Professional Documents
Culture Documents
How To Prepare Process Design Basis
How To Prepare Process Design Basis
Engineering Practice
How to Prepare a
Process Design Basis
Anthony Pavone
SRI Consulting Take care not to overlook anything when preparing
this document, which is vital for spelling out a well-
I
ntelligent — and thorough — prep-
aration of a process-design-basis planned chemical-process project.
document can make the difference
between a high-quality design for The checklists and tables in this article
a chemical-process project and a poor
one. The process-design-basis docu- can serve as reminders
ment represents the owner’s instruc-
tions to the design engineering orga- ✔ Process control philosophy cost plant that can meet capacity and
nization about what the owner wants ✔ The management of the project product specifications. It is important
designed, and how the owner wants ✔ The project contract for the process design organization to
the process design to be done. Note ✔ The process design deliverables, and know the owner’s intentions over this
that these instructions to the process their format capital-outlay spectrum.
design engineering effort are different ✔ How information will flow between Also of primary importance is the
from what the owner would provide to the parties during the project product slate that the finished plant is
the basic design/mechanical engineer- ✔ Preferred vendors, if any to produce. How much of each product
ing organization, or the design-con- ✔ Conduct of the process design engi- is to be made (in tons/year, bottles/day,
struct organization. neers or other units)? What specifications
Note also the distinction between ✔ The nature of the plantsite must the product satisfy? Are there
a process-design-basis document and ✔ Any unusual economic criteria different product grades to be made;
a scope-of-work document. The scope ✔ The offsite facilities and the infra- if so, what are the specifications,
of work is an integral part of the de- structure requirements and how much of each grade is to be
sign basis, but the design basis also ✔ Brownfield-site compatibility made? How are the final products to
contains much more. The scope of ✔ Environmental, safety and vessel- be stored, packaged, and then trans-
work defines what is to be done, and and structural-design standards, ported to customers?
what are the limits of that activity. permits and requirements If a particular process technology is
The design basis also provides the ✔ Plant operation and maintenance to be used, say so in the document. On
who, the how, the why, and the when. philosophy the one hand, this might be a particu-
Furthermore, the scope of work rarely ✔ Owner’s wishes regarding working lar, licensed commercial technology;
addresses the design philosophy, the capital on the other hand, the specifics of the
design standards, the execution plan, ✔ The communication system for the process might not be known at this
the format of deliverables, or the com- completed plant early stage.
mercial terms. ✔ The security of the project, and of The standards to be used for the
the completed plant process design are set by the owner,
Don’ t leave anything out ✔ Project execution expectations not the design organization. These
A fundamental attribute of a good standards include the following:
process-design-basis document is that Objectives, products, ✔ Load bearing standards (piling,
nothing important be omitted. The control, management spread footings)
owner’s engineer who is charged with Some projects are financed with in- ✔ Structural support standards
producing such a document accord- vestment adequate to encourage a ✔ Structural integrity standards
ingly must give at least initial, if not long plant operating-life, maximum ✔ Pressure-vessel design standards
detailed, attention to all of an exten- run-time between turnarounds, mini- (ASME)
sive list of project aspects: mal labor intensity, easy switches be- ✔ Fire protection standards (NFP,
✔ The overall plant objective tween product grades, and minimal UL)
✔ The products that the plant will pro- bottlenecks during operation. At the ✔ Equipment standards (API, DIN,
duce other extreme, the owner’s objective ANSI other)
✔ The process technology to be used is instead to build the lowest-capital- ✔ Testing standards (e.g., ASTM)
✔ Electrical standards (IEEE, NEC, (these two topic are each discussed in utilities, and other production inputs
UL) more detail below). The frequency of such as additives and catalysts), as
The process control philosophy to be progress reports, and how they are to well as the major outputs. In most
used in the finished plant, as well as be presented, must be spelled out. The cases, the quantification of all of these
the type of system to be considered for project schedule must be defined. And materials is not yet known at this
supervisory control and data acquisi- for most projects, the document should stage, but the nature of the inputs and
tion (SCADA) system, should be speci- insist on prior approval in writing be- outputs should be defined to the pro-
fied in terms of either performance or fore any commitments are made to cess design organization.
