Engineering Practice

Process Plant Layout — Becoming a Lost Art?

Plant layout is as important a part of process plant design as it ever was, but it is rarely
taught as part of chemical engineering courses
Seán Moran Operating manual 1%
Expertise Ltd. Sizing 2%

W
hile process plant lay- Automation/instrumentation 3%
out is a critical aspect of Fabrication/construction 6%
chemical process indus-
Unsuitable equipment/part 7%
tries (CPI) operations,
Utility set-up 8%
the majority of the seminal works
in this area have been published in Construction material 11%

trade journals [1–10] or classic texts Protection 14%

such as Perry’s Handbook [11]. Too Process condition 16%
often, process plant layout is cov- Reactivity/incompatibility 16%
ered in only a cursory fashion in the Layout 17%
engineering curricula; as a result, 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
much of the knowledge of how to Number of design errors
lay out process plants resides in the FIGURE 1. In this study of design errors that occur most often in the CPI, plant layout emerges as the
most prominent factor to blame (Reprinted with permission from [14])
heads of engineers who are nearing
the end of their careers. This article
was developed from a recently up- and nuisance to the public the access arrangements that would
dated book on process plant layout • Provide adequate levels of security normally be provided on a new site
by the author [12]. to protect against the risk of crime, will have to be provided post hoc by
Good plant layout is as important vandalism and, potentially, terrorism the layout designers. Existing access
as ever today. A recent study by • Facilitate safe and efficient arrangements may need to be re-
Kidam and Herme [13] showed that construction considered to suit the evolving inter-
79% of process plant accidents in- • Realize effective, economical and relationships between the existing
volved a design error, and the most ergonomic use of space site and the new plant or equipment.
common type of design error lead- • Demonstrate compliance with
ing to accidents was poor layout, as local planning regulations regard- Site, plot and equipment layout
shown in Figure 1. ing aesthetics There is widespread disagree-
This article reviews the com- • Ensure compliance with U.S. En- ment about what the terms site,
mon terms and discusses the basic vironmental Protection Agency plot and equipment mean. This ar-
methodology for sound plant layout. (EPA) or equivalent requirements ticle attempts to standardize the
• Demonstrate compliance with description and use of these terms
What is layout design? any other relevant codes and to avoid confusion, following the
The discipline of layout design refers standards naming convention set forth in
to that part of process-plant design • Guarantee that the supply of ser- Ref. 12.
that determines how the equipment vices to the plant and access to In a brownfield situation, layout
and supporting structures needed the periphery of the plant for main- designers have to consider three
for a process — along with their in- tenance, construction and emer- separate things:
terconnection by means of pipes, gency services are supported by • Site layout — How plots relate to
ducts, conveyors, vehicles, wired or the location and layout of the site each other within the overall site,
wireless connections — are to be On a new “greenfield” site, the and with other activities outside
laid out. Layout designers have to layout design will need to reflect the the site
satisfy several key criteria to ensure known needs of the process plant • Plot layout — The consideration
that their designs do the following: or process units to be constructed. of how process units relate to each
• Ensure reliable and safe plant Alternatively, a plant may be placed other’s disposition within a plot
operation on a number of plots on an existing • Equipment layout — The con-
• Provide safe and convenient ac- “brownfield” site. sideration of the arrangement
cess for maintenance of items, In the latter case, it is a common of process units and associ-
and for the removal or in situ re- scenario that requirements of the ated or attendant items around a
pair of components or process newer plant may not have been fore- process unit
equipment seen at the time of the original site This article, and the book on which
• Ensure acceptable levels of hazard layout. As a result, at least some of it is based [12], do not use the term

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM DECEMBER 2016 71

 comes in later, at the detailed de- formation on relationships between
sign stage. Plot layout often occurs items or numerical data on spacing
in the context of a “masterplan,” distances. It must be based on a
that aims to define the site’s over- procedure that is adequately defined
all design intent, especially if archi- and recorded and can be examined
tects are involved. In such cases, and criticized.
