DESIGN OF A 15,000 TONNES CAPACITY ACETONE

PRODUCTION PROCESS USING ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL AS

FEEDSTOCK

By

IMHANGUELO Victor Onosedeba ENG1202710

IDRISU Egbenya Mariam ENG1202698
ALE Rachel Oluwadamilola PG/ENG1613947

SUPERVISOR: ENGR DR N. A. AMENAGHAWON

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITY OF BENIN
BENIN CITY.

AUGUST, 2017
 DESIGN OF A 15,000 TONNES CAPACITY ACETONE
PRODUCTION PROCESS USING ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL AS
FEEDSTOCK

By

IMHANGUELO Victor Onosedeba ENG1202710

IDRISU Egbenya Mariam ENG1202698
ALE Rachel Oluwadamilola PG/ENG1613947

SUPERVISOR: ENGR DR N. A. AMENAGHAWON

A REPORT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF THE BACHELOR OF
ENGINEERING (B.ENG) DEGREE IN CHEMICAL
ENGINEERING.

AUGUST, 2017
 CERTIFICATION

This is to certify that this project work was done by IMHANGUELO Victor Onosedeba, IDRISU

Egbenya Mariam and ALE Rachel Oluwadamilola of the Department of Chemical Engineering,

Faculty of Engineering, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State.

……………………………. ………………………….

ENGR DR N. A. AMENAGHAWON. DATE

(SUPERVISOR)

…………………………………. …………………………………

ENGR. Dr. S.E. UWADIAE DATE

(HEAD OF DEPARTMENT)

………………………………………. …………………………………….

Mr. A.O. ODEH DATE

(DESIGN COORDINATOR)

i
 DEDICATION
This project work is dedicated to God Almighty, our source of life and inspiration and also to our
Parents, and our very supportive Siblings.

ii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We wish to express my utmost gratitude to my project design supervisor Engr Dr N. A.
Amenaghawon for his help and support during the course of the project.

We are also thankful to the HOD, Department of Chemical Engineering, Engr Dr. Uwadiae for his
great, awesome tenacious leadership and guidance through the course of this project design and
also the lecturers for their tutelage which made my stay in the university a great adventure that can
never be forgotten.

Finally, we would like to express my profound and sincere gratitude to our families for their
financial, moral, spiritual and constant support all through my stay in school and my siblings whose
love and prayers kept me going.

iii
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This design project employs aspen hysys software to simulate the optimization of the reaction side
of a catalytic dehydrogenation plant which produces acetone and hydrogen from isopropyl alcohol.
In this project, the process employed was for the decomposition of isopropyl alcohol to produce
15,344 tons/year (1918kg/hr) of acetone produced after the reaction process using a reactant feed
of 19, 200tons/year (2400kg/hr) of isopropyl alcohol and water, with a 99.5% purity and 90%
product yield. The design specification for the equipment is shown in the main report. The working
hours of the plant is to be approximately 8000hours (330 days), this is to give room for plant
maintenance. The material and energy balances were carried out for various equipment accounting
for conversion, heat lost, and heat gained. The safety and cost analysis was done giving favourable
results and economically beneficial.

iv
 TABLE OF CONTENT
Certification …………………………………………………………………… i
Dedication …………………………………………………………………….. i1
Acknowledgement ……………………………………………………………... v
Table of content ...………………………………………………………………... vi
Executive summary ……………………………………………………………... vii

CHAPTER ONE: Introduction …………………………………………………... 1

CHAPTER TWO: Literature Review ……………………………………………. 3
CHAPTER THREE: Process Description ……………………………………………. 13
CHAPTER FOUR: Material and Energy balance ……………………………………. 18
CHAPTER FIVE: Equipment Design ……………………………...…………… 20
CHAPTER SIX: Economic Analysis ……………………………………………. 26
CHAPTER SEVEN: Safety Measure ……………………………………………. 35
CHAPTER EIGHT: Plant Layout ……………………………………………. 38
CHAPTER NINE: Conclusion …………………………………………….. 45

