Pilot testing, often referred to as the “last mile” on the path from research and development to full industrial production in chemical projects, involves much more than a final step. Transitioning from pilot testing to industrialization requires a comprehensive set of preparations: finalizing the process route, simulating the entire chemical process flow, and calculating material and energy balances. It also demands an in-depth evaluation of start-up and shutdown scenarios, choosing auxiliary process routes (such as solvent recovery, bulk solid transport, high-melting-point material transfer, product purification, and utility systems), selecting and designing key equipment for reaction and separation, optimizing equipment layout and preliminary plant structure, deciding on the final setup (whether skid-mounted or traditional plant design), selecting instruments and planning for automation, drafting operating and analytical procedures, and preparing contingency plans and technical support for start-up and shutdown issues.Only with experienced engineers carefully considering and designing each of these aspects in advance can the entire chemical system run efficiently, safely, and reliably, providing robust support for chemical production. DODGEN is dedicated to incubating industrial technology and guiding clients through every step of the industrialization process, ensuring a smooth transition to large-scale production.
I. Process Design
1) Process Flow Determination: This includes selecting the appropriate production method, defining the raw material handling approach, and designing the reaction and separation processes. For instance, in chemical engineering design, process design requires selecting suitable reaction equipment and flow based on the catalyst and reaction conditions used in the lab-scale development phase, as well as industrial design experience, to ultimately convert raw materials into the target product.
2) Simulation Calculations for the Entire Process Flow: Advanced process simulation software is used to conduct simulation calculations for all involved processes. This is based on operating conditions, conversion rates, reaction times, and physical property data obtained from lab and pilot-scale testing, with adjustments made to the software’s physical property data accordingly. This process yields energy and material balance data, providing a foundation for the next steps in process design.
3) Equipment Selection and Layout: Based on process requirements, suitable chemical equipment is chosen, and the layout between equipment is designed to ensure smooth material transfer. For materials like solids and high-melting-point substances, shorter transfer paths are prioritized. Large-diameter pipelines require careful consideration in the initial equipment layout to ensure efficient and smooth production flow. Additionally, special attention is given to the lifting and maintenance of specific equipment, ensuring ease of installation and maintenance during subsequent operational stages. This includes deciding on the types of machinery to use, equipment placement, and material flow direction.
4) Safety Measures and Environmental Protection: During the design process, it is essential to consider safety issues, such as fire and explosion prevention. For processes involving highly toxic, high-temperature, or high-pressure conditions, careful attention is given to ensure worker safety during operation, and measures are taken to reduce environmental pollution during production.
5) Optimized Resource Utilization: Process design enables the optimization of raw material usage, reducing waste and improving resource efficiency. For example, in refining engineering, optimizing reaction conditions can increase raw material conversion rates and reduce by-product generation.
6) Control and Monitoring: The design process must also include the selection of instruments and the implementation of an efficient automated control system to ensure production stability and consistent product quality. Key process quality control points should be equipped with adequate sampling locations, and, when necessary, online analytical equipment can be used to monitor various parameters in real-time during production.
Process design determines the overall efficiency, product quality, and production cost of the entire production line. An excellent process design ensures smooth production, reduces energy and material consumption, and enhances the market competitiveness of the product.
II. Key Equipment Design
Based on the process design, the design of key equipment is central to ensuring the efficient operation of the production line. Key equipment typically includes reactors, separators, and compressors, with their design directly determining the capacity and stability of the production line. DODGEN has many years of experience in designing critical equipment for reaction and separation processes, with outstanding achievements in polymerization reactors, microreactors, falling film absorbers, packing and tower internals, melt crystallizers, falling film evaporators, and forced heat exchangers.
Equipment design includes:
1) Equipment Structure and Dimension Design
●Structure Design: Based on process requirements, material properties, and separation principles, design a suitable equipment structure. For example, for storage tanks and towers holding high-melting-point materials, add a jacket or half-pipe heating; for distillation columns with heat-sensitive materials, reduce the column base diameter to lower residence time.
●Dimension Design: Determine key dimensions such as the diameter, height, and wall thickness of the equipment to ensure it can hold sufficient material while meeting strength and stability requirements.
2) Material Selection and Strength Verification
●Material Selection: Choose appropriate materials based on the properties of the materials being processed (such as corrosiveness, temperature, pressure, etc.) and the operating environment of the equipment, such as stainless steel, titanium alloy, non-metallic materials, or carbon steel.
