Flowsheets
plant design is made up of words, numbers, and elaborate diagrammatic representations of the equipment, the
19
20 FLOWSHEETS
Phenols 25
c I
Steam Net Waste Liquids 2380
r-l r-l I
Carbonizer Primary
Fractionator
Coal
w 1
100,000 22,500 * Oils Light Aromatics 770
Recovery
Air
*
Middle Oils (diesel, etc.) 12575
I
I Pitch 3000
Char 77500
compressed air, fuel, refrigerants, and inert blanketing gases, and Since a symbol does not usually speak entirely for itself but also
how they are piped up to the process equipment. Connections for carries a name and a letter-number identification, the flowsheet can
utility streams are shown on the mechanical flowsheet, and their be made clear even with the roughest of equipment symbols. The
conditions and flow quantities usually appear on the process
flowsheet.
Since every detail of a plant design must be recorded on paper,
TABLE 2.1. Checklist of Data Normally Included on a
many other kinds of drawings also are required: for example, Process Flowsheet
electrical flow, piping isometrics, instrument lines, plans and
elevations, and individual equipment drawings in all detail. Models 1 . P r o c e s s l i n e s , b u t i n c l u d i n g only those bypasses essential to an
and three-dimensional representations by computers also are now understanding of the process
standard practice in many design offices. 2. All process equipment. Spares are indicated by letter symbols or
notes
3. Major instrumentation essential to process control and to
2.5. DRAWING OF FLOWSHEETS understanding of the flowsheet
4. Valves essential to an understanding of the flowsheet
Flowsheets are intended to represent and explain processes. To 5. Design basis, including stream factor
make them easy to understand, they are constructed with a 6. Temperatures, pressures, flow quantities
consistent set of symbols for equipment, piping, and operating 7. Weight and/or mol balance, showing compositions, amounts, and
conditions. At present there is no generally accepted industrywide other properties of the principal streams
body of drafting standards, although every large engineering office 6. Utilities requirements summary
does have its internal standards. Some information appears in ANSI 9. Data included for particular equipment
and British Standards publications, particularly of piping symbols. a. Compressors: SCFM (60°F. 14.7 psia); APpsi; HHP; number of
Much of this information is provided in the book by Austin (1979) stages; details of stages if important
along with symbols gleaned from the literature and some b. Drives: type; connected HP; utilities such as kW, lb steam/hr, or
Btu/hr
engineering firms. Useful compilations appear in some books on
c. Drums and tanks: ID or OD, seam to seam length, important
process design, for instance, those of Sinnott (1983) and Ulrich internals
(1984). The many flowsheets that appear in periodicals such as d. Exchangers: Sqft, kBtu/hr, temperatures, and flow quantities in
Chemical Engineering or Hydrocarbon Processing employ fairly and out; shell side and tube side indicated
consistent sets of symbols that may be worth imitating. e. Furnaces: kBtu/hr, temperatures in and out, fuel
Equipment symbols are a compromise between a schematic f. Pumps: GPM (6o”F), APpsi, HHP, type, drive
representation of the equipment and simplicity and ease of drawing. g. Towers: Number and type of plates or height and type of packing;
A selection for the more common kinds of equipment appears in identification of all plates at which streams enter or leave; ID or
Table 2.2. Less common equipment or any with especially intricate OD; seam to seam length; skirt height
h. Other equipment: Sufficient data for identification of duty and size
configuration often is represented simply by a circle or rectangle.
2.5. DRAWING OF FLOWSHEETS 21
T?