Reference ………………………………………………………………….. vi
Appendix ……………………………………………………………………. viii

v
 LIST OF TABLES

Table Title Page

2.1 Physical and Chemical Properties of Acetone 5

2.2 Properties of Isopropyl Alcohol 10

4.1 Operating Conditions for the different streams 18

4.2 Molar composition of component in each stream 19

4.3 Summary of the energy streams 19

5.1 Design of pump 20

5.2 Design of Heat exchanger 20

5.3 Design of Separator 21

5.4 Design of fired heater 22

5.5 Design of plug flow reactor 23

5.6 Shortcut Distillation Column 24

6.1 Plant specification 25

6.2 APEA result summary. 27

6.3 Unit operation cost analysis 28

6.4 Discounted cash inflow at 15% rate. 30

6.5 Discounted cash inflow at 18% rate. 31

6.6 Discounted cash inflow at 48% rate. 32

vi
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Acetone (dimethyl ketone, 2-propane, CH3COCH3), with molecular formula 58.08g/mole (Allen,
P. W, 1952), is the simplest and the most important of the ketones. It is colourless, mobile,
flammable liquid with a mildly pungent and somewhat aromatic odour. It is miscible in all
proportions with water and with organic solvents such as ether, methanol, ethyl alcohol, and esters.
Acetone is used as a solvent for cellulose acetate and nitrocellulose, as carrier for acetylene and as
a raw material for the chemical synthesis of a wide range of products such as ketene, methyl
methacrylate, bisphenol A, diacetone alcohol mesityl oxide, methyl isobutyl ketone, hexylene
glycol ( 2-methyl-2, 4-pentanediol ), and isophorone (Stylianos Sifniades and Alan Levy, 2005).

Acetone also occurs naturally in plants, trees, forest fires, vehicle exhaust and as a breakdown
product of animal fat metabolism. It is normally present in very small quantities in urine and blood;
larger amounts may be found in the urine and blood of diabetics. Acetone is toxic in high doses.

Acetone is produced in various ways;

i. The Cumene Hydroperoxide Process for Phenol and Acetone.

ii. Isopropyl Alcohol Dehydrogenation.
iii. Direct Oxidation of Hydrocarbons to a Number of Oxygenated Products including
Acetone;
iv. Catalytic Oxidation of Isopropyl Alcohol.
v. Acetone as a By-Product of the Propylene Oxide Process Used by Oxirane
vi. The Diisopropylbenzene Process for Hydroquinone (or Resoreinol) and Acetone.

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

Acetone is typically produced in commercial quantities as a by-product during the formation of

phenol. However, acetone manufactured thus generally contains small amounts of the reactant
benzene and the desired product phenol. In the past, these impurities were deemed to be within

1
allowable limits. However, recent downward revisions of these limits by the US Food and Drug
Administration has made alternative processes (which do not involve benzene) more attractive.

1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES

This design project aims at designing an alternative process to produce 15,000 metric tons of
acetone per year, using isopropyl alcohol as the reactant. The objectives to be achieved include:
i. To analyze a simplified acetone production process,
ii. To suggest profitable operating conditions, and
iii. To write a final report summarizing your findings.

1.4 SCOPE OF THE DESIGN PROJECT

The isopropanol (IPA) with water is heated, vaporized, and superheated and then sent to the reactor
where acetone is formed. The reactor effluent is cooled and partially condensed and it is then sent
to a separation unit in order to separate acetone from the other products.
The desired acetone production rate is 15,000 metric tons/year.

1.5 RELEVANCE OF THE DESIGN PROJECT

This Design Project is relevant as it describes an alternative way of commercially producing high
quality acetone which does not involve benzene.

