Summary of Unit

Describe the type of equipment. Define its function, its capacity, size parameters, how much it costs,
is it a unit operating under conditions of special concern etc. If you are using a 69 tray column with
bubble caps and a feed on the 35 th tray, product take off on the 12 th tray, kettle reboiler and partial
overhead condenser, say so. Tell us pertinent controls on it, i.e. you have pressure control on
cascade with temperature etc. etc.
Refer the reader to the PFD where the section you are describing is represented diagrammatically.
Mention any special considerations or features.

Specification sheet
Example at the end of this document and more examples are on Blackboard. If there is no example
for your unit then create a spec sheet. The examples should help you see what info is required in a
spec sheet. Please include a little diagram for each spec sheet.

Engineering drawing for the major unit only

This is a detailed and labelled engineering drawing (showing different views) including the feed lines
into the unit. An example is shown at the end of this document. Please indicate scale here.

Mass and Energy balance

Draw a little block diagram of your system with numbered streams. Include a mini-stream table All
calculations must be in the appendix. The rules around what is included in a stream table do not
change in D2. As in D1 we need assumptions which must be shown to be valid as well as the
discussion ad justification of the approach. All physical properties to be referenced.

Detailed design
This section includes both your chemical engineering design and your mechanical engineering
design. So flange design for the inlet and outlet pipes, vessel thickness and other physical aspects of
your unit are all mechanical engineering design. Chemical engineering design is the theory
associated with the unit operation, i.e. heat and mass transfer or reaction which you must describe
for the unit and then use to find volumes or unit lengths. DO the chemical engineering design first
then do the mechanical engineering design etc. Justify ALL process conditions used. It is no good to
say, “I chose 50 degrees because so and so used it in their paper or process”. That is not a
demonstration of understanding. You need to also justify unit choice. Justifications means your
choice of temperature and pressure etc. makes sense for the objectives of the unit.

You might recall that in second year you designed a distillation column. There you specified tray sizes
and thickness, plate hole sizes, number of holes, space between trays etc. That is what is meant by
detail. Shell thickness as well and so on. If you have any demisters inside your vessel they need to be
sized, any disengagement plates and any distribution plates, feed nozzles etc. As well as the relevant
connecting lines or skirts and supports.

A sample calculation of how the unit was sized should be included in the appendix, with appropriate
explanatory notes (drawn from theory and including heuristics where appropriate), assumptions and
justification included in the body.

When describing reactions including organic chemicals, use the structure of the chemical and include
the name of the chemical under the reaction equation. Remember that many reactions are
reversible, and you should know which are and which aren’t. Never just include the names of the
chemicals as a representation of the reactions. In the narrative, discuss the extent of reactions and
side reactions.
Then there is the question of what should be presented in the report and what should be included in
the appendices. I have already made reference to this above. Try and keep the report as clear and
crisp as possible. It is rather frustrating to have “this is presented in Appendix xyz” or “go to
appendix” (which some people do) for information you would like to find in the report. Make your
report self-standing, i.e. it should be able to stand on its own as a complete work. Present
supporting information in your appendices. Put important information in the body of the report and
supporting information in the appendices. When referring us to the appendix use “refer to appendix
XY on page xx”.

Use page numbers and make sure that they are consistent with the table of contents.
Do not repeat information in the body of the report, or present it in the body and repeat it in the
appendix. Make your report and appendix clear of repeated information. Also make sure that if you
put information in an appendix, be certain to include it in you report. In other words, don’t just
chuck things in the appendix. Each thing in there must be referred to in the report otherwise don’t
include it.

Design Basis
The design basis is the basis from which you design your equipment. How does this compare to the
equipment specification sheet? Well, the spec sheet covers the engineering details of the specific
piece of equipment such that the equipment can be purchased or manufactured. The design basis
should have all the information which you used in the design of the equipment, which means that it
must be pretty detailed. There will be repetition. This is fine and inevitable. It must be in table form
as much as possible please.

So, what information should be in the design basis? For a typical distillation column, the following
information should be included:
 Feed rate, composition, temperature, pressure, density, viscosity etc.
 Gas phase density, and any other information required for the equipment design
 Column operating conditions e.g. temperatures, pressures, reflux ratios, reboiler and
condenser duties, utilities consumed e.g. 2.5 barg steam in the reboiler (and quantity) etc.
 Type of equipment used e.g. partial or full condenser on distillate, kettle reboiler, types of
trays etc.
 Recoveries to bottoms and distillate
 Product flows and composition.
 Any special considerations e.g. for reactors you need to consider the explosion limits of the
reactor off-gas mixture

Any utilities should also be summarised in the design basis including those of the minor unit. Notice
how the design basis has nothing about dimensions. That is for the specification sheet.

Minor Unit
As mentioned already give the duty, area/volume and materials of construction. Give also the
process conditions in and out of the unit as they are linked to your main unit. A minor unit could be a
storage tank, a heat exchanger (including an evaporator), a pump, a fan, a blower, a compressor, a
turbine or a V/L separator. The minor unit must come immediately before or after a major unit. That
means there is to be no piece of equipment between your major and minor unit.

P & ID and Process Control Strategy

Control Philosophy
The control philosophy should begin with a summary of the process. This document is meant for the
instrumentation engineers who know little about the process and need a brief introduction as to
what is happening in the section they are about to design the control system of. Include a process
summary which includes the parameters they are controlling and the temperatures and pressures at
which the unit operates.

There are two types of variables instrumentation which can be included in a control system. Those
variables incorporated in control loops and the variables for process information, alarms etc. Handle
each of these types of variables separately.

Control loops (number each loop and discuss it separately)

Include a description of each of the control loops stating the reasoning behind the control strategy.
Indicate the set points to which the loop will control the controlled variable. Indicate whether any
alarms will be required for the loop to alert the control room operator of a deviation from the
desired set point. State the set point for the measured variable e.g. this control loop will control the
level in vessel 400TK03 to 50%. Each control loop should be numbered. The response of the
controller to a specific upset should be included in the narrative. The failure position should also be
noted e.g. this control valve should fail closed, or this control valve should maintain its last position
in the case of failure. The other option is to fail open. The dynamics of the control loop should be
explained in detail. E.g. the flow rate of the feed to the reactor is measured by a flow element, the
flow element transmits the value to the control system which compares the measured variable to
the set point specified by the control room operator and adjusts the control valve FCV 07
accordingly, opening to increase the flow, closing to decrease the flow.

Measured Variables for monitoring purposes (not as part of a control loop)

Measured variables such as temperatures, pressures, flow rates, etc. are sometimes not part of a
control loop, but provide valuable information as to the performance of the plant. The measured
variables can give you the answer as to why the condition in a control loop is not being met e.g. the
flow rate in the feed line is not reaching the desired set point because the pressure in the feed line is
very low indicating that the section operator should investigate the pump etc.

These measured variables may be connected to alarms to alert the process operators of specific
conditions in the process. For alarms, indicate the level of deviation from the set point which
constitutes each level of alarm e.g. when the tank reaches a level of 25% signal a low level alarm, at
a level of 20% signal a low low level alarm.

P & ID (sometimes referred to as a Process Control Diagram)

A P & ID is a PFD for the section of the plant with the control system added along with appropriate
instrumentation. This means that it should be produced to the same standard of a PFD. Each piece of
equipment should have an equipment number corresponding to that on the PFD. Each line must be
numbered.

The control loops and measured variables should be depicted on the P & ID. The desired values of
each of the controlled and measured values should be included on the P & ID for easy reference.

Cost of Unit
Now that you have drawn the unit and have specified materials of construction you need to cost the
unit. There is nothing more to say here.