Project Synopsis
Provide process engineering support to the multi-discipline engineering lead contractor for the design of a new rare earth magnet production facility.
Project Summary
The client, a design-build general contracting and construction company, contracted Process Engineering Associates, LLC (PROCESS) to provide process engineering support for a project to build a new rare earth magnet production facility for the ultimate client. The large-scale production facility is designed to produce neodymium-iron-boron magnets from raw materials. The facility includes neodymium metallization, strip casting, hydrogen decrepitation, powdered metal blending, jet milling, powdered metal pressing, vacuum sintering, various machining and shaping steps, coating, magnetization, testing, and packaging processes. PROCESS provided general process engineering support for the project as part of a larger team that included architectural, electrical, civil/structural, mechanical, construction, drafting and design, fire safety, plumbing, and other disciplines.
Project tasks included,
- Developing the overall heat and material balance for the process and required supporting utilities
- Developing the Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs) and Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) for the process
- Developing the process equipment layout drawing for the facility
- Coordinating with equipment vendors to integrate each process step into the overall process and to provide the required utilities such as inert gases, compressed air, process water, cooling water, etc.
- Developing the Maximum Intended Inventory list for the facility to document the amount of hazardous materials in each area and inform the required building design code to be used
- Estimating the emissions from the various process steps to inform the required environmental permits
- Developing the project Equipment List, Line List, Instrument List, Valve List, and Specialty Item List
- Developing a Process Design Basis document to set line numbering, equipment numbering, and instrument numbering conventions
- Supporting several Process Hazards Analysis (PHA) meetings.
Industry Type
Rare Earth Magnet Production
Utilized Skills
- EPC firm process engineering support
- Process design package component development.