2
 CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 INTRODUCTION TO ACETONE PRODUCTION

Acetone was first produced by alchemists during the late middle Ages via the dry distillation of
metal acetates (e.g., lead acetate, which produced "spirit of Saturn" (since the alchemical symbol
for lead was also the astrological symbol for the planet Saturn)).
Acetone is miscible with water and serves as an important solvent in its own right, typically for
cleaning purposes in the laboratory. About 6.7 million tons were produced worldwide in 2010,
mainly for use as a solvent and production of methyl methacrylate and bisphenol A. It is a common
building block in organic chemistry. Familiar household uses of acetone are as the active ingredient
in nail polish remover, and as paint thinner.
Virtually every organ and tissue within the human body contains some acetone which is one of
three biochemicals collectively referred to as ketone bodies. Acetone is produced within the body
as a result of the breakdown and utilization of stored fats and lipids as a source of energy.
Consequently, conditions such as strenuous physical exercise and prolonged dieting, which lead
to a break-down of fat within the body, may result in higher than average amounts of acetone in
the bloodstream (Williamson and Whitelaw, 1978). Measurable amounts of acetone are
continuously being excreted in the breath and urine of humans as a result of its high volatility and
solubility in water (Wigaeus et al., 1981).
Although acetone occurs naturally in the environment in plants, trees, volcanic gases, forest fires,
and as a product of the breakdown of body fat, the majority of the acetone released into the
environment is of industrial origin. Acetone evaporates rapidly, even from water and soil. Once in
the atmosphere, it has a 22-day half-life and is degraded by UV light via photolysis (primarily into
methane and ethane) (Darwent, 1960). Consumption by microorganisms contributes to the
dissipation of acetone in soil, animals, or waterways. Acetone may pose a significant risk of
oxygen depletion in aquatic systems due to the microbial consumption.

2.2 PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

The physical and chemical properties of acetone are given in Table 2.1. The physical properties of
acetone, such as high evaporation rate, low viscosity, and miscibility with water and several

3
organic solvents make it suitable for use as a solvent (Krasavage et al. 1982). Because of its ability
to undergo addition, oxidation/reduction, and condensation reactions, acetone is used as a raw
material in the chemical synthesis of many commercial products (Nelson and Webb 1978).

Table 2.1: Physical and Chemical Properties of Acetone

Appearance; Liquid, Clear

Molecular wt; 58.079

Colour; colourless

Density/specific gravity 0.79˚C: 20

Melting point -94.6˚C

Boiling point 56.13˚C (at 760mmhg)

Vapour pressure 24.7 KP at temperature (˚C): 20

Evaporation rate 0.6

Volatile by vol. (%) 10

Solubility description Miscible with water

Solubility value 100

Auto Ignition Temp (˚C) 540

Flammability limit (lower) 2.1

Flammability limit (upper) 13

2.3 STABILITY AND REACTIVITY

Stability: Stable under normal conditions.

4
Conditions to Avoid: Avoid contact with strong oxidizing agent, acids, heat, flames and other
sources of ignition.
Materials to avoid: Potassium sulphate, sodium hydroxide, sulphuric acid, Nitric acid, hydrogen
peroxide, chloroform, activated carbon, Bromine.
Hazardous decomposition product: Thermal decomposition or burning may release oxides of
carbon and other hazardous gases or vapours.

2.4 USES OF ACETONE

About a third of the world’s acetone is used as a solvent, and a quarter is consumed as a precursor
to methyl methacrylate.

Solvent Use: Acetone is a good solvent for most plastics and synthetic fibers including those used
in laboratory bottles used for polystyrene, polycarbonates and some type of polypropylene. It is
ideal for thinning fiberglass resin, cleaning fiberglass tools and dissolving two-part epoxides and
superglue before hardening. It is used as a volatile component of some paints and varnishes. It is
also used for high reliability soldering applications to remove solder resin when soldering is
complete. This helps to prevent rusty bolt effect from occurring due to dirty solder contacts.

Many millions of kilograms of acetone are consumed in the production of the solvents methyl
isobutyl alcohol and methyl isobutyl ketone. These products arise via an initial aldol condensation
to give diacetone alcohol (Stylianos Sifniades and Alan Levy, 2005). Acetone is also used as a
solvent by the pharmaceutical industry and as a denaturation agent in denatured alcohol (Weiner,
1999). Acetone is also present as an excipient in some pharmaceutical products.

Storage of acetylene: Although flammable itself, acetone is also used extensively as a solvent for
the safe transporting and storing of acetylene, which cannot be safely pressurized as a pure
compound. Vessels containing a porous material are first filled with acetone followed by acetylene,
which dissolves into the acetone. One liter of acetone can dissolve around 250 litters of acetylene.

Medical and cosmetic uses: Acetone is used for a variety of general medical and cosmetic
applications and it is also listed as a component in food additive and food packaging.

5
Acetone is commonly used in chemical peeling. Common agents used today for chemical peeling
are salicylic acid, glycolic acid, 30% salicylic acid in ethanol and trichloroacetic acid (TCA).
Acetone, septisol or a combination of these agents is used to clean skin properly and remove excess
fat.

