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Satish Lele Piping

lelepiping@gmail.com Drawings
M:91-98202 77283 Piping
Isometrics
P&I Diagrams
Plot Plan 2D Piping
The majority of Process Plants require a plot plan with somewhat less stringent and less complicated arrangements than a refinery. 3D Piping
Equipment spacing requirements will vary with the type of plant and location. Plot plans are considered key documents to projects and are Models
normally initiated in the pre-contract, conceptual and development stages of a proposal. After the contract is awarded for engineering, plot
plans are developed at a rather rapid pace with very limited information. This early stage plot plan usually is very limited in detail, LISP Training
containing only enough dimensional data to define the outer limits of the available property selected for plant development. Located within Piping Training
the boundaries of the available property, rough equipment sizes and shapes are pictorially positioned, along with anticipated pipe rack
configurations, structure shape and rough sizes. The plot plan at this level of detail is then used for constructability evaluation and is Design Info
normally submitted to the client for approval. Tubular
Exchanger
The piping engineer has to understand the concept of equipment layout and consideration. While preparing layout, the piping engineer Agitator / Mixer
should design a steady process, non-hazardous utility and facility. In general the various process plants we come across are petroleum
refineries, petrochemical complexes, fertilizer plants, and chemical and pharmaceutical plants which need special attention due to the nature Design &
of materials and products handled. Drawings
Before starting the development of the plant layout, the following information is required. Tubular
Exchanger
Process units and capacities.
Agitator / Mixer
A flow diagram indicating the process flow sequence.
Zero Hold up
Utility requirement. Filter
Number of storage tanks and also open storage areas.
Process Vessel
Raw material / product receipt and dispatch philosophy.
Jib Crane
Covered storage required.
Number of flares (As applicable).
About Me
Grouping philosophy for utilities.
My Resume
Non-plant building i.e. Administrative block, laboratory, security workshop, parking space, fire station, canteen, etc.
Contact Me
Ideally, before site selection, a preliminary layout should be made. The data collected during the site selection stage shall be given due
Cross Country
consideration at the time of the equipment layout. A few points to be considered are:
Piping
Site location, map and area topography, geological and meteorological data.

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 Environment condition relative to adjacent properties: proximity to railway, road, airport.
Soil conditions, prevailing wind direction.
Source of water supply and the supply point with respect to the plot.
Electric supply point with respect to the plot.
Effluent disposal point and other drainages.
Material transportation-railway entry point approach roads barge or ship dock etc.
Geographical factors: wind direction, temperature, rain, frequent thunderstorm and earthquake susceptible areas.

Major Consideration in Plant Layout: The most economical plant layout is that in which the spacing of the main equipment is such that it
minimizes interconnecting pipe work and structural steel work. Normally equipment should be laid out in sequence to suit the process flow
but exception to this arises from the desirability to group certain tanks, pumps or perhaps to isolate hazardous operations according to
statutory rules and regulations. The use of the single stream or multiple stream flow pattern will affect the layout.
The major variables affecting the final layout are interconnected pipe sizes, insulation thickness, steel work spacing, matters of operational
convenience, safety, ease of erection and maintenance which calls for critical judgment on the experience and the study of existing and
known limitation.
Economic: Basically economic consideration means installing the unit in the smallest possible space, consistent with the operability ease of
piping material, structural sheets and concrete with the proper layout considering further economies which can be achieved in way of
pumping and utilities.
Safety: Where toxic or hazardous materials are handled, layout may be needed to isolate a section of the plan equipment, which could be a
possible source of hazard. It should be grouped together and where possible located separately from other areas of the plant. i.e. furnaces,
flare stacks or other equipment containing naked flares. Mechanical equipment handling flammable or volatile liquids which could easily
leak or spill out of the equipment thus causing flammable conditions. However such consideration should not override considerations of
cost. For instance, the process heater must necessarily be located close to other equipment to conserve expensive alloy piping. Furnaces
using gas as a feedstock do not normally constitute hazards. Due consideration shall be given for fire hazardous areas and isolated by
providing firewall, fire door, etc. The BOCA (Building official and code administration) published by the National Building Code shall be
followed. The equipment area handling acids or other toxic material, which cause damage or endanger personnel by their spillage should in
general be grouped together and isolated. To isolate hazardous areas it may be necessary to build walls with self-closing doors.
Process: Process considerations may require some items be elevated to provide gravity flow of materials to accommodate pump suction
requirement for NPSH. The other process consideration could be the limitation of pressure or temperature drop in the transfer lines deciding
the proximity of the furnace, reactors and columns.
Operational: Thought should be given to the location of equipment requiring frequent attendance by operation personnel and the relative
position of the control room to obtain the shortest and most direct route for operator. When on routine operation however the control room
should be placed so that they are easily accessible and the indicators are easily readable. Generally a batch or semi batch process needs
more attention by the operator and therefore more consideration has to be paid to the ergonomics of the layout.
Maintenance: The need to remove for servicing, retuning or replacements, the heavy, servicing equipment. The indivisible plant will
dictate their location when access for cranes is called for regular or rotating and other machinery calling for dismantling. This often makes
their grouping within the machine house desirable. The position of items needing replacement of internal spent catalyst etc. or frequent

