Future Expansion

Table 6 shows the production of abrasive sihcon carbide in the United States and Canada (131). In 1988, four firms were producing cmde sihcon carbide under various trade names at six plants in the United States and Canada, The Exolon-ESK Co. General Abrasive/Dresser Co. Norton Co. and Superior Graphite Co. Most plants are located in areas where electrical power is, or at one time, was available at relatively low rates. Other considerations are availabihty of labor, reasonable air and water pollution standards, future expansion potential, and proximity of raw materials and markets. 

The Society of Cosmetic Chemists, with individual memberships, was founded in the United States after World War II, based on the beHef that scientific expertise and exchange were the foundations for future expansion of the cosmetic industry. Prior to that time, knowledge of cosmetic formulation was jealously guarded. Related scientific societies emerged in other countries and have since joined to form the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists. 

Viscous fluids Sterilized surface required Polished surface required Future expansion required Space restrictions Barrier coolant services Slurry applications... 

Each refinery is designed to manufacmre products as economically as possible based on the best knowledge available with regard to end product needs, future expansion plans, crude availability and other pertinent factors. 

Storage in adjoining areas to reduce materials handling now may introduce an obstacle to future expansion of the plant. 

Usually found in substations above 130 kV, in smaller substations. Often installed with the expectation of future expansion to a breaker-and-a-half scheme. 

Correlate future expansion plans to required utilities and raw materials as related to economics of required installation. 

When a new installation is being planned, the site requirements will be predetermined, but when future expansions are being investigated, a model for sizing is invaluable. 

The requirement to allow for future expansion of the production and subsequent activities in the plant. 

Future expansion should always be taken into account when installing new plant. Increasing compressor capacity presents no problem if the rest of the plant installation has been planned accordingly. 

Volume of free air required (1/s) including an allowance for future expansion ... 

Our goals in designing the immersion testing system were (i) to emulate or improve upon operations as specified in the manual immersion test method, (ii) to increase sample throughput, (iii) to improve the precision and accuracy of measurements, (iv) to establish procedures for testing materials in hazardous liquids, and (v) to provide sufficient flexibility to handle different types of specimens and enable future expansion of operations. 

Throughout the book, the person in charge of day-to-day operations is referred to as the laboratory operator. This is not an administrator or supervisor located in an office down the hall or in another building. The laboratory operator must be heavily involved in all aspects of planning. Only he can estimate space requirements, check a proposed layout for practical and safe operation, and recommend allowances for future expansion. Regardless of the amount of professional assistance available, the laboratory operator can expect to burn much midnight oil. During construction he must be available at all times to take care of those numerous problems nobody had predicted. 

The location of the plant can have a crucial effect on the profitability of a project, and the scope for future expansion. Many factors must be considered when selecting a suitable site, and only a brief review of the principal factors will be given in this section. Site selection for chemical process plants is discussed in more detail by Merims (1966) and Mecklenburgh (1985) see also AIChemE (2003). The principal factors to consider are ... 

Sufficient suitable land must be available for the proposed plant and for future expansion. The land should ideally be flat, well drained and have suitable load-bearing characteristics. A full site evaluation should be made to determine the need for piling or other special foundations. 

The process units and ancillary buildings should be laid out to give the most economical flow of materials and personnel around the site. Hazardous processes must be located at a safe distance from other buildings. Consideration must also be given to the future expansion of the site. The ancillary buildings and services required on a site, in addition to the main processing units (buildings), will include ... 

Equipment should be located so that it can be conveniently tied in with any future expansion of the process. 

One of the major costs in the electrolytic production of chlorine is electrical power. Should the power be purchased, or is a power generating station to be built If a power generator is to be built, should it be built large enough so that it can provide power for future expansions and for other existing plants the company may own in the general area The answers to these questions will greatly affect the amount of capital the company must allocate for the project. 

What provision should be made for future expansions... 

When a plant is designed, aunit may be designed with excess capacity to facilitate a future expansion. For instance, consider a batch process that has a continuous purification step, such as distillation or extraction. If it is planned to expand this plant a few years after it starts up, it might be wise to put the extra capacity in the continuous unit and to plan a layout that will easily allow the addition of other batch units. 

In the last chapter the design of equipment for proposed future expansions was discussed. Obviously, if the equipment has been overdesigned to meet the anticipated future expansion, no extra space needs to be provided. If, however, additional equipment will be required, space should be allocated for it. The net result will be an increase in the initial cost of construction and some increase in material transfer costs, because the transfer lines will be longer. 

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