Fundamentals of Process Engineering

Introduction

Process engineering is at the heart of much of the chemical, oil, gas, and petrochemical industries. It requires familiarity not only with chemical engineering principles, but also with many of the other engineering disciplines including electrical and instrumentation, but especially mechanical.

The process engineer is interested in the transportation and transformation of solids, liquids, and gases. Of specific importance are separation processes including distillation, heat transfer, hydraulics, and fluid flow, reaction engineering, but also process control and economics.

The mechanical engineer is interested in safe containment and movement of solids, liquids, and gases, often at high temperature and pressure. Of specific importance are failure modes such as fracture, fatigue and creep, corrosion and corrosion minimization, material properties, design standards, static and rotating equipment design, inspection, and repair as well as an understanding of maintenance strategies and condition monitoring. Sound mechanical engineering principles, together with other engineering techniques including inspection, monitoring, and condition evaluation, enable the mechanical engineer to design and maintain the equipment required by the process engineers.

Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Develop both fundamental and practical understanding of central issues in processes used in oil, gas, petrochemical, chemical, and allied facilities together with a practical understanding of central issues in mechanical engineering as applied in those industries.
• Understand the various static and rotating equipment used in the petrochemical environment.
• Apply different maintenance strategies and philosophies.
• Easily identify and assess active degradation of mechanisms and the failures they may cause
• Enhance their competencies in the Mechanical design of pressure equipment and piping systems in compliance with applicable codes, standards, and regulations.

Target Audience

All Technical and nontechnical personnel in the chemical, petrochemical, oil, and process and mechanical industries, petroleum engineers, production engineers, maintenance and project engineers, trainee mechanical engineers, trainee process engineers, RandD chemists, plant chemists, plant operators, and economists.

Mechanical Engineering Outline

The course covers the following topics:

Introduction and Fundamentals of Process Engineering

• Process engineering basics
  • Mass and energy balances
  • Batch and continuous processes
  • Reactor types
  • Process equipment and flow diagrams

• Flammability
  • Electrical area classification
• Risk Management and Hazard Studies
• Hydraulics and Fluid flow
  • Pressure and head
  • Bernoulli theorem and its field applications
  • Flow of liquids
  • Reynolds number and pressure drop in pipes
  • Two-phase and multiphase flow
• Enthalpy and thermodynamics
• Principle of process relief devices and process design of relief systems
  • Principles of pressure vessel and piping design
• Mechanical Equipment Types and application guidelines
  • Pumps
  • Compressors
  • Mixers

Heat Transfer and Reaction Engineering

• Heat Transfer
  • Thermal conductivity
  • Conduction and convection
  • Insulation
  • Heat transfer coefficients and calculation
  • Heat exchangers, type and sizing
  • Steam reboilers
  • Condensers and subcooling
  • Introduction to energy recovery

• Catalysis and Reaction Engineering
  • Chemical reactions
  • Reaction kinetics
  • Introduction catalysis
  • Green Chemistry and Engineering

• Reactor Design and Operation

Distillation Processes and Equipment

• Distillation basics
  • Gas/Liquid separation

• Distillation equipment Columns and vessels
  • Columns and vessels Sizing and selection guidelines
  • Column and vessel internals Types and selection guidelines
  • Troubleshooting of process equipment

Separation Processes and Equipment

• Overview of Other Separation Processes
  • Absorption and adsorption
  • Amine sweetening
  • Solid Liquid separation
  • Effluent treatment [in refinery and petrochemical] industries

Process Control and Economics

• Process Control Basics
  • Classification of control systems
  • Measured variables
  • Simple feedback control

• Process Economics
  • Preliminary economic analysis
  • Fixed and variable costs, break-even analysis
  • Calculating raw materials usage
  • Estimating the cost of process equipment and plants