FIGURE 2. This figure illustrates, in simplified
it may be important to follow the Before starting a layout, the rel-
form, a process production facility or “site” (A site, architect’s approach to site and op- evant information should ideally be
depicted here by the grey box, is defined as “… erational layout through the use of assembled. Such information typi-
bounded land within which a process plant sits”). masterplanning (an approach out- cally includes process and site data,
A site may contain a number of process plants lined in Ref. 12, Appendix E). regulatory and contract require-
(which themselves may occupy several plots, each
of which typically contain many types of equip- ments, company and other recog-
ment), as well as non-process plant and buildings How to lay out process plants nized codes of practice. Often, not
One can identify six broad layout all such data are available at the start
“plant layout” for any of these activi- philosophies (the first one is less for- of a project. To avoid delays and to
ties, as it is loosely used to describe mal, and the other five are based on provide a starting point, it is useful
several of them individually and sev- more formal methodologies): to have information on typical spac-
eral combinations of them. Rather, • Intuition based on experience. ings. However, it is emphasized that
we define a “plant” as being the Using this approach, an experi- such spacings are rough and must
whole collection of equipment nec- enced plant layout designer simply be confirmed or replaced later by the
essary to make a product. permutates and combines con- proper project data or design.
In traditional chemical process figurations that have been used A first layout is almost always
plants, an ideal site would be split up successfully in the past, analyz- based on process flow. Intuition
into individual plots by its principal ing and evaluating the resulting drawn from experience indicates that
road system, with additional access combinations such a layout is basically a good one
roads provided for the larger plots. • Economic optimization. Such ef- and can be altered successfully to
However, in many sectors, plants forts typically aim to minimize dis- accommodate the specific require-
may not be big enough to have such tances traveled by materials; this ments of operation, maintenance
a road system. A complete set of in- approach is particularly well suited and safety. The intuition (and ex-
dividual process units (known as a to be incorporated into software. perience) of the engineering design
plant) may fit onto a single plot, al- This approach also clearly relates team usually indicates immediately
though larger plants may need two to the first approach what the principal alterations to this
or more plots, and a site may contain • Critical examination. This ap- default case should be. Thereafter,
a number of plots. proach, similar to HAZOP, was the formalized methods shown in the
Process plant (or more simply recommended by Mecklenburgh bulleted list above should be used to
plant). A process plant is defined [14] but never taken up by prac- finetune and improve the preliminary
as “a complete set of process units titioners. It might, however, have design that was put together based
and direct supporting infrastructure value in academic settings on the initial intuitive approach.
required to provide a total opera- • Rating — Rating approaches as- Historically, formal layout methods,
tional function to produce a product sign values to equipment, plots mainly developed within the CPI,
or products…” and so on, from the point of view have tended toward optimization for
Plot layout. Plants may be arranged of interconnectedness, various minimum capital cost. However, the
across a number of plots, to include hazards and more, in order to impetus for developing formal lay-
“an area of a site most commonly de- allow grouping and separation re- out methods was generated by the
fined as being bounded by the road lationships to be generated changing attitude of society toward
system…” Plots are shown in aqua • Mathematical modeling. There the CPI, and to the consequences of
in Figure 2. (Note: The term plant is are a number of academic ap- accidents in CPI operations.