specific selection by the owner. The outside vendors that could incur fu- Format: Owners are entitled to con-
level of data communication between ture costs or liabilities to the project. formance with specific formats for
the process control function, the onsite The legal contract between the engineering deliverables, in order to
engineering and the maintenance fa- owner and the process design engi- satisfy companywide and industrially
cilities is also to be defined. In many neer must incorporate all the rela- recognized standards. The format gen-
cases, an operating company will stan- tionship requirements for a successful erally addresses such aspects as the
dardize on one particular process-con- outcome. In addition to ones specified following criteria and guidelines:
trol vendor in order to avoid the need in the preceding paragraph, these in- ✔ Units of measure to be used (metric,
for staff cross-training. If a vendor has volve details concerning the periodic English)
been designated by the owner, this and end-of-job payments, as well as, ✔ Standardized engineering-drawing
should of course be specified in the de- conversely, the interim and final pro- symbols
sign basis document. cess engineering deliverables to justify ✔ Equipment numbering and tagging
With respect to the management of those payments. Several elements that nomenclature
the project, the process-design-basis should be addressed in a good contract ✔ Instrumentation and control sym-
document should identify the owner’s include those listed in Table 1. bols
authorized person for approving all ✔ Units of identification for bulks and
design activities. The management Deliverables: content, format non-E’s (bulk equipment represents
chains of command on both the own- The specifics and the format of the simple hardware bought in large
er’s side and the engineering organi- process design deliverables need to be amounts without specific equip-
zation’s side should likewise be spelled explicitly stated in the design basis ment numbers. These items often in-
out. Approval mechanisms (embodied document. Key elements include those clude block valves, sample and drain
in, for instance, change orders) for all shown in Table 2. valves, piping, switches, illumination,
activities (changes inside scope and As noted in Table 2, one of the items walkways and railings, cable and its
changes outside scope) that would among the deliverables should be an housing. Non-E’s, or non-equipment,
incur additional cost for the project are input/output diagram that defines the represent other materials required to
defined. The nature and format of the major inputs to this plant (what feed- be purchased and consumed on a job,
design deliverables are to be defined stocks and their specifications, what such as concrete, asphalt, structural
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JUNE 2006 49
TABLE 3. TABLE 4. KEY CHARACTERISTICS
CONTRACT COMMUNICATION OF PLANTSITE
SPECIFICATIONS
Engineering Practice Documents the goals and objectives
Subsoil characteristics
Existing facilities that may need to be
of the project
demolished or removed
Specifies the scope of the job Existing facilities that are to be used/
and reinforcing steel, insulation, debottlenecked
Identifies the members of the team
coatings, and welding rod) and their coordinates Climate
✔ Standardized piping line lists and
tie-in lists Establishes the formats for hard-copy Meteorology
and electronic project deliverables
✔ Material balance formats Design for storm intensity (usually 100-
✔ Equipment and piping one-page Defines the roles and responsibilities year basis)
process spec sheets of each team member
Wind design requirements
✔ Pressure vessel and tank drawings Defines the formats of communication
✔ Electrical one-line drawings Floodplain design requirements
elements, data
✔ Control loop drawings Earthquake design criteria
Defines what information is to be kept
✔ The size paper to be used for re- and archived Sandstorm propensity and intensity
ports
Defines binding contractual terms Proximity to airports that would affect
✔ The size paper to be used for draw-
equipment height
ings Formalizes project schedule and
✔ Type-font and letter size budget Contaminated soils
✔ Requirement and format for vendor Snow load and intensity
cuts (paper drawings, pictures, de- munication involving the plant operat- Corrosive ambient air (e.g., seawater
scriptive material, dimensions and ing personnel after the plant is up and spray, acid, chlor/alkali environment)
specifications of specific equipment running is a separate issue also to be
provided by a specific vendor) addressed in the process design basis
Owners are also entitled to demand document, as discussed below.) TABLE 5. UNUSUALLY HIGH
the use of industry-wide, non-propri- COSTS TO WATCH FOR
etary computer software for gener- Vendors and engineers Economic Design
ating engineering deliverables. One Owners are entitled to provide to the factor impact
reason for this standardization is to design engineering organization a High cost Equipment spacing
allow computerized translation from list of preferred or approved vendors, of land
one software package to another. This provided that these vendors operate Cold Insulation and freezing
entitlement pertains to the software where the plant is to be built and that climate criteria
used for planning and scheduling, their products conform to internation- High water Desalting/ water re-
cost estimating, process design, piping ally recognized engineering standards cost cycle/air cooling
network analysis, process simulation, (API, DIN, EU, for instance). The en-
High elec- Piping design pressure
computer-aided 2D and 3D design, and gineering organization is required tricity cost drop/alternative drivers
the preparation of written reports. to develop its design in a manner
High Max. conversion/max.