●Strength Verification: Perform strength verification to ensure that the equipment will not deform or rupture under working pressure, temperature, and other conditions.3) Fluid Dynamics Design
●Inlet Velocity: Design an appropriate inlet velocity to ensure uniform material entry into the equipment, avoiding local overloading or blockages. For materials with specific requirements, design an inlet distributor at the equipment inlet.
●Flow Velocity and Pressure Distribution: Optimize the internal flow velocity and pressure distribution within the equipment to enhance separation efficiency while reducing energy consumption and wear.
4) Control System and Automation Design
●Control System: Design a reliable control system to monitor the operating conditions of the equipment, such as temperature, pressure, and flow rate, and to enable automatic adjustments.
●Automation Design: For complex equipment, such as melt crystallizers, integrate automation technologies like PLC and DCS to enhance automation levels, reduce operational complexity, and lower labor costs.
5) Economic feasibility and Cost Analysis
●Economic feasibility Evaluation: Conduct a comprehensive assessment of the equipment's investment cost, operating cost, and maintenance cost to ensure economic feasibility.
●Cost Optimization: Reduce equipment costs by optimizing the design and selecting cost-effective materials and components.
III. Skid-mounted Design
Skid-mounted and modular design are key trends in the application of modern industrial technology. By breaking down complex production processes into multiple independent and interchangeable modules, construction time can be significantly shortened, costs reduced, and production flexibility improved. This design approach not only facilitates transportation and installation but also simplifies future maintenance and upgrades, providing the potential for rapid deployment and flexible adjustments of technology. Skid-mounted design includes:
1) Module Division:
●Based on process functional units, divide the system into multiple single-function units, forming a series of modular units.
●Assess the maximum size and weight of equipment within each individual module, while considering the feasibility of transportation and the convenience of on-site installation.
2) Pipeline and Equipment Integration:
●Design the pipelines within the module to be as contained within the module boundary as possible, with valves preferably welded directly to the piping for compact installation.
●Focus on integrating key equipment as the main component, with supporting equipment as auxiliary, including all associated pipelines, instruments, and valves, to facilitate subsequent skid assembly.
3) Electrical Instrumentation and Control System Integration:
●The control circuits for the module units and the electrical instrumentation circuits are pre-wired and orderly connected to the device control cabinet.
●After power is supplied on-site, simple debugging and confirmation are required before the system can be put into use.
4) Skid Design and Manufacturing:
●According to the process flow, all equipment, pipelines, instruments, etc., within each module unit are assembled into skids, forming multiple skid units.
●Determine the base dimensions, position of load-bearing beams, and steel structure model.
●On the steel structure base, determine the positions of pipe supports, aiming to minimize the pipeline connections between skids.
5) Transportation and Installation Considerations:
●The design should fully consider factors such as lifting and transportation, on-site installation, ease of operation, and maintenance.
● After the skid design drawings are completed, manufacturing and assembly will take place at the factory. Once finished, multiple tests will be conducted to ensure the quality and reliability of the skid.
IV. Turnkey Project
Turnkey Project Services refer to a comprehensive engineering service that includes the installation, commissioning, operation guidance, equipment maintenance, troubleshooting, and addressing bottlenecks as part of after-sales services.
●Equipment Installation: A professional installation team ensures that equipment is transported to the client's site by a designated carrier, with the materials and performance meeting quality standards. Installation and acceptance are carried out, with detailed records kept of each installation step to ensure completeness and traceability.
●Commissioning and Operation: The system is commissioned strictly according to procedures, including following the operating sequence and adjusting parameters as required. Every operation is recorded to ensure proper documentation and control.
●Personnel Training: To ensure the client can seamlessly take over and operate the production line, training is provided to help personnel master relevant technologies and operating methods.
●After-Sales Service: Similar to general technical licensing, after-sales services include equipment maintenance, troubleshooting, and resolving bottlenecks, ensuring the stable operation of the production line and continuous improvement.
DODGEN offers a full range of services from small-scale trials to pilot tests, industrial-scale production, including engineering technology development, process and equipment design, and key equipment manufacturing. The project undergoes long-term incubation and accumulation during the early phase, ensuring a smooth transition from theory to practice.
