Concept Development

As part of the planning of a process plant, the concept development includes the creation and computational validation of a process concept as well as fundamental clarifications regarding the construction, operation, and maintenance of the future plant, taking into account the environmental conditions of the planned location as well as contractual and legal framework conditions. Based on this, the essential basic features of the plant are determined in terms of costs and space requirements. Part of the concept development are furthermore clarifications with suppliers to check the availability of the components required for the construction of the plant, as well as the creation of fundamental documents as a starting point for the subsequent project execution.

Feasibility Study

A feasibility study is done as part of the planning of a plant building project if there are uncertainties regarding the feasibility of construction, operation, and maintenance of the plant. Uncertainties can be considered critical if the requirements for the capacity and the properties of the plant or the operating and ambient conditions deviate significantly from known values.

Process Simulation

For a plant building project a process simulation is usually done already during the planning phase to conduct basic clarifications as well as to define the capacity of the plant. In the ensuing project execution the simulation is often further developed and expanded with additional details and serves particularly for the sizing of the plant components. In case of extensions for existing plants, process simulations may remain relevant far beyond the commissioning.

Process Flow Diagram

The process flow diagram is commonly created during the planning of a process plant as a simplified version of the piping and instrumentation diagram, by which it is later replaced as the central element of the execution process. It is often used as part of the contract to define the process concept and the scope of supply of the plant.