“Knowledge is

nothing unless it
is shared”

Seminar – V
Plot Plan –
G.Palani
 Table of Content
1. Definition – Plot Plan
2. Plot Plan Development
3. Stages of Plot Plan
Development
4. Types of Plot Plan
5. Equipment Location
6. Sample Plot Plan arrangement
and development
7. References
8. Queries
1. Definition – Plot Plan:
Key document – Engineering Phase
Used to locate equipments
Used by all departments
2. Plot Plan Development:
Information Requirement-
Equipment List
PFD
Block Flow Diagram
Specifications
Process Design Data
Equipment Sizes
Material of construction
3. Stages of Plot Plan
Development
Proposal Plot Plan
Planning Plot Plan
Construction Plot Plan
Proposal Plot Plan
Planning Plot Plan
Construction Plot Plan
4. Types of Plot Plan
Grade-mounted horizontal inline
arrangement
Structure-mounted vertical
arrangement
Grade-mounted horizontal inline arrangement
Structure-mounted vertical arrangement
5. Equipment Location
Plant layout specification
Economic Piping
Process Requirements
Operating and maintenance access
requirement
Underground facilities
Pipe rack
Equipment Spacing
Plant Layout Specification
 Plant Layout
Specification
– Equipment
Spacing
 Plant Layout
Specification
– Equipment
Elevations
Process Requirements
Operating and maintenance access Requirements
Underground Facilities
Pipe Racks
Equipment Spacing
Equipment Spacing – Cont…
Equipment Spacing – Cont…
Equipment Spacing – Cont…
Typical Unit Plot Plan Arrangement
Typical Unit Plot Arrangement – Elevation view
Space allocation at support columns
6. Sample Plot Plan Arrangement and Development
6. Sample Plot Plan Arrangement and Development (Cont…)
6. Sample Plot Plan Arrangement and Development (Cont…)
6. Sample Plot Plan Arrangement and Development (Cont…)
6. Sample Plot Plan Arrangement and Development (Cont…)
 References:
Process Plant Layout and Piping Design
– Ed Bausbacher & Roger Hunt
Fluor – Standard Practice
Any Queries ????

?
? ?
? ?
 “Knowledge is
nothing unless it
is shared”
 Seminar on Process Unit Plot Plan– G.Palani
Process Unit Plot Plan

1. Plot Plan Definition:

The Plot plan is a plan view drawing showing all the equipment, roads,
structures in a unit and entire facility. It is one of the key documents
produced during engineering phase in any processing facility. It is use
to locate equipment and supporting infrastructure and to establish
the sequence of major engineering and construction activities. Plot
plans are used by almost every engineering group within a project task
force from estimating and scheduling through construction.

2. Plot Plan Development:

Plot plan arrangement is a reflection of the designer’s ability to

anticipate mechanical problems and provide the necessary access for
operation and maintenance as well as the designer’s general
experience with plant layout requirements. The intended goal is to
produce a safe, cost-effective operational plant, which will probably
remain in use for atleast 25 years.

Therefore, it is important that any errors in arrangement be

recognized and eliminated during the plot plan development phase of
the project because they can be costly to correct once the plant is in
operation.

To develop a plot plan, the designer must know the following

information,
Equipment list
The process flow diagram (PFD)
The block flow diagram – shows all primary interconnecting lines
between process units, utility plants and storage facility.
Specifications – Operator access, clearance and equipment
spacing.
Process design data – Site information map or an overall
existing plot plan. Geographic details as roads, railroads, rivers
or seashore, land contours and inhabited areas. Process design
data such as weather conditions, temperatures, rainfall record,

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prevailing wind, plant elevation datum and reference
coordinates for plant location.
Equipment sizes – only preliminary information on equipment
sizes will be available.
Material of construction – A material specialist marks up a
special or critical piping materials (example, alloy and large
heavy wall piping) in the PFD. The diagram assists the plant
layout designer in optimizing equipment locations to suit the
most economic piping runs.

3. Stages of Plot plan development:

Plot plans are generally developed in stages, from the initial concept
to the fully dimensioned document at the construction issue stage.

Proposal Plot Plan:

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It is developed during the estimate phase of the project and is used
to estimate bulk materials. The proposal plot plan is based on limited
information and generally indicates only the principal items of
equipment, main supporting facilities and overall dimensions.

