Equipment (overall) – Where to? (1)

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This post was last edited by “High-end, stylish and classy” on April 30, 2014, at 15:00. Where Are We Going, Dad?； Where does time go? ； Where is the plane going ； In keeping with the atmosphere of \"Where to go?\", on this shameless April Fools’ Day, I began a series of technical articles for 2014, filled with deep sadness after having just been \"scammed\". It’s embarrassing to call it a technical post; I merely serve as a starting point to inspire further discussion. Those who have read my post should realize that the replies and discussions that follow are of a high technical level. I hope everyone will participate actively in asking questions and discussing. I would also like to thank all the members of the community. Last year, I was fortunate enough to be named one of the top 10 members and most valuable contributors; I was given two HaiChuan USB drives, but as soon as they arrived, they were quickly divided up among the members (please give some more, boss). Slogan: “Give someone sweet water; keep the sweetness in your hands.” Part 1: Plant site planning. Since what is discussed here is not related to the general layout field, the focus will be on the aspect of arrangement. Some design firms have a specialized team for equipment placement; in such cases, the process engineers simply provide suggestions, and then an equipment layout diagram is prepared. However, other firms handle the entire process themselves and deliver the resulting diagram. Some tasks are even assigned to the piping specialty. In any case, if the layout isn’t done properly, everything fails; if it can’t be laid out at all, it’s all pointless. It is evident how important professional layout planning is. A few days ago, I heard one of my colleagues who works on basic design say, “The arrangement of these devices really requires careful consideration!” ”I can only say that it’s not just about paying attention to details; it’s a great deal of attention to detail. First, let me talk briefly about regional planning. In the case of chemical manufacturing enterprises, regional planning must comply with the requirements specified in 20649, 3053, and 50187. Some people say that this relates to the field of site planning, but I believe that while equipment layout is an important aspect, site planning is still distinct from it. Additionally, when arranging equipment, it is necessary to take into full account the relevant requirements of site planning. You may not be skilled at carrying out site planning, but you must understand those requirements to avoid situations where one issue affects everything else. I would like to make special notes on the following points; for the rest, please refer to specifications such as 20649. 1. Consider the characteristics of its adjacent factories or facilities, as well as factors such as fire prevention, terrain, and wind direction. If it is near villages and towns, on the upwind side of the lowest frequency of occurrences throughout the year, or in areas near rivers, etc., the location with the highest wastewater discharge volume should be chosen there, as this facilitates both discharge and the commissioning of illegal activities. If it is near important facilities, try to prevent the explosion and fire from spreading there; the costs of such damage would be unaffordable. Here I’d like to talk about the issue of wind. When we take on a project, the owners usually provide a local wind rose, but what if they don’t? This was also a problem I encountered when I first started working as a design manager. At that time, the client didn’t understand anything either; they just said to carry out the work for money. They wanted a wind rose chart, but it wasn’t available, and there were no relevant data. So I had to turn to China Merchants Group directly. The management committee had just been established, and it took me a long time to get a data table. In fact, it would have been sufficient if they had provided just that table, which indicated the wind speed and direction for different months and years. We needed to use this information to calculate averages and then create our own wind rose chart. So I’m sharing this experience with everyone, so as to avoid repeating the embarrassment I faced – trying to get a wind rose chart when one doesn’t actually understand the necessary concepts. 2. Highways, regional overhead power lines, drainage ditches, and regional oil and gas pipelines are strictly prohibited from passing through the production area. This is something that people often encounter when working on projects, especially design managers or project managers. The reason I bring this up here is that the process is the cradle from which design managers and project managers emerge; I hope everyone will engage in more communication. Especially during the renovation and expansion of factories, it is common to encounter cables and large pipelines running through the factory area. What needs to be emphasized here is that such pipelines should avoid passing through the production area; if they must go through, oil and gas pipelines are fine as they are already underground. When arranging equipment, it’s best to ensure that the factory buildings do not cross over these pipelines, in order to prevent incidents similar to those that occurred at a petrochemical plant in Qingdao, where leaks led to the loss of dozens of lives ； Running cables underground is quite troublesome; it requires digging trenches and installing protective coverings, etc. Everyone should try to avoid this. If it’s unavoidable, it’s necessary to discuss the matter in advance with the electrical engineering team, the project owner, the local power supply authorities, and the inspection agencies. Otherwise, it will cause a lot of problems. I’ve experienced such issues before – especially when plans change from burying the cables to running them in trenches, leaving no clear location for them ； The drainage ditches are even more intimidating, especially in mountainous areas. There’s a project in Guizhou where drainage ditches are being constructed; they’re located in a corner of the factory area, and there’s no way to avoid them. Our senior engineer in charge of the layout even told the constructors that the joints needed to be smoothed and polished. But a week later when we went to check it out, wow! If it rains any harder, the entire factory area will be washed away; this is because the joints at the bends weren’t properly sealed, which led to the drainage ditches being destroyed. Half of the factory complex was flooded. So when these situations arise, I think it’s important to pay them attention, and everyone can also share their own experiences. 3. Air separation station: located in areas with relatively clean air, away from zones with flammable gases and dust. This is a common issue encountered in projects involving renovation and expansion. Land available for such projects is often limited, and things like air separation units and air compressors are not given proper attention; they are simply placed anywhere, often right next to coal piles. Of course, this only happens if all the project workers are incompetent, but there are still many cases where these devices are located downwind of areas affected by dust pollution. They can be found everywhere downwind of coal storage areas, as well as downwind of calcium carbide production facilities. Once crushing operations start, air separation units can no longer be used, and it’s also very dangerous. 4. One last thing to mention regarding the foam stations in tank areas: I think that those who work in fire fighting generally don’t make mistakes related to fire prevention. However, I’ve encountered a few cases where the foam firefighting equipment was located next to flammable and explosive tanks; in such an explosion, even the firefighting equipment gets destroyed, so what use is fire prevention then? What to use for fighting fires? Therefore, one must show true skill in the details. Well, I’ll focus on these 4 points. I hope everyone will discuss any issues promptly, share more ideas with one another, and point out any mistakes I might make – I’m sure to accept those criticisms with an open mind. That’s all for this episode; next time we’ll talk about device layout. This series of posts will be updated every Tuesday and Friday. Unless there are special circumstances, they will be posted regardless of weather conditions. I hope everyone will give it their support~~~~:handshake:handshake:handshake If you like it, please subscribe to me; there are too many people, so I can’t @ each one individually. Please understand!