(65c) Best Practices in Pilot Plant Layout

The way a pilot plant is laid out during construction affects its safety, operability and maintainability. Even more critical the initial layout is usually very costly and time consuming to modify later when problems are identified, if such modifications are even possible.  All too often this is an area addressed at the last moment as construction is ongoing or too casually during the design phase with attendant problems. Even seemingly simple areas like how a vessel is to be supported or what type orientation to specify for a pump’s head can have serious repercussions during layout.

This presentation will discuss the various approaches to laying out a pilot plant with their advantages and disadvantages. It will also give some guidelines as to what the author has found to be the “best practices” when positioning equipment. The presentation will also discuss common problem areas and suggest several approaches to be considered to address these issues.