sometimes used by practitioners proaches based on this, but they Although safety has always been
synonymously with plot, reflecting are currently at an early stage of a major constraint in plant layout, its
the reasonably common occurrence development most visible effect on the layout was
where a plant occupies a single plot.) • Software-based approaches. typically related to relatively simple
Piping layout. Within the discipline Modern 3-D CAD software often rules for spacing and electrical zon-
of layout design, a distinction is com- includes programs to develop a ing in accordance with codes of prac-
monly made between piping layout rough layout of pipework once the tice. The adoption of more danger-
(defined as “the layout of piping and equipment location is specified ous processes, the increasing scale
associated support systems…”) and For any given project, several of of plants and associated chemical
equipment layout (defined as “layout these approaches are often com- storage, and the shortage of skilled
at the level of a single process unit bined in various ways in different staff, coupled with greater public
and associated ancillaries”). Both of sectors, and such combinations concern, have required companies
these disciplines are often referred to vary among layout designers of dif- to be able to justify the reasons for
colloquially as plant layout. ferent disciplines. selection of a given layout to a far
Initially, plot layout involves mainly A formal technique is any logical greater extent than was necessary in
equipment layout, and piping layout method that provides definitive in- the past. Today, engineering teams
72 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM DECEMBER 2016
are required to develop and maintain expensive process. The version of are helpful at this stage. A cost as-
records of potential problems, alter- the layout process suggested here sessment is made of each competing
natives that were considered (with is typically only appropriate to the arrangement being considered. The
supporting data) to justify design de- largest process plants. Professional more promising arrangements may
cisions to satisfy prevailing legislation judgment is required to understand be optimized to produce even more
and to support a legal defense in the how much of this approach is appro- economical layouts.
event that problems arise later. priate, given the site-specific require- Step 5. Plot buildings. Housing
There are still very few formal lay- ments and constraints of the project CPI plants inside buildings is more
out techniques available to the de- being considered. expensive than having plants in the
signer, and none can completely re- open, even for plants on elevated
place the designer’s abilities either to Preliminary plot layout structures. The need for enclosed
conceive new solutions or to evalu- Step 1. Plot data. The data needed buildings specified in the process
ate alternatives. As with all engineer- at this step include preliminary pro- design should therefore be exam-
ing, plants built without experience cess flow diagrams (PFDs) and pip- ined critically.
and intuition are “bad plants.” The ing and instrumentation diagrams Step 6. Plot layout. The selected
intuitive approach is tested and cor- (P&IDs), which must show the size plan and elevation layouts are now
rected as the result of using other of major pipework and suggested combined with building studies to
formal techniques along with more elevations of major equipment), determine possible positions of sup-
experience. Computer-aided tech- process engineering design for the port and access structures, and to
niques can supplement but not re- equipment (such as size and shape), study civil requirements (such as
place engineering by experts. the results of preliminary hazard as- foundations). These may force re-
Formal techniques reported ap- sessments of the flowsheet, and the laxation of earlier constraints. The
pear to aim at one or more of three codes of practice to be followed in layout alternatives are usually pre-
main objectives: the plant design. sented as 2-D drawings, though 3-D
a. Generation of spatial relationships Step 2. Plot layout. The layout is computer models may also be used
between items made using the data gathered in (Figure 3).
b. Specification of distances be- Step 1, in the sequence of the pro- These models will help both the
tween items cess flow using the experience of the layout designer and other disciplines
c. Comparison of alternative layouts engineer to recognize constraints, to visualize functional and safety as-
by numerate rational examination such as major piping and cabling. pects. Consequently, it is useful at
When used to supplement or verify Typical layout spacings (described this stage to have brief and mainly
the designer’s experience, the formal in Ref. 12, Appendix C) are useful at intuitive reviews of the layout be car-
techniques available today are able this stage. Simple drawings and cut- ried out by the various disciplines.
to improve the layout and provide ra- outs are typically employed. Cost evaluations are carried out
tional justification of layout decisions. Step 3. Elevation. The elevation as- again or finetuned for the acceptable
Ref. 12 discusses ten formal ap- sumptions in the flowsheet should layouts and a short list of particular
proaches to plant layout that are be questioned. This enables the pro- layout arrangements is developed
widely followed by chemical engi- cess objectives and constraints on and recorded as plot plans (ideally
neers, piping designers and process elevation to be defined. Various al- just one selection is chosen, but in
architects in different CPI sectors. ternative elevation arrangements are some cases, competing options are
The approach discussed below is a generated, possibly by using formal still on the short list).
