Equipment dimensioning, selection and design

Regularly packed columns, randomly packed columns, tray columns, plate heat exchangers, shell-and-tube heat exchangers, decanters, crystallizers, pumps, compressors, lines etc. – all of these items of equipment have to be checked for their applicability, dimensions and constructive design so that they can fulfil their task in the process. This is not easy: it may sound trivial but in process engineering, equipment can be too small as well as too large. It is not enough to fix a minimum dimension and add a safety margin as in other engineering disciplines. Usually, a "window" exists within which it is possible to operate equipment in a reliable way.

To find out where this "window" is and design the equipment so that it can be operated safely at maximum and minimum capacity is the task of A&D AS Solutions Process Industries. Or to enlarge the window of a given item of equipment so that it can be operated with increased plant capacity.

But even this is not the whole task: the design details of internal equipment components are often crucial, for example distributors and collectors in packed columns or the shape of the bottom and top areas of a column.

Our approach ensures fast, inexpensive equipment design. Computer simulation provides us with the specific loads for a particular item of equipment. In our CAPE system, the data obtained are transferred to a design program to carry out dimensioning. Then the program compares the data with the criteria we have collected from the literature, manufacturers and our own experience. We can rank the importance of these criteria.

Continuous monitoring of the literature and close communication with manufacturers ensure that our design tools are state-of-the-art. Because of our independence from equipment suppliers, we are free to recommend the optimum equipment.