Planning Plot Plan:

After award of contract, the proposal plan is updated to suit the

latest information and is reviewed and approved by the client. This
document becomes the basis for the plant layout phase of the project
and is called the planning plot plan.

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Construction Plot Plan:

When all the equipment has been sized and is in the best position to
suit the project requirements and when all access roads, buildings and
pipe racks have been located – the plot plan is finally issued for
construction.

4. Types of Plot Plans:

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Plot plans are often referred to by their process (e.g., an ammonia

plant or hydrotreater unit) rather than by the type of configuration
of the equipment layout. It is basically divided into two configurations,

a. Grade-mounted horizontal inline arrangement

b. Structure-mounted vertical arrangement

a. Grade-mounted horizontal inline arrangement:

This type of plot plans is mostly seen in refinery facilities. It is

usually located within a rectangular area, with equipment placed on
either side of a central pipe rack serviced by auxiliary road.

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The principal advantage is that the equipment is generally located at
grade, which makes this type of plant easier to construct and more
accessible for maintenance and operation. The disadvantages are the
amount of real estate required and the long runs of cabling, utility,
feed and product piping required to service the unit.

b. The structured-mounted vertical arrangement:

It has equipment located in rectangular multilevel steel or concrete

structure. Piping and cabling usually enter and exit the structure at
one level and gain access to each floor by chases or are supported
from the outside members. Equipment maintenance is usually
accomplished through the use of traveling cranes.

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The advantages of this type of arrangement are the small amount of
real estate required for the plant and ability to house the facility to
suit process requirements or climate conditions. The disadvantages
are in the operator maintenance access and in the construction of the
plant.

5. Factors to be considered for Equipment location:

The following are the factors must be considered when the designer
is locating equipment,

a. Plant layout specification:

It specifies the minimum spacing requirement for equipment and

access widths and elevation clearances for operator and maintenance
access.

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b. Economic Piping:

The major portion of the piping within most process units is used to
interconnect equipment. To minimize the cost of this bulk material,
equipment should be located in process sequence and close enough to
suit safety needs, access requirements and piping flexibility.

c. Process Requirements:

The plant layout designer must be familiar with the process because
the process flow diagram rarely indicates this information. It is
recommended that the designer discuss these requirements with the
process engineer before proceeding with the plant arrangement such
as pressure drop, line pocketing and gravity feed etc.

d. Operating and maintenance access requirement:

Plant layout designer must make provisions for operator and

maintenance access. The designer must review the items of equipment
that are included in the process and plan for their operation and
maintenance requirements. For example, towers must be located in a
position to allow for the removal of internals, reactors require space

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for catalyst loading and unloading, shell and tube exchangers require
space of bundle removal and rotating equipment needs space for drive
and casing removal.

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e. Underground Facilities:

Care should be taken to locate equipment so that enough space exists

between equipment for the foundations of larger items. In certain
cases, equipment can be supported on a common foundation. If pipes,
instruments and electrical cables are located below grade, adequate
space should be designated during the plot plan development stage.
Most process units are serviced by an underground oily water sewer,
storm water, and fire water system and chemical drainage system and
it is recommended that the plant layout designer investigate what
facilities are to be positioned below ground before proceeding with
the equipment arrangement.

f. Pipe Racks:

Generally, most inline plant arrangements are furnished with a central

pipe rack system that acts as the main artery of the unit supporting
process interconnection, feeds, product and utility piping, instrument
and electrical cables and sometimes air coolers and drums.

At the estimate stage, when most plot plans are developed the pipe
rack width is specified on the basis of limited information; process
flow diagrams usually are not available to accurately work out the
exact requirements.

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g. Equipment Spacing:

Before spacing the equipment, the layout designer should review the
sketched arrangement of the unit to confirm the exact requirements
needed for safe and orderly operation of the plant.

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Consultation with process engineers is recommended to obtain general
line sizing requirements for control spacing allowances. In a typical
tower area, the tower and such related equipments as drums and heat
exchangers are located adjacent to the main pipe rack, with
maintenance access from the auxiliary road. The associated pumps are
located beneath or adjacent to the pipe rack and serviced by the
central access way.