modified Mecklenburgh method [15], techniques, such as travel and cor- Step 7. Hazard assessment of plot
adapted from that given by Mecklen- relation charts. layout. Areas within the plot where
burgh in the first edition Ref. 14. The cost of each potential eleva- loss of containment can occur must
When considering a greenfield tion alternative is examined, primarily be identified, and the amount of ma-
site, the development typically fol- for differences between, for example, terials that could potentially be lost
lows this sequence (each of the the number of plant items needed to must be quantified by analyzing vari-
steps is described briefly below): achieve the objective, or differences ous potential hazard scenarios. The
• Preliminary plot layout (Steps 1–9) in the material-transfer costs, such consequences of each loss with
• Preliminary site layout (Steps as piping, pumping required to ele- respect to explosion, fire or toxicity
10–15) vate items and power consumption. should be calculated.
• Design sanction, possible site pur- Simple elevation drawings can be Within the plant, these calculations
chase prepared showing only heights and will indicate separation distances be-
• Detailed site layout (Steps 16–17) relative positions of items, but struc- tween potential sources of ignition
• Detailed plot layout (Steps 18–19) ture and floor levels are not intro- and sources of leaks and will specify
However, existing brownfield sites duced at this point. the various hazard zones for electri-
(with their pre-existing conditions) Step 4. Plot plan. Plant items, build- cal equipment and fired equipment.
will impose particular constraints, ings and principal pipe and cable runs The safe positioning and protection
so some of the following site-layout are laid out in a plan, to ensure that of control rooms will also be calcu-
steps may not be needed. the obvious layout constraints (op- lated. These calculations are also
The layout methods described eration, maintenance, construction, essential to assess and predict the
below suggest a highly formalized, environmental, safety and drainage potential losses that could occur at
structured, rigorous and frankly, areas) are accommodated. Cutouts various distances outside the plot,

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM DECEMBER 2016 73

 with regard to the danger to people,
equipment and buildings from fire,
explosion and toxicity. The layout
may well have to be adjusted.
The Mond Index method [15] may
be used prior to (but not instead of)
the above assessments.
Step 8. Layout of piping and other
connections. The principal pip-
ing and pipe routes are confirmed
during this step. Principal electrical
mains routes are also checked. Vari-
ous connecting arrangements are
considered and the most promising
ones are further optimized. Piping
models can be used as aids and
computerized versions can be used
to support optimization efforts. The
best layout arrangement should now
be selected and recorded. FIGURE 3. The output of a typical 3-D plant layout model is shown here. This model of a solids-handling
facility was produced using CADWorx from Intergraph
Step 9. Critical examination of
plot layout. The proposed arrange- Preliminary site layout tems are marked in greater detail.
ment should satisfy all of the obvi- Step 10. Site data. Steps 1–9 will be Try to keep the various types of traf-
ous requirements in light of all the carried out for each separate plant fic segregated as far as is possible
information available. It should be and storage area within the pro- and desirable. There should be ac-
examined formally by the various posed site. This will provide the size cess from at least two directions to
disciplines to make sure less obvi- and shape of each plot, will help to all parts of the site, to allow for emer-
ous features (discussed below) have define access requirements (for ve- gencies, as shown in in Figure 4.
not been omitted. hicles and people during construc- The size of the site is determined
Specific aspects to examine include: tion, operation, maintenance and from the area of individual plants,
• Ease of operation emergencies), and will provide an storage areas and central buildings
• Ease of maintenance approximate evaluation of the sepa- plus the clearances between the
• Ease of construction ration needed around each plant to plants. It is also necessary to allow
• Ease of commissioning ensure proper hazard containment. ample space for things like parking,
• Ease of escape and firefighting Using the process data of the loading and unloading, stores and
• Safety of operators and other various plants, the layout engineer firefighting water storage. Typical
personnel during construction, should compile information re- clearances, size and areas are given
commissioning, operation and lated to the site materials and utili- in Ref. 12. During the development
maintenance ties PFDs, pedestrian and vehicular of this layout, allowance must be
• Environmental impact traffic capacities (for both internal made for future plant expansion and
• Future expansion and external movements), size and for general construction and other
3-D models can be good aids to shape of the plots, buildings, and re- access considerations.
