Facility Process Design and Cost Estimates Preparation
A producer of agricultural, industrial, and feed chemicals located in North America contracted Process Engineering International, LLC (PROCESS) to execute a Class V (FEL-1) level process design project. The following units were a part of the design/cost estimating project:
- Acid feed preheater
- Bisulfate reactors
- HCl scrubber
- Caustic scrubber
- Liquid ring vacuum pump
- Neutralization reactors
- Crystallizer
- Belt filter
- Dissolution tank
- Dust collection system
- Rotary dryer
PROCESS also evaluated the economics of an evaporative crystallization system, as an alternative to the main process under consideration, and ultimately found that the project economics for such a system were almost identical to the desired process that was under consideration.
PROCESS used its licensed commercial simulation software to prepare a model of the process and to obtain relevant heat and material balance information. Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs) were prepared to show the main process flows with mass and energy balance information from the simulation. A preliminary equipment list was developed that included major equipment that would be required for the process as well as basic process design information for each piece of equipment (size, duties, capacities, temperatures, pressures, etc.). A factored cost estimate for capital expenditures (CAPEX) as well as for operating expenses (OPEX) were prepared using the equipment information and software estimating programs.
Project deliverables that were submitted to the client consisted of:
- Project design basis
- Preliminary PFDs with heat and material balance data
- Preliminary major equipment list with preliminary process design information
- AACE Class 5 CAPEX and OPEX estimates