3Oh recovery column is water. Where did
this water enter the process?
– Water enters in extraction column, acid stripping column and
CH3OH column, stream 6 and stream 2 if the acid is not 100%.

9. What are the main species present in the extraction column bottoms?
– Water, methanol, methyl methacrylate

10. Is the first reaction endothermic or exothermic? How do you know?

– Exothermic. Cooling is provided for the hydrolysis kettle

11. How is the heat required for the second reaction supplied?
– By the condensation of steam.

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Checklist of Data Normally Included on
Flowsheets (detailed diagrams)
1. Process lines (bypass essential to an understanding of
the process)
2. All process equipment. Spaces are indicated by letter
symbols or notes
3. Major instrumentation essential to process control and
understanding of the flowsheet
4. Valves essential to understanding the flowsheet.
5. Design basis, including a stream factor
6. Temps, pressures and flow quantities
7. Weight and/or mole balance showing compositions,
amounts and other properties of principal streams
8. Utilities requirements summary

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9. Data for particular equipment:
a) Compressors – SCFM (60F 14 psia), P, # stages
b) Drives – connected HP, utilities
c) Drums and tanks – ID or OD, length, impt, internals
d) Exchangers- ft2, Btu/hr, T and flows, Shell, Tube
e) Furnaces – kBtu/hr, T in and out, fuel
f) Pumps – gpm, P, HP, type, drive
g) Towers - # and type of plates, H and type of packing,
info on trays where fluids enter and leave, ID or OD,
length

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