Plant layout designer function

From a technical standpoint, the objective of a plant survey is to discover the facts concerning the engineering design, function, dimensions, metallurgy, layout, and operation of the cooling system, including full details on current water treatment products and services supplied. 

Before proceeding any further with the development of a process design and its associated economics, it will be desirable to consider an overall view of the various functions involved in a complete plant design. Particular emphasis in this discussion will be placed on important health, safety, loss prevention, and environmental considerations. Other items that will be noted briefly include plant location, plant layout, plant operation and control, utilities, structural design, storage, materials handling, patents, and legal restrictions. 

The APIOOO design process was directed at creating a fire protection system that requires no safety claims to be made on fire-fighting fluids at all. This was attempted by careful design of the plant layout into fire areas and zones, such that the equipment in a given fire area could be lost to tire fire without loss of overall plant safety functions. Within the Containment Vessel, additional spatial separation requirements were enforced for redimdant equipment, to make sure safety functions could be obtained in the event of a fire in the containment. This eliminated the requirement for a pumped fire protection system for internal fire hazards except for Beyond Design Basis fire events in the clean side of the Auxihary Building. 

Stractnres, systems and components important to safety, except as described in para. 5. 44, shall be designed to be calibrated, tested, maintained, repaired or replaced, inspected and monitored with respect to their functional capability over the lifetime of the nuclear power plant to demonstrate that rehability targets are being met. The plant layout shall be such that these activities are facilitated and can be performed to standards commensurate with the importance of the safety functions to be performed, with no significant reduction in system availability and without undue exposure of the site personnel to radiation. 

Apart from the engineering principles considered in the plant design, there are other important functions and items to be considered regarding safety, health, loss prevention, plant location, plant layout, and others. 

Taking the design of modules as an example, it becomes clear that this is a combinatorial task. Key variables are the functionality, dimensions and the equipment layout within the module, as well as the connections between process modules and to utility modules. Reconfiguring an existing plant for a new product or process is also a combinatorial task. Such a systematic approach aids the decision on the functionality required of each module. Discussion of the standardisation of interchangeable modules (dimensions of the module and the size, type and location of all the external connections) is, however, beyond the scope of this paper. 

For the design of the plant and the ensuing operation it is practical to stipulate the layout and production data in the contract. For the layout data, media data sheets for the educts may be used. Production data are determined with regard to quantity and quality. For the production quantity or capacity a range is often agreed, within which the plant can be operated. The determination of the product quality depends on the product itself and on the desired product function. Possible quality criteria of gaseous or liquid products are ... 

Simplification is a fundamental goal in future plant design processes. Simplification is sought from the perspective of the operation of the plant, to reduce unnecessary complications from cross-connected and multi-function systems, etc. A simplified plant is one with logical, integrated system organization, layout, and operations. 

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