SUMMARY

This project is primarily concerned with the design of the pumping section of the
cyclohexane production plant of Independent Refineries Inc. In order to design this
aspect of the facility it was necessary to find the power required for the designated
flowrate, the net positive suction head available, the type of pump that should be used,
and the cost of installing such a pump. In addition to these considerations, a reactor
material selection was required that could accommodate the reactants corrosive
properties. The report, recommendations and economic analysis are supplemented by a
material and energy balance over the entire plant, simulated by Pro/II.
A centrifugal pump will be adequate to provide the required head at the designated
flowrate. Such a pump constructed of the corrosion resistant nickel alloy costs $6000;
the entire fixed capital investment including installation, piping, and indirect costs is
$35,000. The power reqired to operate the pump at an estimated efficiency of 70% is
9.5hp.
INTRODUCTION
Independent Refineries Inc. has contracted Great Plains Consulting to prepare a proposal
for a pumping system for the cyclohexane plant being designed. Independent Refineries
Inc. supplied Great Plains Consulting with a general schematic of the production plant
including necessary flowrates and stream conditions. In addition, Great Plains is to
suggest a cost estimate for the pump installation and an appropriate material for the
construction of the reactor.

MATERIAL AND ENERGY BALANCES FOR CYCLOHEXANE PLANT

The heat and material balances must be performed to calculate the unknown
thermodynamic and material values for each stream and operations unit. The necessary
unit operations and connecting streams are setup in the flow sheet as seen in Appendix A.
Providing Pro II with the defined initial stream compositions and the unit operation
properties (defined properties) the thermodynamic and material properties for each
stream can be determined by using an appropriate thermodynamic package.
There are many different thermodynamic packages that could be employed.

To

determine an appropriate thermodynamics package the states of the system components

must be considered. In this case both liquid and gas states exist. For systems involving
gases the Soave-Redlich-Kwong is often a good choice. The Soave-Redlich-Kwong
equation of state is a modified version of the van der Waals equation which itself is
similar to the ideal gas equation with the exception that it adds a factor accounting for
molecular volumes.

The Soave-Redlich-Kwong not only accounts for this volume

change but also for the material specific affects due to the attractive and compressive
forces of the gas thereby providing a more accurate equation of state for gases. Because
of these advantages Soave-Redlich-Kwong was used in the Pro/II simulations.
Figure 1 is a process flow diagram with all streams and equipment labeled.

Figure 1: A PFD of the cyclohexane plant.

Tables I-III shows the results of the heat and material balances for the inlet and outlet
streams of the overall system setup and the pump setup with the corresponding stream
labels from the PFD.
Table I: Exit, Feed, and Recycle stream properties for cyclohexane plant in Pro-II simulation

Material
Properties
Material Phase
Temperature
Pressure
Flow Rate

Units

S10

S19

F
Psia
lb-mol/Hr

Liquid
120.0
479.7
399.8

Liquid
121.2
555
399.8

Purge,
S12
Vapor
120.0
479.7
439.6

Recycle

Benzene

Hydrogen

Vapor
134.0
514.7
1758.3

Liquid
100.0
14.7
396.7

Vapor
100.0
514.7
1581.1

Table II: Unit Operation properties for cyclohexane plant in Pro-II simulation

Unit
Properties
Temperature
Pressure

Units

R1

F1

M1

C1

V1

PI1

PI2

PI3

F
Psia

435.0
489.7

120.0
479.7

107.6
514.7

134.0
134.0

121.0
590.7

120.0
474.3

121.0
590.7

121.2
555.0

Table III: Work / Heat Duties of units for cyclohexane plant in Pro-II simulation

Operations
Unit
Work
Heat Duty

Units

F1

C1

P1

E1

E2

E3

HP
MM Btu/hr

0.0

71.9
-

9.5
-

9.5

2.3

5.4

A description of the execution of the Pro/II simulation can be found in Appendix A.

MATERIAL TYPE FOR REACTOR
Carbon Steel was originally selected as the tank reactor material. This idea was
abandoned, however, due to a tendency in steel to become embrittled by hydrogen at high
pressures and temperatures.1 Series 310 Austentitc stainless steel will be used in place of
the carbon steel as it shows very high corrosion resistance and strength even at high
temperatures and pressures. This material is composed of 52% iron, 26% chromium and
22% nickel. Reactor material is an especially important consideration as hydrogen,
cyclohexane, and benzene are all extremely hazardous chemicals. The stainless steel
reactor minimizes a risk of spillage or rupture thereby preventing potential fires.
WORK REQUIRED BY THE PUMP
The work required to pump the cyclohexane product to a vessel at 555 psia was simulated
by Pro/II Process Engineering Software developed by Simulation Sciences. A process
flow diagram of the pumping section is shown below in Figure 1. A centrifugal pump
was used in the calculation of pump efficiency. The whole process for the production of
cyclohexane from feeds of benzene, hydrogen and a recycle stream was outlined using
Pro/II. Inputs for 1.25 Nominal Size, Schedule 40 pipes were used along with 90o elbows
and gate valves for the movement of the cyclohexane to the storage vessel. Friction
losses were also accounted for in the simulation due to the fittings, i.e. elbows and gate
1

http://avogadro.chem.iastate.edu/MSDS/hydrogen.pdf

valves, by designating a K-factor for each pipe relative to the amount of fittings. A pump
efficiency of 70% was obtained using a graph which correlated pump efficiency versus
capacity per hour of liquid pumped from Peters et al2. The required work was found to be
9.49 hp to pump the cyclohexane to a vessel at 555 psia. A detailed report stating all of
the simulation specifications for the work required by the pump can be found in
Appendix A.

S3
S19

PI1

S9
S8

S14
PI2

S15
V1

S16
PI3
SO1

P1

S20

Figure 2: Depiction of Pumping system

PUMP SELECTION
A centrifugal pump was selected for this design. Centrifugal pumps are inexpensive to
purchase and maintain. They are best used for low viscosity flow, a suitable description
for the majority cyclohexane feed. Additionally, the Pro/II simulation shows a small
amount of vapor might also be present in the stream.

Centrifugal pumps, unlike

reciprocating pumps, can operate for brief periods when small amounts of gas are present
in the liquid being pumped. In Appendix B figures presenting the system pressure and
net present suction head available plotted vs. flow rate for a centrifugal pump. Since the
chosen pump meets the minimum required net positive suction head, NPSHR, of 2 no
additional pumps need be added in series to increase the head.

FIXED CAPITAL INVESTMENT FOR PUMPING SECTION

2

Peters, Max. Plant Design and Economics for Chemical Engineers 5th edition; McGraw Hill, 2003

The purchased cost of a centrifugal pump meeting the capacity, head and power
requirements of the proposed cyclohexane plant is $60003. Due to the hydrogen in the
stream being pumped a nickel alloy construction was chosen for the pump. This more
expensive material will resist the embrittlement that hydrogen causes in cast iron and
mild steel.
The piping cost is estimated to be approximately one third of the purchased pump cost or
$1920. The total fixed capital investment based on percentage of delivered equipment
cost for the pumping section is estimated at $35,0003.

Peters, Max et al. Plant Design and Economics for Chemical Engineers 5th edition; McGraw Hill, 2003