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Cost Estimation and Drawing a PFD
- Overview of Topics
- Cost estimation techniques in chemical engineering
- Importance of drawing a Process Flow Diagram (PFD)
- Need for economic evaluations in project assessment
- Types of capital cost estimates
- Understanding operating costs
- Exam review details
Drawing a PFD
- Importance of PFDs
- Essential for design interviews and presenting proposed designs.
- Should be electronic and adhere to standard formats as per handout guidelines.
- Efficient information transfer if well-labeled.
- Requirements for PFD
- Must include mass balances by hand, based on conversions and separation efficiencies.
- Flow rates must be represented accurately in the PFD.
- Software Tools
- Recommended tools:
- Microsoft Visio (available on engineering computers)
- draw.io (available as free download/open source)
- Caution against using ASPEN for drawing PFDs.
Economic Evaluations
- Applications of Economic Evaluations
- Selecting capital projects.
- Determining sale price of new products.
- Making decisions on purchasing or producing feedstocks.
- Evaluating research and development processes.
- Conducting economic optimization in process design.
- Selecting plant locations.
- Used in pro forma financial statements by bankers for project financing.
Capital Cost Estimates
- Components of Capital Cost Estimates
- Equipment costs.
- Direct costs, including field materials and labor.
- Indirect costs.
- Initial charges for catalysts and chemicals.
- Contingency provisions and design allowances.
- Contractors' fees.
- Owners' costs.
Estimate Types
- Types of Estimates and Their Accuracy
- Ratio Estimate
- Accuracy: ±40%
- Factored Estimate
- Accuracy: ±25%
- Detailed Estimate
- Accuracy: ±5%
- Ratio Estimate
Ratio Estimates
- Calculation Formula
- Where:
- = New plant cost
- = Base plant cost
- = New plant capacity
- = Base plant size
- = Ratio factor, typically 0.6 for many plants.
- Example Calculation
- Given a 400,000 MTA vinyl chloride plant that cost $150 MM, calculate the cost of a 600,000 MTA plant:
Capital Cost Estimating
- Methodology
- Utilize Guthrie’s 1968 article as a foundational reference.
- Update costs using the Chemical Engineering magazine’s Cost Index for current figures.
Bare Equipment Cost Calculation
- Formula for Bare Equipment Cost
- Where:
- = Bare equipment cost corrected for pressure, design type, and material
- = Uncorrected equipment cost
- = Design type factor
- = Pressure factor
- = Material factor
Equipment Module Cost Calculation
- Formulas
- Direct Field Cost:
- Module Cost:
- Where:
- = Direct Field Cost
- = Module Cost
- = Field material factor
- = Field labor factor
- = Indirects factor
- = Freight, taxes, and insurance
Material and Labor Factors
- Components Factored in Direct Material and Labor Costs
- Concrete for foundations and structures.
- Structural steel.
- Underground piping (including sewers, water, and firewater).
- Above-ground piping.
- Instrumentation.
- Electrical installations.
- Insulation.
- Paving and painting.
Indirect Cost Factors
- Details of Indirect Costs
- Project management costs.
- Home office engineering expenses.
- Project purchasing costs.
- Construction labor fringes, burdens, and benefits.
- Administrative costs related to construction.
- Field engineering costs.
- Security costs for the site.
- Temporary facilities (fencing, parking, roads).
- Costs for cranes and construction equipment.
- Temporary buildings, telecommunication, and supplies.
- Warehousing costs.
- Job site cleanup expenses.
Factored Estimate
- Example Calculation
- Installed cost for a 2000 sq. ft. floating head shell and tube heat exchanger:
- Variables:
- Calculation:
Total Capital Cost
- Components of Total Capital Cost
- Total module cost (TMC) consists of cost of all modules.
- Total capital cost includes several components:
- Contractor’s fee: 2-5% of TMC
- Owner’s cost: 1-5% of TMC
- Design allowance: 0-10% of TMC
- Contingency: 15% for factored estimate
Lang Factor
- Lang Factor Calculation
- Where:
- = Total cost
- = Bare equipment cost
- = Lang factor used:
- 3.9 for solids processing
- 4.1 for solids-fluids processing
- 4.8 for fluids processing
Items Not Covered by Cost Factors
- Limitations of Cost Estimating Methods
- Costs for first-of-a-kind plants.
- High temperature or pressure operations.
- Unique site conditions (weather, geography).
- Construction camps or remote locations.
Capital Cost Updating
- Cost Updating Methodology
- Chemical Engineering magazine provides monthly cost indexes based on a 1957-1959 baseline of 100.
- Example: Mid-1968 index was 113.7.
- To get current total capital cost, multiply the ratio of the current index to that in 1968 by the total cost from 1968.
Additional Capital Costs
- Other Costs to Consider
- Start-up and fix-it costs: 2% of total capital cost.
- Working capital: two months of operating costs.
- Other costs not included in on-site modular estimates:
- Site preparation expenses.
- Building construction costs.
- Offsite facilities requirements.
Offsites Include
- Examples of Offsite Facilities
- Steam generation plants.
- Power distribution systems.
- Fuel oil/gas systems.
- Blowdown and flare systems.
- Pollution control facilities.
- Fire loops and hydrants.
- Waste treatment facilities.
- Yard lighting and related infrastructure.
- Receiving, storage, and shipping operations.
Operating Costs
- Estimation Approach
- Operating costs could be estimated based on constructing a new plant adjacent to an existing operation, assuming utilities can be provided with minimal additional expense; this minimizes the need for estimating offsite costs.
Exam #1 CPE 613, Lect. 15
- Exam Details
- Date: Monday, March 2, from 3-5 PM in 2001 Malott Hall.
- No lecture on that day; covers all lectures 1-14 and refrigeration.
- Relevant book chapters: 1, 2, 3, and 10 (focus on lectures and homework).
- Exam format: closed-book, closed-notes, closed-internet, and no collaborative help allowed.
- Allowed: One single-sided, handwritten sheet of notes; formulas will be provided.
Exam Topics
- Key Topics for Exam #1
- Decision-making hierarchy in process design.
- Flowsheet synthesis and PFDs.
- Methods for solving mass and energy balances for process flowsheets.
- Flash calculation algorithms.
- Levels of column calculations.
- Unit operation models.
- Simulation modes and algorithms for process simulation.
- Heat exchanger network synthesis.
- Basic computation of Material and Energy Requirements (MER).
- Stream matching optimization approaches.
- Grand Composite Curve findings.
- Exergy and efficiency assessments for chemical engineering processes.
- General design project topics will also be relevant.