The Role of the Design Engineer in Technology Development

1. The Role of the Design Engineer in Technology Development 3/28/13 Auburn University Robert Kline

2. What is a Design Engineer? • An engineer whose primary focus is the design of chemical processes, equipment, or other detail needed in order to build a chemical plant. • What isn’t a Design Engineer • Operation/Manufacturing Support • Technical Service • Laboratory/Pilot Plant Engineering • Other (sales, training, HR)

3. Chemical Project Phases • Discovery • Technology Development • Project Implementation • Start-Up • Continued Operation

4. Discovery • Goal • To find a way to make chemical X, Or • To use chemistry Y to make something new • Activities • Literature Review • Route/Chemical Comparison & Selection • Preliminary Lab Scale Experiments • Initial Economic Evaluation (In/Out analysis)

5. Technology Development • Goal • To figure out how to most economically use the discovery • Activities • Directed Experiments (kinetics, efficiencies, etc) • Flowsheet Determination • Catalyst & Solvent Selection • High Level Process Optimization • Piloting • Preliminary Sizing & Cost Estimation • Early Basic Engineering

6. Project Implementation • Goal • To further design and then implement the technology • Activities • Front End or Basic Engineering Design • Figuring out what the process and equipment look like • Detailed material and energy balances, equipment specifications, preliminary P&IDs, and control strategies • Detailed Engineering & Procurement • Figuring out what you need to buy • Final layouts and P&IDs • Construction • Making sure you get what you need in the right place

7. Start Up • Goal • Produce on spec product at close to design rates • Activities • Troubleshoot real problems • Identify false problems • Rework off class material • Understand the difference between design and reality

8. Continued Operation • Goal • Meet production demands for low conversion cost • Activities • Daily operation management • Analysis and reduction of costs • Environmental & safety compliance

9. Cost Impact by Project Stage

10. Cost Impact by Project Stage

11. Technology Development Tasks (1) • Understand the Technology • Talk with lab chemists and technology experts and manage information interfaces • Understand the intrinsic behavior of each subsystem (Unit Operation view) • Know why each operation behaves as it does and what could interfere with it • Direct experiments to expand and validate behavior models and understanding

12. Technology Development Tasks (2) • Choose a Process • Know the benefits of each system/subprocess • Determine preliminary connections of the subprocesses • Understand what is needed for the process to work (Feasibility) • Understand how the needs can be satisfied in the lowest cost manner (Cost effectiveness) • Weigh risks of process complexity vs cost advantage

13. Technology Development Tasks (3) • Optimize the System • See how the parts fit together and impact one another (Process view) • Understand tradeoffs & costs • Verify that the identified technology needs are valid and can be satisfied • Identify what is important and what isn't

14. Technology Development DecisionExample #1 Process • Which water removal process should you choose? What should you consider? Product Product Product Column Product Column Reactor Reactor Feeds Feeds Solvent Water Solvent Column Catalyst Column Catalyst Extractor Catalyst Catalyst Solvent Water

15. Technology Development DecisionExample #2 Catalyst • For a new project initial lab results show that a homogenous catalyst has rates an order of magnitude higher that the original heterogeneous catalyst. Should you switch? What should you consider? • A pilot plant is already being constructed. How does that change the decision?

16. Technology Development DecisionExample #3 Reaction • A + B  C (desired product) • C  D (byproduct) • Is it worth putting in a system to convert D back to C?