INTRODUCTION TO PROCESS ENGINEERING (PE)

Process engineering is often a synonym for Chemical engineering and focuses on the
design, operation and maintenance of chemical and material manufacturing processes.
Process engineering and process engineers are found in a vast range of industries,
including the Chemical Process Industries(CPI), Mineral process Industries (MPI),
Material Process Industries (MatPI), Food Process Industries(FPI), Biotechnological
Process Industries (BPI).

Example

Following is an example that illustrates the process engineering part of chemical

engineering:

The difference between Chemical engineering and Chemistry can be illustrated by

considering the example of producing orange juice. A chemist working in the
laboratory investigates and discovers a multitude of pathways to extract the juice of
an orange. The simplest mechanism found is to cut the orange in half and squeeze
the orange using a manual juicer. A more complicated approach found is to peel and
then crush the orange and collect the juice. A company then commissions a chemical
engineer to design a plant to manufacture several thousand tons of orange juice per
year. The chemical engineer investigates all the available methods of making orange
juice and evaluates them according to their economical viability. Even though the
manual juicing method is simple, it is not economical to employ thousands of people
to manually juice oranges. Thus another, cheaper method is used 9possibly the ‘peel
and crush’ technique). The easiest method of manufacture on a laboratory bench will
not necessarily be the most economical method for a manufacturing plant.

Overview

Chemical engineers are aiming for the most economical process. This means that the
entire production chain must be well planned and controlled for costs. A chemical
engineer can both simplify and complicate “showcase” reactions for an economic
advantage. Using a higher pressure or temperature makes several reactions easier;
ammonia, for example, is simply produced from its component elements in a high-
pressure reactor. On the other hand, reactions with a low yield can be recycled
continuously, which would be complex, tiring work if done by hand in the laboratory. It
is now usual to build 6-, or 12-step evaporators to reuse the vaporization energy for an
economic advantage. In contrast, laboratory chemists evaporate samples in a single
step, wasting the energy.

Compiled By Prof. Prasad Parulekar

The individual processes used by chemical engineers (eg. Distillation or filtration0 are
called unit operations and consists of chemical reaction, mass-, heat- and momentum-
transfer operations. Unit operations are grouped together in various configurations or
the purpose of chemical synthesis and/or chemical operation. Some processes are a
combination of intertwined transport and separation unit operations.

Three primary physical laws underlying chemical engineering design are Conservation of
mass, Conservation of momentum and Conservation of energy. The movement of mass
and energy around a chemical process are evaluated using Mass balances and energy
balances which apply these laws to whole plants, unit operations or discrete parts of
equipment. In doing so, Chemical Engineers use principles of thermodynamics, reaction
kinetics and transport phenomena. The task of performing these balances is now aided
by process simulators, which are complex software models (such as Aspen Plus, Pro II
and Hysys) that can solve mass and energy balances and usually have built-in modules
to simulate a variety of common unit operations.

Modern Chemical Engineering

The modern discipline of chemical engineering encompasses much more than just
process engineering. Chemical engineers are now engaged in the development and
production of diverse range of products, as well as in commodity and specialty
chemicals. These products include high performance materials needed for aerospace,
automotive, biomedical, electronic, environmental and military applications. Examples
include ultra-strong fibers, fabrics, adhesives and composites for vehicles, bio-
compatible materials for implants and prosthetics, gels for medical applications,
pharmaceuticals, and films with special dielectric, optical or spectroscopic properties for
opto-electronic devices. Additionally, chemical engineering is often intertwined with
biology and biomedical engineering. Many chemical engineers work on biological
projects such as understanding biopolymers (proteins) and mapping the human
genome.

What is Process?

“Process is a naturally occurring or designed sequence of changes of properties or

attributes of an object or system”.

What is engineering?

“Engineering is the creative application of scientific principles to design or develop

structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works utilizing them
singly or in combination, or to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their
design, or to forecast their behavior under specific operating conditions, all as respects
an intended function, economics of operation and safety to life and property”.

Compiled By Prof. Prasad Parulekar

What is Process Engineering?

“Process Engineering is nothing else but it is the practical and creative application of the
chemical engineering knowledge to a certain process so that existing process can be
improved and some new design for it can be developed which will be more cost effective
and more profitable one”.
In other words, process engineering is another name for chemical engineering.
Whatever we have studied earlier during the course of chemical engineering, all that
knowledge will be combined so that certain design heuristics or as such some thumb
rules can be fixed and then according to these thumb rules, existing process can be
made much more effective, much more environmental friendly, much more economical
and much more improved qualitatively as well as quantitatively. This is what nothing but
process engineering.

So in this reference, chemical engineers are sometimes recruited as process engineers in

industries.
Once we have understood what the process engineering is, then it is now time to know
the functions related to process engineering.

Basic functions of Process Engineering:

1.Understanding and Transferring the Licensor’s Know-how:

Licensor is the person who knows everything about the process. So before going to
develop a process, the function of process engineering is to know and understand the
facts concerned with certain process from licensor of process and transform them in
suitable language.

2. Development & Critical Review of P&I (Process & Instrumentation) Diagram:

once the process is understood by all means, then next work is to check or develop P&I
diagram for that process. If it is not proper, then that should be reviewed and
developed, i.e. here we have to decide, how the process should be sequenced, what
should be the sequence of unit operations involved in that process, how should be the
linkage or connection between them, what is the instrumental part related to these
operation, positioning of valves, fittings, etc.