the review process, though they are quired utilities, central services and It is essential to establish, within the
expensive to produce. Check lists to amenities. overall layout, all the important posi-
assist with this process can be found Step 11. Site layout. The PFD for tional relationships between elements
in Ref. 12. the site allows the various processes of the layout that must be maintained.
The results of the critical examina- to be positioned relative to one an- This consideration is crucial because
tions carried out by the various disci- other. The flow pattern may be modi- available sites may not conform in
plines, and the results of the hazard fied in order to isolate hazardous shape or topography to the prelimi-
assessment, must be reconciled. processes and to accommodate the nary layout and some compromises
Carrying out such a multi-disciplinary proposed rail and road entry points and amendments to the layout are al-
consultation is essential. or wharf positions. most certain to be needed. In light of
In some cases, it may be found Next, services, such as the boiler this, it must be known which relation-
that the layout is impractical or even house and effluent plant, are added ships can be relaxed to fit the plant in
impossible. When this occurs, it in the most convenient positions, the available space.
will be necessary to rethink the subject to the provision that they are Simple drawings and paper cut-
process design or even undertake not likely to be put out of action by outs are very useful for site-layout
further laboratory and other develop- a disaster. The central buildings are development. Physical and 3-D
ment work. In most cases, though, placed so that the distances traveled computer models may also be
the results of the critical examination by personnel who use them are mini- used especially to gauge the
will mean adjusting the layout by mized, providing that these buildings visual impact.
means of further iteration from are in safe places. Step 12. Hazard assessment of
Step 2 onward. After this, the road and rail sys- site layout. The plots on the site
74 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM DECEMBER 2016
where loss of containment can pos- Detailed site layout could have been updated and the
sibly occur are noted. Vulnerable Step 16. Site data. No site will be further information, relevant to the
parts of the site are listed, such as ideal, however much care is taken in site layout, made available.
offices, central utilities, key com- its selection. So after site purchase, Site 17. Site layout. Steps 11–14
mercial plants and the site bound- the engineer has to adjust the layout should be repeated, but in greater
ary (representing the start of the to the constraints of the site and it is detail and subject to the constraints
public domain). important that these are clearly es- of the selected site. Possible layout
The consequences of each loss tablished. They could include: changes to the original plan could be
through fire, explosion or toxicity on a. Site topographical details referring caused by the following:
the vulnerable items are calculated. to: • The desirability of placing a heavy
The layout is adjusted so that the • The load-bearing ability of the plant on good load-bearing soil
consequences become acceptable; soil and subsurface conditions • The position of road, rail and ser-
in particular, the chance of escala- • Site grading and drainage vice access points
tion of an occurrence throughout the features • The need to put hazardous plants
site (via the “domino effect”) is made b. The atmospheric conditions with away from public places, such as
less likely. Ref. 12 goes into further regard to: schools, and to take note of neigh-
detail on this topic. • Extremes of weather, which may boring hazards
Step 13. Site-layout optimization. make it desirable to provide • The desirability to have a good en-
When there are feasible alterna- special shelter or protection for vironmental impact (as described
tive arrangements, cost estimations equipment or operators in Section 3.8 of Ref. 12)
should be developed for each with • Prevailing wind direction for con- • Planning restrictions
respect to transport and piping con- sideration when locating intake The hazard assessment can now
nections between the various plots or exhaust stacks, or furnaces take account of known vulnerable
and so on. The most economical up- or downwind in relation to features outside the site bound-
layout can then be subject to further the remainder of the plant. Also ary. The critical examination will, in
optimization of the plot spacings, sand, sea-spray and leaves addition to the items given in Step
subject to the hazard constraints. can be blown by the wind onto 14, also check that site constraints
Step 14. Critical examination of a plant and standards have not been vio-
site layout. The proposed site plan c. Environmental conditions relat- lated. Extensive consultation will be
should ideally be examined critically ing to adjacent properties, such made with the various regulatory and
by the various disciplines first sepa- as residential property or public emergency authorities during the
rately and then together. Points to places, neighbors’ hazardous or detailed layout stage.
