PLANT EXPANSION

Plant expansion shall be carried out with more attention to safety since some of the existing systems may get overloaded such as conveyors for materials, refrigeration plants, electrical main bus bars, cables, incoming transformer, pressure vessels, heat exchangers, condensers, effluent treatment plants, and hoists even when operated carefully—because they may be already operating near their maximum capacity— and this can create dangerous situations. 

Fresh HAZOP study shall be carried out to consider the possibilities of accidents due to likely overloading of existing imits or malfunctioning of new machinery or if the plant personnel do not properly understand the operation or maintenance procedures (chances of human error). 

Since an existing plant and new equipment can benefit from the study, a project may be studied many times in its lifetime say, and every six months (or earlier if feasible) after, the plant is in operation or whenever new equipment/machinery is being procured. 

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S. A. Kne2, D. O. Moore, and R. V. Schneider, "KAAP Retrofit for Ammonia Plant Expansion," Kellogg A.mmonia Club MeetingSs San Diego, Calif.,... 

If plant expansion is being studied with the idea of determining the best practical upper limit, the linear program can be a great help. Each incremental expansion step can be evaluated and payouts determined off line. Also, each piece of proposed new equipment can be evaluated as to its effect on the entire plant. 

For a high-temperature system, a separate subheader may be run up to the point where the temperature drops down to the allowable limit of a less expensive material. It may then be connected to the main flare header (either low pressure or high pressure).To properly evaluate this a heat loss calculation is needed. As a rule of thumb a heat loss of 10 BTU/hr/ft may be assumed for a quick estimate for bare pipe. Consideration should also be given to the need for expansion joints. Main flare headers may be as large as 36 to 42 inches in diameter for a large-capacity plant. Expansion joints of such magnitudes may be so expensive as to call for a separate small header for the hot flare system. 

Capital Project Review and Design Procedures (for new or existing plants, expansions, and acquisitions) Appropriation request procedures Risk assessment for investment purposes Hazards review (including worst credible cases)... 

Distribution system-This system should cover all facets of outside fire protection water demands in order to provide adequate water distribution for existing conditions and the possibility of plant expansion. 

The final plant layout combines the various engineering considerations for soil conditions drainage railroad, truck and services access raw materials receiving waste materials removal climate effect on outdoor versus indoor operations and on types of structures prevailing wind direction for vent as well as climiatic moisture corrosion plant expansion and growth access to public, and many other general evaluation points. From these broad considerations the details are developed to suit the particular plant process and the combined effects of the location. 

Historically, U.S. pulp and paper companies have invested heavily in capital improvements to their facilities. Capital investments in recent years, however, are well below historic levels due to the difficult market conditions. For the first time, industry capacity actually declined in 2001.1 2 3 Because few new mills are being built, most capital expenditures are for plant expansions, upgrades, and environmental protection initiatives at existing facilities. Throughout the time period 1985-1999, capital improvements related to environmental protection claimed from 4% to 22% of the total investments, with significant increases in the early and late 1990s.1... 

The problem of optimizing production from several plants with different cost structures and distributing the products to several distribution centers is common in the chemical industry. Newer plants often yield lower cost products because we learn from the mistakes made in designing the original plant. Due to plant expansions, rather unusual cost curves can result. The key cost factor is the incremental variable cost, which gives the cost per pound of an additional pound of product. Ordinarily, this variable cost is a function of production level. 

The cell construction provides (i) a uniform internal distribution of up to four separate electrolytes, (ii) cooling and heating facilities (useful temperature range ca. - 40 °C up to -I- 250 °C), (iii) gas supply, and (iv) different turbulent promotors to improve transport performances. The versatility of off-the-shelf cells, paired with increasing experience of integrating electrolytic cells into industrial processes thus reduces the obstacles and risks for the scale-up. Furthermore, electrochemical units lend themselves well to modular construction, thus CPI plant expansion is a chance for this new technique. 

When equipment is added for plant expansions to an existing facility, it may be more convenient to use time zero when the first expenditures occur. The selection of either time base is satisfactory for economic analysis as long as consistency is maintained. 

Before a chemical process design can be properly embarked on, a certain body of information must be agreed upon by all concerned persons, in addition to the obvious what is to be made and what it is to be made from. Distinctions may be drawn between plant expansions and wholly independent ones, so-called grassroots types. The needed data can be classified into specific design data and basic design data, for which separate check lists will be described. Specific design data include ... 

In addition to this general approach to exploring the solution space, the model can also be used to evaluate individual configuration options such as plant expansions, construction of new plants or closure of existing plants. For questions like "what happens if we close a production line at site X" the model has to provide recommendations on where to relocate affected products and calculate the economic impact of the decision. Depending on the critical success factors of the business ("order winning cri-... 

In Figure 6.9, the total apparent power saved due to power factor correction = 4500 - 3885 = 615 kVA, which will be available to supply other plant loads or help minimize capital costs in case of future plant expansion. As current drawn from the source is lowered, the voltage drop in the power system is also reduced. This is important in large industrial facilities or high-rise commercial buildings, which are typically prone to excessive voltage sags. 

Equation (7.13) is one of the more useful equations in field operation data gathering. For any actual extraction process over time, numerous Kd values can be calculated. These are excellent and reliable data to use for plant expansions or new extractor units, or for rating any similar existing extractor. Another way in which KD equilibrium data can be obtained is through actual operating data. 

Today, Low-Btu Gas (LBG) is expected to be preferred in small demand applications for single users located outside of downtown metropolitan areas. Specific industries in which LBG is expected to be most competitive include primary metals, iron ore beneficia-tion, metal finishing, lime brick refractory, and food industries. Another potential market for Low-Btu Gas is in combined cycle power generation. Cleaned Low-Btu Gas may be particularly advantageous when a plant has many separate combustors which, because of the anticipated new environmental standards, would require either multiple scrubbers or a flue gas collection system. Cleaned Low-Btu Gas is also one of the few options available to a user planning a plant expansion in a non-attainment area. 

The market for biodegradable polymers has shown strong growth during the last five years, albeit from a very small base. However, there are still only a handful of producers operating truly commercial scale production plants. The situation is slowly changing with a number of major plant expansions planned over the next few years. 

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