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internal cleaning has to be carefully considered.
Constructional: The plot should be so designed that adequate access is available to lift the large items of equipment or columns into place.
Such equipment is positioned close to the boundary limits so that erection must take place from outside these limits. A careful check must
be undertaken to ascertain whether space will be available at the time of erection for positioning the crane or lifting the delivery equipment
which is known, may well arrive fairly late in the construction program and therefore have to be fitted into place after most of the
surrounding equipment has already been installed. It is important that the insulation requirement be considered during the layout of the
plant.
Appearance / Aesthetic: An attractively laid out plant with the equipment in rows also economically laid out gives an aesthetic appearance.
The building structure and groups of equipment should form a neat, symmetrical balanced layout consistent with keeping the pipe run to a
minimum and allowing proper access for maintenance. The tower and large vertical vessels should be arranged in rows with a common
centreline. They should be of similar size but if the diameter varies, due note must be taken of the building line manholes on the adjacent
tower should be at a similar elevation and orientation to streams. These as far as possible should be made identical. Such arrangement for
parallel streams or similar groups of process equipment require much the design work and also for construction and subsequently operation
but help in reducing the amount of standby equipment.
Future Expansion: Thought should be given to the likely expansion of both equipment and pipe work, so that additions can be erected and
tested with the minimum interference to plant operations. On main pipe runs, it is desirable to leave 30% space. At least 30 m distance from
flame proof plant area is needed for safe welding where no special precaution are needed.
Buildings: Plant buildings should be kept to a minimum on the basis that most of equipment including pumps, heat exchanger boilers,
cyclones, etc. may be safely installed in the open. The philosophy should be that the plant is supported on an open steel structure unless
there is good reason not to do so. Thus it is to be installed in the open with centralized control facilities housed in buildings.

Factors which determine the selection of enclosed buildings are

Nature and frequency of the operator's work- Equipment, which requires frequent maintenance in adverse weather conditions.
Climate- Extreme climate conditions may determine that the plant is to be kept in a building.
Type of equipment - Expensive equipment and complex machinery should have some degree of weatherproofing.
Nature of process - Plants handling dust explosive and combustible solid materials require a building .To prevent contamination,
food, pharmaceutical and bio-chemical plants require to be in a building.
Proximity of hazards- To prevent the possible spread of fire and explosion, a building may be desirable.

If enclosed buildings are planned, then consideration must be given to the following factors
Fire protection / Explosion Protection approval by the local fire authority must be obtained on fire fighting equipment and layout.
Illumination: Natural illumination may be obtained by the use of patent glazing windows or translucent sheets in the sidewalls or the
roof. Artificial lighting must be arranged to give adequate illumination where physical and chemical hazard exists
Fireproofing: Determines the plant arrangement and switch room.
Heating / Ventilation: Air intake should be positioned in such a way that it should avoid the risk of drawing toxic or hazardous fumes.
Exhaust may be required for treatment of filter washer, separation.
Access: Proper access for maintenance and operation purposes to be considered.

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 Roofing.

Techniques for Layout: There is no single technique leading to the best arrangement in any problem. Layout may be considered at several
stages from the selection of the site and arrangement of the plant on it through block layout.

The three basic principles of layout planning are:

Plan the whole, then the detail, Individual aspects must be subservient to the whole and sub optimisation avoided.
Plan the ideal, then the practical. The ideal layout is free from restrictions and gives a datum.
Plan more than one layout. It is seldom that a single layout is "BEST" for each criterion. Planning more than one permits comparison
and leads to greater confidence in making the final selection.
Sequence of activities in layout. A simplified network showing the integration of the plant layout and design activities should be
given.