Tubeside
Centrifugal pump or blower,
motor driven Shell-and-tube
heat exchanger Shellside
-a,
Centrifugal pump or blower, Condenser
d
turbine -driven
Reboiler
Process
Centrifugal compressor
Kettle reboiler
+
Centrifugal compressor, Air cooler with
alternate symbol finned tubes
-3
Stm
Process
Steam ejector Process Fired heater
4-
Fuel
Coil in tank
Rotary dryer
or kiln
Evaporator
Tray dryer
TABLE 2.2~(continued)
Drum or tank
Drum or tank
Tray
column
Packed
column
Storage tank
rl
-m-w
Open tank
t-l
Gas holder
-TQ
7F
4
Raffinate
TABLE 2.2~(continued)
SEPARATORS
Conveyor
‘late-and-frame filter
Belt conveyor
Rotary vacuum filter
Screw conveyor
Sand filter
Elevator
Dust collector
Feeder
Cyclone separator
Centrifuge
Screw feeder
Mesh entrainment gE
Weighing feeder
separator
-0
Tank car
Freight car
Liquid-liquid
separator -%
Heavy Light
tc
settling pot
Conical settling
tank
I
I Course
; Screen ‘-
Raked thickener
Fine
thoroughly standardized by the Instrument Society of America For clarity and for esthetic reasons, equipment should be
(ISA). An abbreviated set that may be adequate for the usual represented with some indication of their relative sizes. True scale is
flowsketch appears on Figure 3.4. The P&I diagram of Figure 2.6 not feasible because, for example, a flowsheet may need to depict
affords many examples. both a tower 15Oft high and a drum 2ft in diameter. Logarithmic
24 FLOWSHEETS
TABLE 2.2~(continued) ’
Liquid mixing
Motor
impellers: basic,
propeller,turbine,
anchor
DC motor
Ribbon blender
AC motor, 3-phase
Crusher
Turbines:
steam,
hydraulic,
w
Roll crusher
scaling sometimes gives a pleasing effect; for example, if the 150 ft separate sheet if it is especially elaborate. A listing of flags with the
tower is drawn 6in. high and the 2ft drum 0.5 in., other sizes can units is desirable on the flowsheet.
be read off a straight line on log-log paper. Rather less freedom is allowed in the construction of
A good draftsman will arrange his flowsheet as artistically as mechanical flowsheets. The relative elevations and sizes of equip-
possible, consistent with clarity, logic, and economy of space on the ment are preserved as much as possible, but all pumps usually are
drawing. A fundamental rule is that there be no large gaps. Flow is shown at the same level near the bottom of the drawing. Tab-
predominantly from left to right. On a process flowsheet, distillation ulations of instrumentation symbols or of control valve sizes or of
towers, furnaces, reactors, and large vertical vessels often are relief valve sizes also often appear on P&I diagrams. Engineering
arranged at one level, condenser and accumulator drums on another offices have elaborate checklists of information that should be
level, reboilers on still another level, and pumps more or less on included on the flowsheet, but such information is beyond the scope
one level but sometimes near the equipment they serve in order to here.
minimize excessive crossing of lines. Streams enter the flowsheet Appendix 2.1 provides the reader with material for the
from the left edge and leave at the right edge. Stream numbers are construction of flowsheets with the symbols of this chapter and
assigned to key process lines. Stream compositions and other possibly with some reference to Chapter 3.
desired properties are gathered into a table that may be on a
2.5. DRAWING OF FLOWSHEETS 25
Temperature, “F
Enthalpy, Btu/lb
Others
> A <
Agitator M Grinder SR
Air filter FG Heat exchanger E
Bin l-r Homogenizer M
Blender M Kettle R
Blower JB Kiln (rotary) DD
Centrifuge FF Materials handling G
Classifying equipment S equipment
Colloid mill SR Miscellaneous” L
Compressor JC Mixer M
Condenser E Motor PM
Conveyor C Oven B
Cooling tower TE Packaging machinen/ L
Crusher SR Precipitator (dust or mist) FG
Crystallizer K Prime mover PM
Cyclone separator (gas) FG Pulverizer SR
Cyclone separator Pump (liquid) J
(liquid) F Reboiler E
Decanter FL Reactor R
Disperser M Refrigeration system G
Drum D Rotameter RM
Dryer (thermal) DE Screen S
Dust collector FG Separator (entrainment) FG
Elevator C Shaker M
Electrostatic separator FG Spray disk SR
Engine PM Spray nozzle SR
Evaporator FE Tank l-r
Fan JJ Thickener F
Feeder C Tower T
Filter (liquid) P Vacuum equipment VE
Furnace B Weigh scale L
Figure 2.3. Process flowsheet of a plant making 47 tons/day of ammonia from available hydrogen and hydrogen made from natural gas (The C. W. Nofsinger Co.).
Figure 2.4. Pro-
cess flowsheet of
the manufacture
of benzene by deal-
kylation of toluene
(Wells, Safety in
Process Design,
G e o r g e Godwin,
London, 1980).
28
E-102 D-101 Em3 T-lo! Em4 D-ID.3 P-102b.p E-105 Ed06
REACTOR UlGH PRESSVRE BENZENL 6ENZElE OVEWMEID REFLUX REFLUX PRODUCT BENZENE
EFFLVENT KNOCKOUT POT COLUMN COLUMN CouDEN.9ER COOLER REBDIWI
CONDENSEI) 23MID. PR HEATER 0 26 GCAUU 2 07Gc444
3 7 4 ccaqn X67M T/T 01 5 GGlL,H I%o”dy” r/l