You are on page 1of 37

PROCESS PLANT DESIGN & LAYOUT

ART OR TECHNOLOGY?

David Harron & Jorge Rosas Hatch Ingenieros y Consultores, Santiago, Chile

PLANT DESIGN OBJECTIVE


A Facility That: Can be built within the project budget Meets applicable standards & regulations Meets production goals Has a competitive OPEX

Traditional Design Process


Owner Process Design Equipment Manufacturer

Equipment Selection

Plant Layout

21st Century Design Process


Owner Process Design Equipment Manufacturer

Equipment Selection

Plant Layout

SITE LOCATION & CLIMATE


Building type, open or enclosed Existing installations Ore transport distances & methods Topography Extreme weather conditions Isolation Construction considerations

A BIT OF THE PAST


Does anyone remember these?

AND TODAY

HOW IT WAS
Projects proceeded in logical order, step by step Progress slow, little time for creativity or artistic input New ideas or concepts rarely accepted Minimal new design Design changes took a lot of time Plant and equipment locations less refined Smaller, more spacious plants and lower costs Fewer laws, rules and regulations Most designs oversized Repetition of errors, no time for as-builts

AND HOW IT IS

CONSIDERATIONS AFFECTING PLANT PROCESS DESIGN AND LAYOUT

HSEC
Health Safety Environment Community An integrated, cohesive program affecting every aspect of plant design and operation.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Mining companies are intensely concerned about their Environmental Footprint and we as consultants are dedicated to assisting in minimizing it.

4 QUADRANT ANALYSIS

FUTUREWATCH

REGULATORS & POLICY MAKERS


Client corporations Mining industry Governments at all levels Standards organizations Special interest groups

RISING COSTS
$160.00 $140.00 $120.00 $100.00 $80.00 $60.00 $40.00

As represented by

NYMEX Crude Oil Price History


$20.00

Dec. 05 to Aug. 08
$0.00

OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY
Mine-to-Mill Design to Capacity

MINING-METALLURGICAL PROCESS DESIGN MODEL


Geological Model
Lithology, Alteration, Mineralization and Structure Block Cu Ore Grade Cu & Fe Sulphide Block Models

Grindability and Floatablility Tests

In-situ Reserves Model

Geotechnical Model

Geometallurgical Model Concentrator Plant Production Model PRODUCTION PLANNING

Extractable Reserves Model

Mine Plan

Processing Rate, Recovery and Concentrate Quality

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES
Equipment is steadily getting larger and Conventional U-shaped 350 more complex 2005
300 Volume (cum) 250 200 150 100 50 0 1970
1982 1997 1994 1991 2002

TankCell

1975

1980

1985

1990 Year

1995

2000

2005

2010

ARBITRARY
Client preferences 3rd party recommendations Consultant experience Project Standards Constructability Operability Maintainability

OUR TOOLS
AutoCAD

PDS MS EXCEL Microstation


Moly-Cop Tools

PlantSpace

ART OR TECHNOLOGY?

WHAT IS ART?
Product of human creativity. Creation of beautiful or significant things. Superior skill learned by study, practice or observation. Medium of expression where individual and culture come together. Human effort to imitate, supplement, alter or counteract the work of nature.

Art is the application of that superior skill, a system of principles and techniques employed in the performance of a set of activities. Art implies a personal, indefinable creative power.

Is Art merely its own objective? Is Art just something to be displayed and admired? Can Art also serve a functional purpose? Can Art be incorporated into the design of everday objects?

Art is subjective

WHAT IS TECHNOLOGY?
Practical application of knowledge Manner of accomplishing a task using technical processes, methods or knowledge. Scientific method and material used to achieve a commercial or industrial objective.

THE APPLICATIONS

PLANT PROCESS DESIGN


CAPEX & OPEX Testwork Mine Plan Cutting Edge Technology Equipment Requirements

Owner Input

Efficiency Philosophies

Interpretation

Experience Creativity Tools

Knowledge

Personality

Plant Process Design

PLANT LAYOUT DESIGN


Equipment Requirements Sustainability CAPEX & OPEX Owner Input Technological Advances Rules, Regulations & Standards

HSEC Flow Optimization Plant Process Design Plant Site Considerations

Interpretation

Constructability

Operability

Creativity
Maintainability

Experience Tools

Knowledge

Plant Layout Design

Personality

How are these applications different from pure applied technology?

C R E A T I V I T Y

How do we incorporate our creativity in Plant Process and Layout Design? Filtering and applying a sometimes overwhelming amount of information. Incorporating the requirements and wishes of a host of interested parties, satisfying all while offending none. Designing a process plant that suits all of the conditions that affect it in the best conceivable manner.

How do we conclude that what we produce is Art? All Art is based on the artists technical skills, no matter how acquired or selectively applied. Those technical skills are combined with talent & vision to achieve a final goal that complies with the previously listed definitions

Product of human creativity. Creation of beautiful or significant things. Superior skill learned by study, practice or observation. Medium of expression where individual and culture come together. Human effort to imitate, supplement, alter or counteract the work of nature.

THE CONCLUSION?
Process Plant Design and Layout are quite obviously applications of technology but as weve seen, the technology is only a small part of a creative process that certainly qualifies as

ART

SOMETHING TO THINK ON!!


Where and how do we quickly find, recruit, train and develop a new generation of designers with the required capabilities to carry on this artistic process?

QUESTIONS

You might also like