Layout Analysis Methods:

1) Cut out to visualise plant layout: 2 dimensional scale templates or scale cutouts of unit areas and equipment layout are prepared.
2) Block models: These models are chiefly used to develop the plot plan, floor plan, elevation, major equipment and major pipe racks in the
correct co-relation with each other.
3) Drawings: For the development and evaluation of the layout it co- relates the basic project information on the equipment and site
condition and provides source of data for the final layout.
4) Piping models: For accurate detailed layout of the process piping utility and control facilities.
Concept of the Plant Layout: A process plant which consists of the various different sections mentioned earlier should be arranged so as
to follow the general route of the raw material, to process, to intermediate/finished product stage to dispatch. The entire plot area will be
divided into blocks, the size of the blocks depend on the facilities to be accommodated. While locating the blocks and further sub-blocks
within them, the following points runs should also be minimum.
1) The layout planning shall be in the sequential order of the process flow so that the piping run is also minimum.
2) The block shall be arranged considering the prevalent wind direction such that flammable gases should not be carried by the wind onto a
source of ignition.
3) The process unit block shall be centrally located with a straight approach from the main gate.
4) Storage tanks shall be grouped according to product classification. In undulating areas, storage tanks shall be located at lower elevations.
5) Utility blocks shall be located adjacent to the unit block.
6) The main power receiving station shall be close to the boundary line so that the minimum overhead power lines pass through the plant.
7) The electric sub- stations in the plant shall be located in such a way that cabling to major load centres are minimum.
8) The location of power plants shall be near the process/utility block and close to the main receiving station.
9) Flares shall be located upwind of the process units so that the inflammable gas from the plant are not carried towards the flares.
10) Truck loading facilities shall be located close to the product movement gate. Rail loading facilities are arranged generally at the
periphery of the plant.
11) The effluent plant shall be located away from the other units on the down elevation. The preferred location is at the lower elevation than
the other plant units in order to facilitate gravity flow.
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12) The fire station and firewater pump house shall be at a safe place away from hazardous areas. The fire station shall be near the main
gate with a straight approach to the process units and other critical areas.
13) Two adjacent process unit locations shall be decided based on the annual shut down philosophy for the maintenance of the units. If the
shut downs are be at different times, it is preferable to increase the distance between the two units so that the risk for the operating units due
to heat jobs in the units under shut down can be minimised. Also this will facilitate easy maintenance.
14) Process Units shall be located on the high ground.
15) The adjacent neighbourhood installations, if any, shall be taken into consideration before fixing the plant layout. The limitations
imposed by the neighbourhood facilities cannot be ignored, e.g. an ignition source.
16) Flares, furnaces/heater, dusty operations and cooling towers shall be oriented depending on the prevailing wind direction. The first two
shall be located upwind of the Process units and the last two on the downwind directions of the process units.
17) Due consideration to the construction and erection of the plant shall be given while deciding the plant layout, especially tall towers,
reactors, furnaces, etc. shall not be in congested areas and sufficient open spaces shall be provided for erection at any stage.
18) Equipment requiring frequent maintenance shall have easy accessibility. So also equipment which need removal of parts and also for
free access for hoisting equipment.
19) Provisions for future expansion shall be considered. It is preferable to have similar type of facilities with adjacent space for expansion
adjacent. Care shall be taken to install the expansion facilities without any disturbance to the existing facility.
20) Roads in between for the purpose of access and safety should separate the blocks developed. Fire fighting facilities are to be provided
on these roads. There shall always be an alternative approach for fire fighting and maintenance in case one route is blocked. The layout
shall be so designed that truck traffic inside the plant is minimized.
21) Boiler house, air compressors, fuel oil facilities shall be grouped into one block adjoining the process unit blocks, so that spreading of
various utilities can be avoided and also facilitate easy operation.
22) The layout shall be designed so as to minimise the capital cost for earthwork and pavement, special foundations and the extent of a
vacant plot as wasteland.
Equipment Location Drawing: Equipment location drawings (plot plans) show the exact location of equipment in relation to the plant’s
physical boundaries. One of the most difficult concepts to explain to a new process technician is the scope and size of modern chemical
processing. Most chemical plants and refineries closely resemble small cities; they have well-defined blocks and areas connected by a
highway of piping and equipment. Equipment location drawings provide information about the neighborhood.
to get all the information as a eBook

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