consistent with the use of such pre- feedstock/ recycle/custody trans-
Project communication ferred vendors; conversely, the owner product cost fer metering
The process design basis document is required to provide at least three
High High automation lev-
should include a contract communi- preferred vendors for each major kind labor cost els/high equipment
cation specification (CCS). It defines of equipment, to avoid issues involv- reliability
how information will flow and be ing monopoly pricing or proprietary
High Materials selection/
shared during project execution. equipment designs. capital cost process intensification/
The CCS is designed to minimize Meanwhile, the design basis docu- design standards
communication misunderstandings ment should also address any issues High envi- Zero discharge/onsite
and misinterpretations, and to assure regarding the conduct that is expected ronjmental treatment & disposal
that all members of the project organi- of the design organization’s personnel. liabilities
zation are continuously working off the Key elements to be addressed include
most current set of design documents. the following: ✔ Drugs and alcohol policy and stan-
The CCS is also intended to optimize ✔ Authorizations to visit plantsite dards
the amount of time and effort expended ✔ Authorizations to visit owner’s head- ✔ Controlled-substance policy and
for communication between client and quarters site standards
engineer, between members of the de- ✔ Suitable attire for visits to plant and ✔ Policy and reporting requirements
sign engineering organization, and owner’s site for bribery (Business Roundtable
with third parties that are involved in ✔ Personnel protective equipment for standards)
the process design. These third parties plantsite visits
typically include governmental regula- ✔ Issues involving any cultural sen- Plantsite, offsites, infrastructure
tors, subcontractors, client employees sitivities; non-discrimination stan- The site chosen for the production fa-
not directly involved in the project, dards cility is to be defined exactly. Where
financial institutions, vendors and ✔ Owner’s policy on ethics is it? Why was it chosen? What are
suppliers. Key elements of the CCS ✔ Design-team company’s policy on the particular characteristics of this
include those shown in Table 3. (Com- ethics site that have led the owner’s man-
50 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JUNE 2006
TABLE 6. TABLE 7. TABLE 8.
TYPICAL OFFSITE FACILITIES MAJOR LIKELY ISSUES ENTAILING MAJOR ISSUES RELATED TO
Storage facilities for feedstock, prod-
ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
ucts, intermediates, additives and Wastewater treatment standards Design standards for noise
catalysts
Process gas discharges to the air Layout standards for buffer zones
Administration building
Combustion gas design/emissions Endangered species/habitat evalu-
Maintenance building requirements e.g., (low-NOx burners, ation
two-stage lean burn
Spare parts warehouse Plant construction and operation traf-
Solid waste treatment/incineration/ fic management
Medical facilities
onsite disposal
Visual standards (height, color, fenc-
Process laboratory and equipment
Particulates in air ing, etc.)
Training facility
Noise Emergency planning, response and
Loading racks (truck and rail) evacuation
Traffic during construction and opera-
Religious/cultural facilities tion Automatic sensing and alarms for
toxic discharges
Process flare and flare gas header Dust/dirt generation during construc-
tion Hazardous chemical storage inven-
Vacuum line (to fuel gas header) tory and management
Spill prevention standards
Marine facilities (piers, docks, cranes) Spill prevention, countermeasures,
Rainwater capture and rainwater and secondary containment
Waterborne plant-support vessels overflow
Wastewater treatment facility Process wastewater treatment and
Hazardous materials storage disposal
Sludge drying, treatment and disposal Tank breathing/floating-roof standards
facilities Sanitary wastewater treatment and
Planning standards (hazard communi- disposal
Process incinerator cation, community notification) Rainfall/runoff capture and treatment
Raw water treatment Emergency planning/evacuation Wastewater sludge treatment and
Obsolete-equipment storage Fugitive emissions disposal
Lockers/change facilities for O&M Periodic emissions (steam air decok- Nonhazardous solid waste treatment
personnel ing, soot blowing, etc.) and disposal
Cafeteria Incineration requirements
the owner in terms of performance.