Laboratory uses: In the laboratory, acetone is used as a polar aprotic solvent in a variety of
organic reactions. The use of acetone solvent is also critical for the jones oxidation. It is a common
solvent for rinsing laboratory glassware because of its low cost and volatility. However, it does
not form an azeotrope in water. Despite its common use as a supposed drying agent, it is not
effective except by bulk displacement and dilution. Acetone can be cooled by dry ice to -78˚C
without freezing. Acetone is fluorescent under ultraviolet light, and its vapour may be used as
fluorescent tracer in fluid flow experiments (Lozano et al, 1992).

Domestic and other niche uses: Acetone is often the primary component in cleaning agents such
as nail polish removal. Ethyl acetate, and other organic solvent, is sometimes used as well. Acetone
is a component of superglue remover and it easily removes residues from glass and porcelain.
It can be an artistic agent; when rubbed on the back of a laser print or photocopy placed faced-
down on another surface and burnished firmly, the toner of the image transfers to destination
surface. Make-up artist use acetone to remove skin adhesive from the netting of wigs and
moustaches by immersing the item in an acetone bath, the removing the oftened glue residue with
a stiff brush.
Some automotive enthusiasts add acetone at around 1 part in 500 to their fuel, following claims of
dramatic improvement in fuel economy and engine life. This practice is controversial as the body
of systematic testing shows that acetone has no measurable effect or may in fact reduce engine life
by adversely affecting fuel system parts.

2.5 COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF ACETONE

Worldwide production capacity of acetone was 3.8 million tonnes in 1995 with the actual volume
produced being somewhat less at 3.7 million tonnes (Bizzari, 1996). Production capacity in the

6
United States constituted about 33% (1.3 million tonnes) of the global capacity, while the capacity
in Western Europe and Asia (including Japan) was about 31% (1.2 million tonnes) and 19% (0.7
million tonnes), respectively. The average annual production of acetone is expected to rise at a
global rate of 3.3%.
Major end uses of acetone can be divided into three separate categories. These include use as:
i) A chemical feedstock,
ii) a formulating solvent for commercial products, and
iii) An industrial process solvent.
The majority of worldwide production is used as a feed-stock to prepare methyl
methacrylate/methacrylic acid and Bisphenol A (Bizzari, 1996). Several aldol chemicals, such as
methyl isobutyl ketone, methyl isobutyl carbinol, isophorone, and diacetone alcohol, are also
prepared directly from nascent acetone. Acetone has many favorable properties that make it useful
as a formulating solvent for a variety of paints, inks, resins, varnishes, lacquers, surface coatings,
paint removers, and automotive care products. As an industrial process solvent, acetone is used to
manufacture cellulose acetate yarn, polyurethane foam, vitamin C, and smokeless gun powder. At
least 75% of the acetone consumed in 1995 was used in captive processes for the preparation of
downstream chemicals, while only about 12% was used as a formulating solvent for commercial
products.
Large-scale commercial production of acetone is generally accomplished by one of two processes.
The first, and by far the most common, is through the acid catalyzed hydro-lytic cleavage of
cumene hydroperoxide (Bizzari, 1996). Acetone and phenol are formed as co-products in this
reaction at a ratio of 0.61 to 1.00.
The second process, catalytic dehydrogenation of isopropyl alcohol, accounted for about 6% of
the US production in 1995. Other methods, such as bio fermentation, propylene oxidation, and
diisopropyl-benzene oxidation, are either experimental in nature or account for a very small
percentage of worldwide production.

2.5.1 The Cumene Hydroperoxide Process for Phenol and Acetone

Acetone is produced directly or indirectly from propene. Most commonly, in the cumene process,
benzene is alkylated with propene and the resulting cumene (isopropylbenzene) is oxidized to give
phenol and acetone:

7
 C6H5 CH (CH3)2 + O2 → C6H5OH + OC (CH3)2
Cumene Oxygen Phenol Acetone

This conversion entails the intermediacy of cumene hydroperoxide, C6H5C (OOH) (CH3)2.

