Documentation
Process design documents serve to define the design and they ensure that the design components fit together. They are useful in communicating ideas and plans to other engineers involved with the design, to external regulatory agencies, to equipment vendors and to construction contractors.
In order of increasing detail, process design documents include:
- Block Flow Diagrams (BFD): Very simple diagrams composed of rectangles and lines indicating major material or energy flows.
- Process Flow Diagrams (PFD's): Typically more complex diagrams of major unit operations as well as flow lines. They usually include a material balance, and sometimes an energy balance, showing typical or design flowrates, stream compositions, and stream and equipment pressures and temperatures.
- Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&ID's): Diagrams showing each and every pipeline with piping class (carbon steel or stainless steel) and pipe size (diameter). They also show valving along with instrument locations and process control schemes.
- Specifications: Written design requirements of all major equipment items.
Process designers also typically write operating manuals on how to start-up, operate and shut-down the process.
Documents are maintained after construction of the process facility for the operating personnel to refer to. The documents also are useful when modifications to the facility are planned.
A primary method of developing the process documents is process flowsheeting.
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