Sanitary facilities and smoking sheds Hazardous solid waste treatment and
The design engineering organization disposal
Fencing and plant security will convert this input into engineer-
ing design specifications. Typical off- Combustion gas low-NOx burners
Fire house, fire water, deluge and
and two-stage lean-burn systems
monitors site facilities include those in Table 6.
Infrastructure requirements. If Process gas treatment prior to venting
Emergency showers, eye wash
facilities outside of the main process Tank breathing loss treatment before
Process flares and flare headers
plant plus its offsite utility facilities venting; req’ts. for floating roofs
Utilities are required, these need to be speci- Flare tip design, steam control, and
fied to the design organization. These flare opacity requirements
agement team to select it? Is the site infrastructure requirements may well
Level of treated wastewater recycle
a greenfield one or a brownfield one? include outside docks/piers/siding
Issues related to brownfield sites are facilities, transshipment and other Cooling-water system management
discussed separately, in detail, below. receiving facilities for feedstock and
Site-specific and unusual character- chemicals, and facilities to ship prod- nization can design the new plant to
istics of the plantsite need to be com- uct to the customer. If intermediate be consistent with existing facilities.
municated to the project organization. warehousing facilities are required A key component of the design basis
Key characteristics of the site that away from the plant site, this require- document is a tie-in list that shows
need to be spelled out include those in ment needs to be defined. Cogenera- what facilities are available, exactly
Table 4. tion, seawater-desalting or other facil- where they are available (location
Unusual economic criteria: Most ities providing utilities to the site are specific battery limits), and their ca-
engineering-design criteria implicitly likewise to be spelled out. Any sharing pabilities. Existing-facility availabil-
contain assumptions dealing with pre- of facilities between industrial plants ity should include these items:
vailing economic conditions. These as- in a community (fire protection, secu- ✔ Spare infrastructure capacity
sumptions are rarely documented. If a rity, utilities) should also be defined ✔ Spare utility capacity
particular plantsite involves unusu- and specified by the owner. ✔ Spare tankage capacity
ally high cost elements, these should Brownfield site compatibility: If ✔ Firewater availability and pressure
be identified such that the design or- the project is to be built at a site with ✔ Potable-water availability, pressure
ganization can modify its design cri- existing facilities, such that these ex- ✔ Process-water availability, pressure
teria accordingly. Some common eco- isting facilities are expected to be used ✔ Raw-water and/or seawater avail-
nomic factors, and the design criteria or available to the project, the demon- ability and pressure
they affect, are listed in Table 5. strated — not design — capabilities ✔ Boiler-feedwater availability, pres-
Offsites: Offsites for utilities and ac- of the existing facilities are to be docu- sure, composition (TDS, conductiv-
cessory facilities are to be defined by mented so that the engineering orga- ity)
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JUNE 2006 51
TABLE 10.
Engineering Practice KEY ISSUES RELATED TO PROJECT EXECUTION
Project schedule preparation
EPC contractor selection
Construction management team selection
TABLE 9.
MAJOR SAFETY-RELATED Basic engineering
ELEMENTS Detailed mechanical design
Formal statement of management
Construction safety and training program
safety philosophy
Ongoing monthly project cost estimates (capital expend. + op.-cost expend.)
Process safety management system
Governmental permits
Accountability
Environmental impact statement preparation
Process safety objectives and goals
Site layout drawing for construction phase
Process knowledge
Equipment receiving, lay down and warehousing strategy
Technical documentation require-
ments Procurement strategy and standards (preferred vendors, local content, other.)