Piping: Minimizing the Risk of 'Pre-buys'
To stay on budget, major capital projects often call for aggressive schedules. Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors often end up using work processes that are not part of an...
View ArticleTotal Cost Analysis Aids Purchasing Negotiations
One approach to thoroughly assessing the value of an asset for purchase is to use a total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis. This article explains how to conduct a TCO analysis, and how that information...
View ArticleSizing, Specifying and Selecting Centrifugal Pumps
This article provides detailed guidance for sizing centrifugal pumps early in the specification process, and provides several sample calculations to illustrate the concepts discussed...
View ArticleCompressors: Pursuing Lowest Cost of Ownership
Compressors are a workhorse of the CPI. A variety of technologies, methods and best practices are available to obtain the lowest cost of ownership for compressors used in process plants. Follow the...
View ArticleLifecycle Costs for Capital Equipment in the CPI
When considering project proposals for new processes in the chemical process industries (CPI), capital equipment costs often become the primary focus. The purpose of this article is to provide a...
View ArticleWhy Big Always Wins: Examining Economies of Scale
Bigger is better. That simple statement summarizes one of the fundamental principles of chemical engineering. All engineers need an occasional reminder of this truism and can be aided by a tactile...
View ArticleCalculations in Process Engineering
Engineering calculations are an essential part of process engineering. This article provides discussion that can help the both junior and senior design and process engineers to carry out engineering...
View ArticleCapital cost calculations, Postscripts, corrections
Capital cost calculations I recently read the article “Capital Costs Quickly Calculated” [ Chem. Eng., pp.46–52, April 2009] and find it extremely informative and useful. I have reservations about the...
View ArticleScaleup Options and Risk
Once a process is deemed commercially viable, engineering and business criteria determine the scaleup strategy, eventually arriving at full commercialization. Often constrained by cost and time,...
View ArticleConstruction-Cost Indices
Construction-cost indices are useful tools in cost estimation and are used to compare plant construction costs from one time period to another. Understanding them can help improve their accuracy and...
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