C6H5 CH (CH3)2 + O2 → C6H5 C (CH3)2OOH

Cumene Oxygen Cumene hydroperoxide

C6H5 C (CH3)2OOH → C6H5OH + CH3COCH3

Cumene hydroperoxide Phenol Acetone

However, acetone manufactured thus generally contains small amounts of the reactant benzene
and the desired product phenol. In the past, these impurities were deemed to be within allowable
limits.

2.5.2 Isopropyl Alcohol Dehydrogenation

However, the process used here uses isopropyl alcohol (IPA) as the raw material. This is a viable
commercial alternative, and a few plants operate using this process. The primary advantage of this
process is that the acetone produced is free from trace aromatic compounds, particularly benzene.
For this reason, acetone produced from IPA is favored by the pharmaceutical industry due to the
very tight restrictions placed on solvents by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The
reaction to produce acetone from IPA is given below:

(CH3)2CHOH  (CH3)2CO + H2

Isopropyl Alcohol Acetone Hydrogen

In this project, a process for producing acetone by this method is designed.

8
2.6 MAJOR RAW MATERIAL - ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL
Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) is an organic compound with the formula (CH3)2 CH (OH). This clear,
colorless liquid is widely used as a solvent. It is a flammable chemical compound with a
strong odor. As a propyl group linked to a hydroxyl group, it is the simplest example of a secondary
alcohol, where the alcohol carbon atom is attached to two other carbon atoms, sometimes shown
as (CH3)2CHOH. It is a structural isomer of 1-propanol. It has a wide variety of industrial and
household uses, and is a common ingredient in chemicals such as antiseptics, disinfectants and
detergents.
2.6.1 Other Names
CAS 67-63-0, IPA Isopropanol, 2-Propanol, Propan-2-ol, 2-Propyl Alcohol, 2-
Hydroxypropane, 1-Methylethanol.
2.6.2 Typical Properties
Isopropyl alcohol is miscible in water, ethanol, ether, and chloroform. It will dissolve ethyl
cellulose, polyvinyl butyral, many oils, alkaloids, gums and natural resins (Doolittle et al, 1954).
Unlike ethanol or methanol, isopropyl alcohol is not miscible with salt solutions and can be
separated from aqueous solutions by adding a salt such as sodium chloride. The process is
colloquially called salting out, and causes concentrated isopropyl alcohol to separate into a distinct
layer.

Table 2.2: Properties of Isopropyl Alcohol

Properties

Chemical formula C3H8O

Molar mass 60.10 g·mol−1

Appearance Colorless liquid

Density 0.786 g/cm3 (20 °C)

Melting point −89 °C (−128 °F; 184 K)

9
 Boiling point 82.6 °C (180.7 °F; 355.8 K)

Solubility in water miscible in water

Solubility miscible in benzene, chloroform, ethanol, ether, glycerin

soluble in acetone

Acidity (pKa) 16.5 (Reeve, et al 1979)

Magnetic susceptibility (χ) -45.794·10−6 cm3/mol

Refractive index (nD) 1.3776

Viscosity (Yaws, C.L, 1999). 2.86 cP at 15 °C

1.96 cP at 25 °C
1.77 cP at 30 °C

2.6.3 Uses of Isopropyl Alcohol

In 1990, 45 thousand tonnes of isopropyl alcohol were used in the United States. The vast majority
of isopropyl alcohol was used as a solvent for coatings or for industrial processes. In that year, 5.4
thousand tonnes were consumed for household use and in personal care products. Isopropyl
alcohol in particular is popular for pharmaceutical applications (Papa, 2005), it is presumed due
to the low toxicity of any residues. Some isopropyl alcohol is used as a chemical intermediate.
Isopropyl alcohol may be converted to acetone, but the cumene process is more significant. It is
also used as a gasoline additive (Papa, 2005).

As solvent: Isopropyl alcohol dissolves a wide range of non-polar compounds. It also evaporates
quickly, leaves nearly zero oil traces, compared to ethanol, and is relatively non-toxic, compared
to alternative solvents. Thus, it is used widely as a solvent and as a cleaning fluid, especially for
dissolving oils. Together with ethanol, n-butanol, and methanol, it belongs to the group of alcohol
solvents, about 6.4 million tonnes of which were utilized worldwide in 2011. Examples of this
application include cleaning electronic devices such as contact pins (like those
on ROM cartridges), magnetic tape and disk heads (such as those in audio and video tape recorders

10
and floppy disk drives), the lenses of lasers in optical disc drives (e.g., CD, DVD) and
removing thermal paste from heat sinks and IC packages (such as CPUs).

