ECH 158A

Economic Analysis and Design

LECTURE 1 The Design Process
March-April, 2014
HUMG

Plant/Process Design

Process design is defined as the actual

design of equipment and facilities to carry out
the production process.

Plant design covers all engineering aspects

involved in the development of either a new
or a modified/expanded industrial plant.

1
1

Analysis vs. Design

Task 1: Find a way to prevent customers from
burning their hands on paper cups of hot liquid
purchased over the counter from a coffee shop.
Task 2: Find a way to stack cans of beans so
that the smallest sized box can be used for
shipping.
Task 3: Find the best travel route between your
apartment and your favorite Pho restaurant.

Analysis vs. Design

If only one answer to the problem exists and
finding it merely involves putting together the
pieces of a puzzle, then the activity is probably
analysis.
However, if more than one solution exists and if
deciding upon a suitable path demands creativity,
choice taking, testing, iteration and evaluation, the
activity is most certainly design.

2
2

Engineering Design
Engineering Design is the process of applying
various techniques and scientific principles for the
purpose of defining a device, a process or a
system in sufficient detail to permit physical
realization.

Engineering Design
Design involves the creation of a device, component,
mechanical system, electronic circuit, software program
or a process that meets a set of desired specifications..
The design engineer makes choices based on a
thorough understanding of the engineering fundamentals,
feasibility constraints, reliability, cost, manufacturability,
and human factors..
Good design requires experience, knowledge and a
considerable amount of intuition..

3
3

Manufacture of Chemical Products

Natural Resources

Basic Chemical
Products

Basic Chemicals
Industrial Products

Manufacturing
Process

Basic Chemical
Products
Commodity chemicals: ethylene, acetone
Specialty chemicals: ethylene glycol, DEK
Biomaterials: pharmaceuticals
Polymeric materials: PVC, polystyrene...

Manufacturing
Process

Industrial Products

Manufacturing
Process

Consumer Products

Films, fiber, paper...

Cosmetics, detergents, patches...

Origin of Design Projects

to create a new material/product
to find a new way of producing an existing
product
to produce a purchased raw material
to convert a waste by-product to useful
product
to exploit new technology

4
4

Example
IDEA: Plant expansion..

Example
IDEA: Plant expansion..

PROBLEM: Steam plant at maximum capacity..

5
5

Example
IDEA: Plant expansion..

PROBLEM: Steam plant at maximum capacity..

POSSIBLE SOLUTION: Improve energy efficiency..

Design Memo
CTE Fuels, Inc.
2004 Maize Lane
Wahoo, Nebraska
Project Manager,
Engineering Design Branch
3104 Bainer Bikeway
Davis, California
Due to the growing number of states banning the use of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) in gasoline, our Renewable Fuels Division sees an opportunity to expand
ethanol production. Current U.S. production of ethanol is 2.8 billion gallons per year and could reach 5 billion gal/yr by 2012 if the pending energy bill, which includes a
renewable fuels standard (RFS), is passed by Congress. Thus, we are evaluating production of fuel ethanol from corn in Merrick County, Nebraska. Due the abundance
of corn feedstock in this area, this will support a 40 million gal ethanol/year facility.
To assess the commercial viability of this project we need your group to prepare a conceptual design package and economic evaluation for the production of ethanol from
corn. Although other feedstocks may also be attractive, your design should be based on corn. Corn prices vary from year to year, but a good value to use is $2.50 per
bushel (1 bushel = 56 pounds). As an initial estimate, 2.6 gallons ethanol can be produced from a bushel of corn. Wholesale price of ethanol is around $1.35/gal, but
seems to vary as well. However, tax incentives on each gasoline of ethanol produced from renewable resources allows ethanol to be used in the gasoline blending market.
We will require a minimum ethanol purity of 99.5 vol%. The final ethanol product will be denatured with 5 vol% gasoline before being shipped to gasoline blending and
terminal facilities.
In preparation for your design, please investigate current and pending legislation concerning use of ethanol in gasoline, ethanol production technology, issues of energy
balance, subsidy policy, and ethanol-water separation schemes.
My staff will assist you in developing project and process premises and you will receive further memos with additional details. We need to have your design report by
May 24th. Additionally, I plan to visit the Davis Office at that time and we can discuss your design and recommendations for the project. However, if you have questions,
please don't hesitate to contact me or my staff.
N. Zyme
Manager, Renewable Fuels Division

6
6

Design Team
distribution of responsibilities
diversity of perspectives
utilization of expertise
inconvenient
indirect and digressive
anxiety-ridden
Does the product of a group work have a better
success than the product of an individual?

