Project Synopsis

Provide process engineering support to help evaluate a plant expansion to significantly increase pigment production using new process technology at either an existing US facility or at a European facility.

Project Summary

The client is a worldwide manufacturer of inks and pigments with multiple production facilities in the US.  They have recently purchased the pigment division of another chemical company and also produces automobile paint pigments in Europe. They wished to explore a plant expansion to significantly increase production using new process technology.

The question facing management is whether to expand the process at a European site, where land is scarce and a new multi-story process building will need to be built, or install the process in an existing building at a US site that is mostly empty.

The purpose of the project is to take the elements of the process design already completed, including PFDs, P&IDs, process description, equipment list, 3D CAD model, and preliminary cost estimate, and use them to generate a preliminary cost estimate to build the plant at the existing US facility site.

Specific tasks PROCESS performed for this project included:

  • Translation of the European documents into English and working with the European team to clarify technical issues
  • Preparation of an FEL-0 “Showstopper” report comparing the requirements of the European process against the infrastructure at the US facility to identify gaps that could derail the project
  • A US facility site visit and field walkdown to examine the proposed manufacturing space within the existing building as well as ancillary areas such as the tank farm and wastewater treatment unit
  • Working with piping layout consultants to develop a 3D CAD model of the process to be built in the US facility
  • Working with a local engineering contractor to identify specific building modifications and area classifications
  • Working with the third-party operators of the US facility wastewater treatment plant and an outside consultant to identify equipment needs at the WWT site to handle the new wastewater load
  • Updating the equipment list to reflect the existing infrastructure at the US site
  • Development of new PFD for the US facility.
  • Development of the preliminary CAPEX cost estimate.

Industry Type

Ink, Dye, and Pigment Manufacturing  

Utilized Skills

  • Existing facilities evaluation
  • Preliminary process design
  • Capital cost estimation.
 

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