Scribd
Upload
93 views4 pages

Factory Site Consideration

The document discusses factors to consider for plant site selection and layout. Key factors in selecting a plant site include proximity to marketing areas and raw materials, availability of transportation and utilities, suitable climate, and available labor force. The layout should allow for smooth material flow and safe distances between hazardous and non-hazardous areas. Process units are arranged to follow the material flow, with ancillary buildings located to minimize travel. Safety, future expansion, and efficient operation are priorities in the plant layout.

Uploaded by

Annyessien
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
93 views4 pages

Factory Site Consideration

The document discusses factors to consider for plant site selection and layout. Key factors in selecting a plant site include proximity to marketing areas and raw materials, availability of transportation and utilities, suitable climate, and available labor force. The layout should allow for smooth material flow and safe distances between hazardous and non-hazardous areas. Process units are arranged to follow the material flow, with ancillary buildings located to minimize travel. Safety, future expansion, and efficient operation are priorities in the plant layout.

Uploaded by

Annyessien
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

a- Plant Location and Site Selection

The geographical location of the final plant can have strong influence on the success of an
industrial venture. Considerable care must be exercised in selecting the plant site, and many
different factors must be considered. Primarily, the plant should be located where the minimum
cost of production and distribution can be obtained, but other factors, such as room for expansion
and safe living conditions for plant operation as well as the surrounding community, are also
important.
The major factors in the selection of most plant sites are:

• Marketing Area
For materials that are produced in bulk quantities, such as cement, mineral acids, and
fertilizers, where the cost of the product per metric ton is relatively low and the cost of transport is
a significant fraction of the sales price, the plant should be located close to the primary market.
This consideration is much less important for low-volume production and high-priced products,
such as pharmaceuticals.
• Raw Materials
The availability and price of suitable raw materials will often determine the site location.
Plants that produce bulk chemicals are best located close to the source of the major raw material,
as long as the costs of shipping product are not greater than the cost of shipping feed. For example,
at the time of writing much of the new ethylene capacity that is being added worldwide is being
built in the Middle East, close to supplies of cheap ethane from natural gas. Oil refineries, on the
other hand, tend to be located close to major population centers, as an oil refinery produces many
grades of fuel, which are expensive to ship separately.
• Transportation Facilities
The transport of materials and products to and from the plant can be an overriding
consideration in site selection. If practicable, a site should be selected that is close to at least two
major forms of transport: road, rail, waterway (canal or river), or a sea port. Road transport is
increasingly used and is suitable for local distribution from a central warehouse.
Rail transport is usually cheaper for the long-distance transport of bulk chemicals. Air transport is
convenient and efficient for the movement of personnel and essential equipment and supplies,
and the proximity of the site to a major airport should be considered.
• Availability of Labors
Labor will be needed for construction of the plant and its operation. Skilled construction
workers are usually brought in from outside the site area, but there should be an adequate pool of
unskilled labor available locally, and labor suitable for training to operate the plant. Skilled craft
workers such as electricians, welders, and pipe fitters will be needed for plant maintenance. Local
labor laws, trade union customs, and restrictive practices must be considered when assessing the
availability and suitability of the local labor for recruitment and training.
• Water supply
Chemical processes invariably require large quantities of water for cooling, washing, steam
generation, and as a raw material, and the plant must be located near a source of water of suitable
quality. Process water may be drawn from a river, from wells, or purchased from a local authority.
• Energy Availability (power and fuel)
Power and steam requirements are high in most industrial plants, and fuel is ordinarily
required to supply these utilities. Consequently, power and fuel can be combined as one major
factor in the choice of a plant site. If the plant requires large quantities of coal or oil, location near a
source of fuel supply may be essential for economic operation. The local cost of power can help
determine whether power should be purchased or self-generated.
Electrical power is needed at all sites. Electrochemical processes (for example, chlorine
manufacture or aluminum smelting) require large quantities of power and must be located close to
a cheap source of power.
A competitively priced fuel must be available on site for steam and power
generation.
• Climate
Adverse climatic conditions at a site will increase costs. Abnormally low temperatures
require the provision of additional insulation and special heating for equipment and pipe runs.
Stronger structures are needed at locations subject to high winds (cyclone/ hurricane areas) or
earthquakes. Corrosive environments will need strong protection for the plant equipment.

b- Site layout and plant layout


Site layout
The process units and ancillary buildings should be laid out to give the most economical flow of
materials and personnel around the site. Hazardous processes must be located at a safe distance
from other buildings. Consideration must also be given to the future expansion of the site. The
ancillary buildings and services required on a site, in addition to the main processing units
(buildings), include
1. Storage for raw materials and products: tank farms and warehouses;
2. Maintenance workshops;
3. Stores, for maintenance and operating supplies;
4. Laboratories for process quality control;
5. Fire stations and other emergency services;
6. Utilities;
7. Effluent disposal plant: waste water treatment, solid and or liquid waste collection;
8. Offices for general administration;
9. Canteens and other amenity buildings, such as medical centers;
10. Parking lots.
When the preliminary site layout is roughed out, the process units are normally sited first and
arranged to give a smooth flow of materials through the various processing steps, from raw
material to final product storage. Process units are normally spaced at least 30 m apart; greater
spacing may be needed for hazardous processes.
The location of the principal ancillary buildings should then be decided. They should be
arranged so as to minimize the time spent by personnel in traveling between buildings.
Administration offices and laboratories, in which a relatively large number of people will be
working, should be located well away from potentially hazardous processes. Control rooms are
normally located adjacent to the processing units, but those with potentially hazardous processes
may have to be sited at a safer distance.
The sitting of the main process units determines the layout of the plant roads, pipe alleys, and
drains. Access roads to each building are needed for construction and for operation and
maintenance.
Some rules (notes) about the site layout
 Utility buildings should be sited to give the most economical run of pipes to and from the process
units.
 Cooling towers should be sited so that, under the prevailing wind, the plume of condensate spray
drifts away from the plant area and adjacent properties.

 The main storage areas should be placed between the loading and unloading facilities and the
process units they serve.
 Storage tanks containing hazardous materials should be sited at least 70 m (200 ft) from the site
boundary.
A typical plot plan is shown in Figures (1) and (2).

Plant layout
The economic construction and efficient operation of a process unit will depend on how well
the plant and equipment specified on the process flow sheet is laid out.
The arrangement of the major items of equipment often follows the sequence given on the
process flow sheet: with the columns and vessels arranged in rows and the ancillary equipment,
such as heat exchangers and pumps, positioned along the outside. A typical preliminary layout is
shown in Figure (3).
The principal factors to be considered in making plant layout are:

1. Economic considerations: construction and operating costs;


2. The process requirements;
3. Convenience of operation;
4. Convenience of maintenance;
5. Safety;
6. Future expansion;

You might also like