186 MATERIAL TRANSFERS

3. Multiple-source, single-destination
4. Multiple-source, multiple-destination.

Most batch facilities are designed with some combination of these.

The choice of the approach to use involves two considerations:

Equipment cost. Installing dedicated equipment for each material transfer

is prohibitively expensive. The lowest cost is usually a material transfer
system capable of transferring a material from one of several sources to
one of several destinations.
Production delays. A material transfer system for multiple sources and/or
multiple destinations can execute only one material transfer at a time.
Although judicious batch scheduling can minimize the impact, delays in
production operations arise whenever one material transfer cannot com-
mence until another material transfer has completed.

The optimum design of the material transfer system(s) for a batch facility
involves balancing the cost of the material transfer equipment and the pro-
ductivity of the production equipment. Discrete simulation is very effective
for establishing the plant productivity given the following:

1. Con guration of the material transfer equipment

2. Slate of products to be manufactured in the facility.

For specialty batch facilities, the latter is a major issue. The number of products
is large and is continually changing. The products being manufactured a year
from now are unlikely to be the same as today. The material transfer equip-
ment must not only be ef cient, but it must also be exible.
The design basis for most batch facilities is that simultaneous material
transfers will not occur. But as will be discussed in the last section of this
chapter, this may be reconsidered once the plant is in operation.

5.1. MULTIPLE-SOURCE, SINGLE-DESTINATION MATERIAL

TRANSFER SYSTEM

Figure 5.1 illustrates a material transfer system capable of transferring a liquid

raw material from one of several sources to a single destination. Such systems
are commonly installed for charging raw materials to production vessels, with
separate systems provided for each production vessel.

5.1.1. Key Characteristics

The key characteristics of the material transfer system in Figure 5.1 are as
follows:
MULTIPLE-SOURCE, SINGLE-DESTINATION MATERIAL TRANSFER SYSTEM 187

Raw
Material
A

Raw FT
Material
Process
B
Vessel

Raw
Material
X

Figure 5.1. Multiple-source, single-destination raw material transfer system.

1. A block valve must be installed for each source vessel. Logic must be
provided to assure that only one of these valves can be open at any
instant of time.
2. A single block valve must be installed for the destination vessel.
3. The driving force for uid ow may be any of the following:
Gravity ow. The raw material tanks must be elevated relative to the
destination vessel.
Vacuum. Evacuating the destination vessel can provide up to 1 atm pres-
sure differential for uid ow.
Pressure. Pressurizing a raw material storage vessel is possible only if
the storage vessel is rated as pressure vessel.
Pump. Usually a single pump is installed upstream of the ow meter.
4. If the ow rate must be controlled during any material transfer, a control
valve must be installed.

5.1.2. Metering Issues

If the amount of material transferred is to be obtained by totalizing the ow,
a coriolis meter is normally the preference for the ow meter illustrated in
Figure 5.1. In addition to being a mass meter, a couple of other issues favor
the coriolis meter:

1. A variety of materials pass through the meter. The coriolis meter is not
affected by uid properties such as viscosity, density, and so on.
2. The ow rates can differ widely, making the wide turndown ratio of the
coriolis meter an advantage.
188 MATERIAL TRANSFERS

5.1.3. Purging
After most transfers, the piping in Figure 5.1 must be purged. The only excep-
tion is when mixing the materials for two successive transfers causes no adverse
consequences.
Although a liquid or an inert gas is sometimes required, compressed air is
most commonly used to “blow the line dry.” Although not a problem for a
coriolis meter, this practice cannot be permitted for a turbine meter.
Purging transfers the contents of the piping to one of the following:

Destination vessel. The volume of the piping in the header is known. The
amount of material in the header can be computed and added to the
amount of material transferred to the destination vessel. This imposes a
lower limit on the amount of the transfer.
Source vessel. This raises the possibility of contamination in the source
vessel.
Waste or holding tank. The issue is the nal destination of this material.
Sometimes it can be used elsewhere in the facility, but if not, costs are
incurred to dispose of this material in addition to the purchase price of
the material lost.

5.1.4. Impact on Production Operations

The following statements apply to the material transfer system in Figure 5.1:

1. For the raw materials that the material transfer system can deliver, only
one raw material transfer can be in progress at a point in time.
2. While the transfer of a given raw material is in progress to one produc-
tion vessel, the same raw material can be transferred to another produc-
tion vessel. This assumes the following:
(a) A raw material transfer system of the type in Figure 5.1 is provided
for each production vessel.
(b) The change in the weight of the source vessel does not provide the
basis for determining the amount of material transferred.

5.1.5. Solids
Figure 5.2 illustrates a multiple-source, single-destination raw material transfer
system for solids. Eight bins form an octagonal arrangement. For each bin, a
screw feeder can transfer the solids onto a weighing pan that is normally sus-
pended via a single load cell. For each bin, the transfer is as follows:

1. The speci ed amount of the solid material is transferred from a bin to

the weighing pan.
2. The weighing pan is emptied into the destination vessel.