Many project owners turn to patent holders to purchase process packages
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Many project owners purchase process packages from patent holders, and these packages contain very detailed information, including PFDs, material balances, P&IDs, equipment data sheets, automatic control interlock schemes, pipe size specifications, and recommendations for equipment layout. It seems that everything mentioned in the \"Chemical Process Design Manual\" regarding the design work carried out by the process engineering team in design phases is already included in these process packages. So what exactly does the process engineering team do during the design phase? The material balance has been taken into account in the process package; it seems that the design institute will not carry out any further simulation calculations. Moreover, even if the design institute were to conduct simulations, the methods for determining material properties and the interaction parameters for mixed material systems would differ from those used by the patent holder (who probably won’t provide these details in the process package). Therefore, I believe the design institute will not perform any material balance calculations. For P&IDs, those provided in the process package already specify the pipe diameters; there is no need for the design agency to calculate these diameters or account for pipe losses. As for automation, the cause-and-effect diagrams and sequence control diagrams included in the process package are already detailed, so the design agency does not need to consider anything further. The equipment data sheet includes detailed process parameters and schematic diagrams for the main towers, heat exchangers, pumps, and safety valves in the process package, so the design institute does not need to perform any calculations. …………………… I don’t understand what exactly the process engineers in design institutes do Change the tab for the contents inside the process package? Then, as the process engineer, one distributes the contents of the process package to other relevant departments; strength calculations are carried out for the equipment, and designs for pressure vessels are prepared. Components for instruments are selected, piping is arranged and installed, pipelines are laid out and installed, and electrical systems are set up through the installation of distribution trays…………………… It seems like there isn’t much actual work to be done by the process engineers in design firms, right? Could someone experienced from a design institute help explain this? Many of us on the client side think that the design institute is trying to take advantage of us financially, but I also believe that this isn’t necessarily the case.
For example, if you purchase a foreign patent, you must find a company in your country that can make the necessary adjustments; even just changing one detail is required, otherwise it won’t meet the requirements. Also, the patent held by the patent holder may not be compatible with local regulations, so modifications are needed. Furthermore, the design firm has to create new layout plans and pipeline diagrams based on the size of your land. In most cases, the key elements that need to be considered are things like catalysts and certain fixed conversion rates
No design institute has carried out the conversion of the process package, so the project cannot proceed
The content of the process package is in a planar form, while the engineering design carried out by the design institute is three-dimensional. The hydraulic calculations are performed by the design institute; the role of the process engineering team at the design institute is to carry out these hydraulic calculations, as well as to optimize and transform the process package designs
It is recommended to first become familiar with the differences between the standards SHSG-052 and SHSG-053. Or the difference between SPMP-STD-EM2005 and SPMP-STD-EM2001. The difference between design depth and content cannot be explained in just a couple of sentences.
That’s true, but design institutes have not only process engineering specialists but also those from other fields. These professionals have to do a lot of physical work during the engineering process, and clients still need to pay them for their hard work:lol
A design firm that can take people’s money must be competent after all; even though it’s physical work, people still deserve to be paid fairly for their efforts. To be serious, indeed the main technical parameters are provided by the process package; otherwise it wouldn’t be worth that much. But just having those isn’t enough to build a factory. For example, you go to the market and buy chicks – that’s important – but if you want to eat eggs, you need to raise the chickens first so that they can lay eggs. A design firm is there to help owners raise chickens.
There still needs to be someone to do the physical work. Things like piping, steel structures, and manufacturing drawings for equipment are not included in these process packages. Why are design fees getting lower and lower? Because almost everything needed is provided in the process package, and it can be handled by factories, workshops, or even design firms on the streets, it isn’t very valuable.
The last edit to this post was made by zhanghp30 on 2019-10-28 at 12:45. The main task of a design institute is to carry out engineering design, that is, to convert the client’s design input package (process package) into engineering design documents. There are two scenarios regarding the client’s design input package: (1) The process package is provided directly, with the design institute tasked with carrying out the preliminary design (detailed design). In this case, the institute must examine and verify the documents in the process package to ensure that they meet the requirements for preliminary design (specific standards and regulations apply), such as whether the design temperatures, pressures, and safety valve settings are reasonable. If any issues are found, it is necessary to clarify them with the client before proceeding with the engineering design, which includes tasks such as hydraulic pressure drop calculations, layout planning, and piping design； (2) Provide the basic design package and commission the detailed design. At this point, it is necessary to check whether the requirements specified in the detailed design input documents are met (specific **standards and specifications exist**), and to verify that the relevant data sheets and basic design drawings satisfy the requirements for detailed design inputs.
Equipment layout and piping are the main tasks of the design institute after receiving the data from the process package. Then there are various calculations and selection processes, which require a certain level of technical expertise. There are also many aspects of foreign process packages that require adaptation to local conditions, and domestic design institutes need to get involved in such tasks. It’s worth the money spent.
Piping prototypes, equipment selection, infrastructure design, and so on