Process Drawings Development for Metals Plant New Acid Cleaning Line

Project Synopsis

Project Summary

Process Engineering Associates, LLC (PROCESS) was contracted by a specialty metals manufacturing company to prepare a process piping construction package for a new acid cleaning line. PROCESS completed the following tasks and developed the following process design documents in support of this effort:

• Revised Bulk Storage Tank Farm – As part of the new construction, an existing Bulk Storage Tank Farm needed to be modified. Work included new acid supply and distribution piping for Caustic, and Nitric, Hydrochloric, and Hydrofluoric acids.

• New Acid Cleaning Line – The process takes the client’s forged metal material through a series of molten salt bath furnaces to remove grease, oils and impurities. The coils of materials then pass through a series of acid and rinse tanks prior to drying and preparation to be shipped to the final customer. Chemicals used during this process include Hydrochloric, Nitric, Hydrofluoric and Sulfuric Acids, Pickleen AS-10, and Lime. Process piping drawings were prepared to show piping of the chemical solutions to sixteen different dip tanks. Piping drawings for the Acids also included supply and distribution to day tanks in the new building for dosing operations required to maintain proper chemical balance in the dip tanks between runs. Caustic piping drawings were prepared to maintain the scrubbers required for the facility. Individual drain piping for the acids from the dip tanks as well as a common overflow / effluent tank drain piping to the client’s treatment facility were routed. Other piping drawings required for safe operation of the dip tanks included Industrial Water, City Water, Steam-Condensate and cooling water supply and return. Piping drawings for a Calcium-Nitrate emergency deluge system to be used in the event of an upset condition in two of the dip tanks were prepared. The client also installed a vendor supplied acid regeneration system which required pipe routing drawings between the dip tanks and the vendor supplied equipment. Other utility service drawings included compressed air and natural gas.

• Preliminary Standard Operating Procedures – PROCESS worked with the client to provide drawings to be used with operating procedures for the process operations of the plant. These procedures included: startup, safe operation, and shutdown.

Industry Type

Utilized Skills

• Process design
• Operating procedures development