3. Equipment Selection and Specification:

Once we develop P&I diagram, then the task remains is of selecting the particular
equipments for selected process. Once we understood that what process we are going

Compiled By Prof. Prasad Parulekar

to carry out then according to it we have to select perfect equipment which is matching
the process requirement.
e.g. If process involve the separation of components of liquid mixture, then distillation
column is required. So for designing a distillation column, specifications like height of
column, the number of plates required, diameter of column, heating arrangement etc.
should be mentioned.
If fluids are to be heated or cooled or heat is to be transferred between fluids, then
proper heat exchanger (HE) is required. So for designing HE, first we have to specify the
type of HE such as shell & tube HE, plate & frame HE, 1-2 pass HE or any other. If it is
shell & tube HE, then we have to size shell and tube, decide which will be shell side fluid
and which one will be tube side fluid, where the vents to be provided, flow should be co
current or counter current, what should be heating or cooling medium; all these
specifications we have to make available for designing shell & tube HE.
Likewise we have to select proper equipment and its all specifications should be
mentioned.

4. Inputs to other Engineering Disciplines:

Once everything is decided, then we have to concern with other engineering disciplines
like civil, mechanical, electrical etc. Detail knowledge about the process should be
provided to these various disciplines as well as basic knowledge of all these disciplines
should be obtained by process engineer so that best process configuration can be
developed.
e.g. when we are using equipments like HE, Distillation column or any other equipment
where it is required to supply the power for various purposes, then in order to have an
idea about energy loads, process engineer has to concern with the electrical
department; for designing the base supports/foundations to various equipments,
process engineer has to consult with civil engineering department.

This concludes the basic functions of process Engineer.

Activities of Process Engineer

Once the process has been finalized, then process engineer has to carry out various
activities as below:

1. Calculate Mass & energy balance:

Apply the principles of Stoichiometry to the equipments and process
streams involved in the process and carry out M&E balance.

2. Gathering the data on Properties of fluids:

While doing it, different properties like transport properties of fluid,
thermodynamic properties, flash point, dielectric constant, electrical and

Compiled By Prof. Prasad Parulekar

 thermal conductivity, toxicity, auto ignition temperature of fluid, solidifying
temperature of fluid, corrosive nature, abrasive nature, fouling properties, etc.
should be taken into consideration. Once PE will be aware about these
properties, it becomes easy to design the process and equipments suitable to
these properties.

3. Establishing Design Basis:

While designing the plant or process, PE should think about emergency
shut down requirement, future provision for expansion, site data, utility
conditions, voltage fluctuations, corrosion allowance, ambient conditions etc.

4. Preparing P&I diagram and strategy for control and instrumentation:

Process and instrumentation diagram should be accurately prepared
considering scale up, position of each part (like valves, vents, orifice or venturi
meters etc.), sloping to pipes etc. Decide types of instruments, their operating
ranges/accuracy, control valves etc.

5. Preparing Equipment specifications:

Decide which equipments are needed, their availability in the market,
new modifications in equipments, all such things to be surveyed with the help of
magazines available for equipment data or from vendors who supply these
equipments.

6. Deciding the requirement for Interlock Shutdown arrangement:

In case of emergency, if it is required to shut down the whole plant
immediately, all equipments should be interlocked so that whole plant can be
shut down at a time.

7. Deciding Piping Requirements:

Decide about types of valves, special duty pipes, routes pf pipes, stresses
inside the pipes, power requirement, operating cost etc. Slopes to the pipes
should be provided if they are being used for fast operations (like fast cooling,
fast heating) and to avoid unnecessary mixing of the fluids.

8. Deciding Civil Requirements:

Find out what is the civil work related to process, like designing supports,
building construction, designing storage facilities etc.

9. Deciding Electrical Requirements:

Take care that all drives should be connected to emergency power supply
and sequence of starting the process should be fixed; consider the plant diversity
factors like range of load, variable speed drives 9for making drives to work at
required load or available load).

Compiled By Prof. Prasad Parulekar

 10. Acquiring Knowledge about Codes and Standards:
PE should have basic understanding of the codes and standards like, HE
codes(TEMA), material codes (ISI/ASTM), standard composition of materials,
standard properties like hardness, thickness etc. All the materials to be used in
process should be according to these codes and standards. PE should have good
understanding of safety codes and environmental rules and regulations.

11. Knowledge about Statutory Requirements:

Statutory requirements are nothing but the knowledge about, at a
particular time or in a particular situation, where and to whom should be
contacted for resolving a certain problem; PE should have an idea about it.

12. Safety study:

PE has to carry out safety analysis like, HAZOP study, quantitative risk
analysis study, classification of hazardous areas as per the hazardous properties
of fluids in that area like, flammability, auto ignition temperature, flash point,
etc.
13. Preparation of Operating Manuals
14. Commissioning
15. Interaction with other engineering disciplines
16. Interaction with other external agencies like, vendors, suppliers, equipment
manufacturers, market analysers, financers etc.

These are the various activities that PE has to carry out before developing the actual
process at site.

In brief, process engineer should have the following skills:

1. Good understanding of chemical engineering principles

2. Approach to other engineering disciplines
3. Basic knowledge of all other process related things
4. Awareness of codes, standards & statutory requirements
5. Cost and Safety consciousness
6. Knowledge about market conditions

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Compiled By Prof. Prasad Parulekar