review include the following: vibratory operations, roads, rail- The final site plan will show the
• Containment of hazards and safety ways, airfields or rivers roads, railways, site pipe routes,
of employees and public d. Site boundary and service param- sewers, central buildings and ser-
• Emergencies eters for normal and emergency vices. It will ideally be produced in
• Transport and piping systems conditions, such as access from the form of, and with the aid of, de-
• Access for construction and public roads, waterways and rail tailed drawings and possibly models,
maintenance systems, sewers, water supplies, whether computer,nmanual or both.
• Environmental impact, including power supplies, pipe trenches,
drift of airborne effluents and dis- drains, public paths and rights of Detailed plot layout
charge of liquid effluents way Step 18. Plot layout data. The de-
• Future expansion e. Legal requirements, such as plan- tailed plot layout information includes
Additional points are included in the ning and building laws and by- the following:
checklist in Ref. 12. In the worst laws, requirements for dealing with a. Standards, in particular:
case, it may become obvious during effluent pollution and noise, traffic • Owner’s basic practices and
the review that one or more of the regulations, fire, insurance and standards
proposed plants is unacceptable, other safety requirements • National and international codes
but in most cases, the review will re- The following items should be based of practice, standards, specifi-
sult in adjustments to the site layout, on the owner’s and national stan- cations and regulations
iterating from Step 11 onward. dards and codes of practice: • Contractor’s standards where
Step 15. Site selection. The results • Road width, radii and gradients the above are not available
of site layout will be: • Service corridors b. The detailed site information given
a. The size and shape of the site • Pipe-bridge heights over roads, in Step 16, which could impinge
b. The pipeline, road, rail and water railways and pipe-trenches on plot layout
access needed to the site • Building lines c. Site plans and details giving the
c. Necessary hazard-separation dis- • Architectural finish to buildings features that might influence the
tances around the site It is likely that while the site is plot layout
d. Position of the various structures being selected and purchased, fur- • Location and relationship of
and their foundation loading ther process and engineering design roads and railways surrounding
These factors, plus the others out- and market research work has been the plot and estimates of traffic
lined in Ref. 12, will guide the selec- undertaken on the individual plants that might interact with the plot’s
tion of a suitable site. and their products. The plot layouts loading and unloading facilities

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM DECEMBER 2016 75

 • Interactions between items within
the plot
• Interactions between plots within
the site
• Interactions between the site and
its surroundings
The approach discussed here is a
formalized summary of the steps that
are typically taken by chemical engi-
neers on large or dangerous plants.
Less formal approaches are more
commonly used in practice, however,
for reasons of economy and practi-
cality. Critical examination in particu-
lar is a resource-hungry exercise. n
Edited by Suzanne Shelley

Author
Seán Moran is managing director
of Expertise Ltd. (25 Warmbrook,
Wirksworth Derbyshire, U.K.;
FIGURE 4. This site layout model, produced using CADWorx from Intergraph, shows piped, road and rail Email: sean.moran@expertise-
links limited.co.uk; Phone: +44-1629-
826482). He holds a Masters De-
• Steam, water, sewage disposal, operability studies of the pro- gree in Biochemical Engineering
from University College London,
and other services, particularly cess design and is a fellow of the Institution of
the terminal points relating to the • The drawing conceived in Steps Chemical Engineers. Moran has
plot 1–9 25 years of experience as a process plant designer,
commissioning engineer and troubleshooter. He has
• Raw material and product pipe- Step 19. Plot layout. Most of the published two books [12,16], and is presently working
line terminals initial steps, particularly Step 4, and on another book, entitled “An Applied Guide to Water
• Sources of atmospheric pollu- 6–9 are repeated in greater detail and Effluent Treatment Plant Design.”
