Unit 5

UNIT V ECONOMIC BALANCE
Economic decisions in Chemical Plant – Economics of size – Essentials of economic balance –

Economic balance approach, economic balance for insulation, evaporation, heat transfer.
Economic decisions in chemical plant:

Economics of size:
The development of a design project always starts with an initial idea or plan. This initial idea
must be stated as clearly and concisely as possible in order to define the scope of the project.
General specifications and pertinent laboratory or chemical engineering data should be presented
along with the initial idea.
Types of Designs
The methods for carrying out a design project may be divided into the following classifications,
depending on the accuracy and detail required:
1. Preliminary or quick-estimate designs
2. Detailed-estimate designs
3. Firm process designs or detailed designs
Preliminary designs are ordinarily used as a basis for determining whether further work should
be done on the proposed process. The design is based on approximate process methods, and
rough cost estimates are prepared. Few details are included, and the time spent on calculations is
kept at a minimum. If the results of the preliminary design show that further work is justified,
a cost detailed-estimate design may be developed. In this type of design,
the cost and- profit potential of an established process is determined by detailed analyses
and calculations.
However, exact specifications are not given for the equipment, and drafting-room work is
minimized. When the detailed-estimate design indicates that the proposed project should be a
commercial success, the final step before developing construction plans for the plant is the
preparation of a firm process design. Complete specifications are presented for all components
of the plant, and accurate costs based on quoted prices are obtained. The firm process design
includes blueprints and sufficient information to permit immediate development of the final
plans for constructing the plant.
Feasibility Survey
Before any detailed work is done on the design, the technical and economic factors of the
proposed process should be examined. The various reactions and physical processes involved
must be considered, along with the existing and potential market conditions for the particular
product. A preliminary survey of this type gives an indication of the probable success of’the
project and also shows what additional information is necessary to make a complete evaluation.
Following is a list of items that should be considered in making a feasibility survey:
1. Raw materials (availability, quantity, quality, cost)
2. Thermodynamics and kinetics of chemical reactions involved (equilibrium,
yields, rates, optimum conditions)
3. Facilities and equipment available at present
4. Facilities and equipment which must be purchased
5. Estimation of production costs and total investment
6. Profits (probable and optimum, per pound of product and per year, return
on investment)
7. Materials of construction
8. Safety considerations
9. Markets (present and future supply and demand, present uses, new uses,
present buying habits, price range for products and by-products, character,
location, and number of possible customers)
10. Competition (overall production statistics, comparison of various manufacturing
processes, product specifications of competitors)
11. Properties of products (chemical and physical properties, specifications,
impurities, effects of storage)
12. Sales and sales service (method of selling and distributing, advertising
required, technical services required)
13. Shipping restrictions and containers
14. Plant location
15. Patent situation and legal restrictions
Unit process principles are used in the design of specific pieces of equipment.
Equipment specifications are Generally summarized in the form of tables and included with the
final design Report.
These tables usually include the following:
1. Columns (distillation). In addition to the number of plates and operating conditions it is also
necessary to specify the column diameter, materials of construction, plate layout, etc.
2. Vessels. In addition to size, which is often dictated by the holdup time desired, materials of
construction and any packing or baffling should be specified.
3. Reactors. Catalyst type and size, bed diameter and thickness, heat-interchange facilities,
cycle and regeneration arrangements, materials of construction, etc., must be specified.
4. Heat exchangers and furnaces. Manufacturers are usually supplied with the duty, corrected
log mean-temperature difference, percent vaporized, pressure drop desired, and materials of
construction.
5. Pumps and compressors. Specify type, power requirement, pressure difference, gravities,
viscosities, and working pressures.
6. Instruments. Designate the function and any particular requirement.
7. Special equipment. Specifications for mechanical separators, mixers, driers, etc.
Essentials of economic balance:

Economic balance for insulation:
Evaporation, Heat transfer:
Evaporation is an important unit operation commonly employed to remove water from dilute
liquid foods to obtain concentrated liquid products. Removal of water from foods provides
microbiological stability and assists in reducing transportation and storage costs. A typical
example of the evaporation process is in the manufacture of tomato paste, usually around 35% to
37% total solids, obtained by evaporating water from tomato juice, which has an initial
concentration of 5% to 6% total solids. Evaporation differs from dehydration, since the final
product of the evaporation process remains in liquid state. It also differs from distillation, since
the vapors produced in the evaporator are not further divided into fractions.
Essentially, an evaporator consists of a heat exchanger enclosed in a large chamber; a noncontact

heat exchanger provides the means to transfer heat from low-pressure steam to the product. The
product inside the evaporation chamber is kept under vacuum. The presence of vacuum causes
the temperature difference between steam and the product to increase, and the product boils at
relatively low temperatures, thus minimizing heat damage. The vapors produced are conveyed
through a condenser to a vacuum system. The steam condenses inside the heat exchanger and the
condensate is discarded.
Schematic diagram of an evaporator

Heat transfer in evaporation an evaporator body is essentially a heat exchanger, equipped with
appropriate devices for the separation of the vapors from the boiling liquid. The evaporation
capacity of the system is determined, first and foremost, by the rate of energy transfer from the
heating medium to the boiling liquid. In the following discussion, we shall analyze ways to
maximize the rate of heat transfer in evaporators.
Path of heat transfer in an evaporator
In an evaporator, heat is typically transferred from a film of condensing steam to a film of

boiling liquid through a heat-conducting solid wall.

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UNIT V ECONOMIC BALANCE

Economic decisions in Chemical Plant – Economics of size – Essentials of economic balance –

Economic decisions in chemical plant:

Essentials of economic balance:

Essentially, an evaporator consists of a heat exchanger enclosed in a large chamber; a noncontact

Schematic diagram of an evaporator

Path of heat transfer in an evaporator

In an evaporator, heat is typically transferred from a film of condensing steam to a film of

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