Steps in Product and Process

Design
Create and Assess Primitive Problem
Searching for Information
property and transport data
flowsheets
equipment descriptions
process models
cost estimates, correlations

Stimulate Innovation
Corporate environment/culture
Quality control targets

Property and Performance Specifications

Encyclopedias
Handbooks
Patents
Books / Articles
WEB sources

Molecular structure
Product formulation

7
7

Steps in Product and Process

Design
Create and Assess Primitive Problem
Process Creation
Flowsheeting
Preliminary database
thermophysical data
safety data
prices

Experiments
Laboratory
Pilot-Plant

Economic Potential
Gross profit
Reject bad designs early

Steps in Product and Process

Design
Create and Assess Primitive Problem
Process Creation
Development of Base Case
Decision-Making
Assumptions
Heuristics
Preliminary calculations
Economic potential

Role of Simulations
HYSYS, SuperPro, Aspen...
Excel
Extensive component/property databases

Detailed Process Synthesis

Reactions
Separations
Integration

8
8

Steps in Product and Process

Design Flowsheeting
Production of Cyclohexane

Cyclohexane is a key intermediate in the process to produce nylon and various plastics.

Steps in Product and Process

Design Flowsheeting
Production of an Intercellular Enzyme

Production of an intracellular enzyme in yeast. The product is produced in yeast, the cells
harvested, broken open and the product obtained by a two stage fractional precipitation.
The flowsheet includes a combination of batch and continuous units. The units are
fermentation, centrifugation, homogenization, and precipitation.

9
9

Steps in Product and Process

Design
Create and Assess Primitive Problem
Process Creation
Development of Base Case
Plantwide Controllability Assessment
Synthesis of control structures
Temperature
Controller

Start-up assessment

Level
Controller

Safety and reliability assessment

Steps in Product and Process

Design
Create and Assess Primitive Problem
Process Creation
Development of Base Case
Plantwide Controllability Assessment
Detailed Design, Sizing, Optimization
Commodity chemical or industrial product?
Capital cost estimation
Optimize the best alternative

10
10

Steps in Product and Process

Design
Create and Assess Primitive Problem
Process Creation
Development of Base Case
Plantwide Controllability Assessment
Detailed Design, Sizing, Optimization
Plant Design, Construction, Startup

Steps in Product and Process

Design
Create and Assess Primitive Problem
Process Creation
Development of Base Case
Plantwide Controllability Assessment
Detailed Design, Sizing, Optimization
Plant Design, Construction, Startup
Reporting of Design Activity

11
11

Protecting the Environment

Environmental protection is one of the primary goals in design.
Air quality
Water quality
Hazardous waste

Green Design

Reaction pathways
Waste reduction, water reuse
Avoid nonroutine events
Materials characterization
Design objectives, constraints
Regulations
Intangible costs
Properties of dilute streams
Properties of electrolytes

Process Safety
Safety is a principal objective in design and operation of chemical plants.
Bhopal, India

Fires & Explosions

Determine flammability limits in air and oxygen.
LFL and UFL

Toxic Releases
Avoid working with toxic chemicals.
Selection of raw materials, alternate reaction paths.
Identify possible scenarios.

12
12

Process Safety
Inerting to avoid fires and explosions.

Relief Devices
Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment
HAZOP
Identify all possible paths for accidents to happen.

MSDS
OSHA requires a complete set of MSDS for each chemical involved in the process.

Engineering Ethics
Engineers should uphold and advance the integrity, honor and dignity of the
engineering profession by:
1. Using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare,
2. Being honest and impartial, and serving with fidelity the public, their
employees,
3. Striving to increase the competence and and prestige of the engineering
profession, and
4. Supporting the professional and technical societies of their disciplines.
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)

13
13

Engineering Ethics
Engineers have obligations of conduct to (1) self, (2) employer/client,
(3) colleagues, (4) public, and (5) environment.
AIChE
NSPE
Case Study: Don is employed as a chemical engineer at ABC Manufacturing.
Although he does not work with hot metals himself, he supervises workers who are
exposed to hot metals eight hours a day, five days a week. Don becomes
concerned when several workers develop respiratory problems and complain about
"those bad smelling fumes from the hot metals". When Don asks his superior, Cal,
about air quality in the workplace, the reply is that the workplace is in full
compliance with OSHA guidelines. However, Don also learns that OSHA guidelines
do not apply to chemicals that have not been tested. A relatively small percentage of
chemicals in the workplace have actually been tested. This is also the case with the
vast majority of chemicals workers are exposed to at ABC.
Should Don do anything further, or should he simply drop the matter?

What have we learned?

Analysis vs. design...

Process design and its steps...
Process creation
Environment and safety...
Engineering ethics

14
14