tion that might affect the pro- and subjected to the site constraints References
cess operators or maintenance given in Step 18. 1. Kern, R., Arrangements of process and storage vessels,
staff It is important that, in repeating Chem. Eng., 84, 93, 1977.
d. The detailed process engineering Step 6, there is good coordination 2. Kern, R., How to manage plant design to obtain minimum
design, which contains: between the layout, process, op- cost, Chem. Eng., 84, 130, 1977.
• P&IDs indicating (with identifica- erating, piping, civil, structural and 3. Kern, R., How to get the best process plant layouts for
pumps and compressors, Chem. Eng., 84, 131, 1977.
tion codes) the process equip- mechanical disciplines. The piping
4. Kern, R., Layout arrangements for distillation columns,
ment and instrument require- arrangement studies (repeat of Step Chem. Eng., 84, 153, 1977.
ments and showing the pipeline 8) done here are discussed in more 5. Kern, R., How to find the optimum layout for heat ex-
connections detail in Ref. 12. changers, Chem. Eng., 84, 169, 1977.
• PFDs showing the flows and The hazard reassessment (Step 6. Kern, R., Space requirements and layout for process
composition of each stream 9) will be mainly concerned with in- furnaces, Chem. Eng., 85, 117, 1978.
• Line schedules giving each pipe ternal plant spacings, such as area 7. Kern, R. Arranging the housed chemical process plant,
its size, specification and the hazard classification zones and Chem. Eng., 85, 123, 1978.
temperature and pressure con- control room and other plant build- 8. Kern, R., Instrument arrangements for ease of mainte-
ditions ing positions. Inter-plot spacings are nance and convenient operation. Chem. Eng., 85, 127,
1978.
• Equipment schedules and draw- considered in hazard assessment
9. Kern, R., Controlling the cost factors in plant design.
ings providing the specification of the site layout. The repeat of the Chem. Eng., 85, 141, 1978.
of each item together with its critical examination should (as well 10. Kern, R., How to arrange the plot plan for process
plant size, register number, criti- as considering the aspects given in plants, Chem. Eng., 85, 191, 1978.
cal dimensions, process power Step 9) also see that standards, reg- 11. Green, D.W., and Perry, R.H., “Perry’s Chemical Engi-
requirements, process and utility ulations and site constraints on the neering (8th Ed.).” New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007.
nozzle connections and flows, plot have not been violated. 12. Moran, Sean, “Process Plant Layout, 2nd Ed.” Institution
materials of construction, pro- of Chemical Engineers, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2016.
cess conditions, operation and Hazard assessment 13. Kidam, K., and Hurme, M., Design as a contributor to
chemical process accidents, Journal of Loss Prevention
maintenance requirements Increasingly, regulatory authorities in the Process Industries, 25, 2012, pp. 655–666.
• Process design datasheets con- will require a combined hazard as- 14. Mecklenburgh, J.C.,”Process Plant Layout,” Halsted
taining the process design data, sessment of the site and plot layouts Press, 1985.
philosophy and calculations and after both have been tentatively final- 15. The Mond Index, GDG Associates, 1985.
indicating any process layout re- ized. Some existing activities will be 16. Moran, Sean, “An Applied Guide to Process and Plant
quirements required to submit hazard assess- Design,” Butterworth-Heinemann. 2015.
• The results of the hazard and ments. These include the following:
76 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM DECEMBER 2016
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without
permission.