Compressors and their related equipment are usually located in one

area or common operation and servicing adjacent to the main pipe rack
and the auxiliary road. The suction drum for the machine should be
positioned for flexibility in the piping and to accommodate orifice run
requirements. If the compressor is driven by a condensing turbine, a
surface condenser and condensate pumps are required. Space must be
provided for condenser tube bundle removal.

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The condenser pumps are usually vertical and should be located as
close to the condenser as possible to suit flexibility in the piping and
vertical removal space. The lube oil console should be located as close
to the compressor as possible with operator access on all sides of the
skid, with space to remove the cooler tube bundle, filters, and pumps.
Inter-stage coolers, if needed, should be located adjacent to the
compressor and suction drum. Adequate space should be provided
around the compressor and turbine for the installation of a platform
and staircase.

Air coolers are generally supported from the central pipe rack
adjacent to their related equipment and are serviced by platform at
the header boxes and beneath the air coolers for motor maintenance.
Care should be taken to position air coolers to allow flexibility for
interconnecting piping.

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Unless furnished with fixed fire water sprays, pumps containing
hydrocarbons and operating higher than auto-ignition conditions
should not be located directly beneath air coolers. Space should be
available on the plot plan for maintenance access by mobile cranes for
removal of air cooler tube bundles.

Furnaces should be located at a safe distance and upwind from

unrelated equipment containing hydrocarbons. Reactor can be located
closer to furnaces than other equipment containing hydrocarbons, as
long as adequate space is provided for catalyst loading and unloading.

6. Guidelines for the Unit Plot Plan arrangement

a. Equipment structures:

As a rule single installation of equipment will not require a structure.

Common structures shall be provided for equipment vessels and pumps.

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b. Vertical Vessels:

Vertical vessels will be on a given centerline established by the

largest vessel. The shell of the largest vessel will be 2’-0” from the
aisle way reference line.

Manways in the vertical vessels will normally be located on the side of

the vessel away from the pipe rack. This leaves the pipe rack side
clear for pipe going to and from the rack.

c. Horizontal Vessels:

Horizontal vessels will have the head of the largest vessel line up with
the aisle way reference line. All other horizontal vessels in the same
vicinity will have a common tangent line coordinate with the largest
vessel.

The minimum elevation from grade is usually shown on the P&ID if it is

critical for process reasons. If no elevation is expressed and minimum
is required, care should be taken to allow adequate clearance for
piping.

d. Exchangers:

Shell and tube heat exchangers will be lined up with their channel
heads away from the pipeways, so that tube withdrawal is towards the
outside of the unit.

The shell heads will be lined up so that the largest head is in line with
the aisle way reference line.

Horizontal reboilers will preferable be located next to the equipment

they service.

e. Pumps:

Locate pump close to the equipment from which they take suction.
Pumps handling flammable products are not to be located under

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pipeways carrying major product lines, air cooler, or vessels. Pumps
handling non-flammable products may be located under pipeways and
air cooled exchangers.

7. Sample Plot Plan Arrangement and Development:

The plant layout designer receives the Process Flow Diagram with
sequential interconnection of the unit. The first step is to identify
the alloy or heavy wall piping. The diagram should then be subdivided
into smaller groups of process-related equipment. These groups should
contain an assembly of related equipment and controls that function
as a subsystem within the main process unit. The components within
the subsystem should be arranged to suit the most economic piping
runs and the whole assembly should be positioned within the plot area
to provide the most economic interconnection between related
process sub-system.

The above guide lines such as safe equipment spacing, operators and
maintenance accessibility, clearance, equipment spacing should be
followed.

The following example illustrates the various steps in arranging a

Naphtha Hydrotreater unit.

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Subsystem within the process flow diagram:

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Initial Arrangement Sketch:

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Line Run Check:

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Final Plot Plan Arrangement:

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8. Appendix-1

Equipment Spacing:

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Equipment Elevations:

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Typical Unit Plot Arrangement – Plan view:

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Typical Unit Plot Arrangement – Elevation view:

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Space allocation at support columns:

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Technical References:

1. Process Plant Layout and Piping Design – Ed Bausbacher and Roger

Hunt
2. IIT Bombay – Piping Guide
3. Fluor Technical Manual

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