As Intermediate: Isopropyl alcohol is esterified to give isopropyl acetate, another solvent. It reacts
with carbon disulfide and sodium hydroxide to give sodium isopropylxanthate, an herbicide and
an ore flotation reagent. Isopropyl alcohol reacts with titanium tetrachloride and aluminium metal
to give titanium and aluminium isopropoxides, respectively, the former a catalyst, and the latter a
chemical reagent (Papa, 2005).

This compound may serve as a chemical reagent in itself, by acting as a dihydrogen donor
in transfer hydrogenation.

In Medical Discipline: Rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting pads typically contain a
60–70% solution of isopropyl alcohol in water. Water is required to open up membrane pores of
bacteria, which acts as a gateway inside for isopropyl. A 75% volume solution in water may be
used as a hand sanitizer. Isopropyl alcohol is used as a water-drying aid for the prevention of otitis
externa, better known as swimmer's ear.

Early uses as an anesthetic: Although isopropyl alcohol can be technically used for anesthesia,
its many negative drawbacks prohibit this use. Isopropyl alcohol can also be used similarly to ether
as a solvent or as an anesthetic by inhaling the fumes or orally. Early uses included using the
solvent as general anesthetic for small mammals and rodents by scientists and some veterinarians.
However, it was soon discontinued, as many complications arose, including respiratory irritation,
internal bleeding, and visual and hearing problems. In rare cases, respiratory failure leading to
death in animals was observed.

Automotive: Isopropyl alcohol is a major ingredient in "gas dryer" fuel additives. In significant
quantities water is a problem in fuel tanks as it separates from the gasoline and can freeze in the
supply lines at cold temperatures. Alcohol does not remove water from gasoline; rather, the alcohol
solubilizes water in gasoline. Once soluble, water does not pose the same risk as insoluble water,
as it will no longer accumulate in the supply lines and freeze, but will be consumed along with the
fuel itself. Isopropyl alcohol is often sold in aerosol cans as a windshield or door lock deicer.
Isopropyl alcohol is also used to remove brake fluid traces from hydraulic braking systems, so that
the brake fluid (usually DOT 3, DOT 4, or mineral oil) does not contaminate the brake pads, which
would result in poor braking.

11
Laboratory: As a biological specimen preservative, isopropyl alcohol provides a comparatively
non-toxic alternative to formaldehyde and other synthetic preservatives. Isopropyl alcohol
solutions of 70–99% are used to preserve specimens. Isopropyl alcohol is often used in DNA
extraction. It is added to a DNA solution in order to precipitate the DNA which then forms a pellet
after centrifugation. This is possible because DNA is insoluble in isopropyl alcohol.

12
 CHAPTER 3

PROCESS DESCRIPTION

3.1 PROCESS NOTES

The prevalent process for the production of acetone is as a by-product of the manufacture of
phenol. Benzene is alkylated to cumene which is further oxidized to cumene hydroperoxide and
finally cleaved to yield phenol and acetone. However, the process used here uses isopropyl alcohol
(IPA) as the raw material. This is a viable commercial alternative, and a few plants operate using
this process. The primary advantage of this process is that the acetone produced is free from trace
aromatic compounds, particularly benzene. For this reason, acetone produced from IPA is favored
by the pharmaceutical industry due to the very tight restrictions placed on solvents by the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA). The reaction to produce acetone from IPA is given below:

(CH3)2CHOH  (CH3)2CO + H2
Isopropyl Alcohol Acetone

The reaction conditions are typically around 2 bar and 350°C. At these conditions, single-pass
conversions of 85-92 % are possible and a single-pass conversion of 90% is used.

3.2 PROCESS DESCRIPTION

Figure 3.1 is a preliminary process flow diagram (PFD) for the acetone production process. The
raw material is isopropanol. The isopropanol (IPA) feed is a near azeotropic mixture with water at
88 wt. % IPA and 12 wt. % water at 25°C and 1 atm. The feed is first combined with recycle stream
(stream 21) in a mixer (MIX- 101). The combined feed (stream 22) is pressurized, heated,
vaporized, and superheated in a pump (P- 100), heat exchanger (E-100) and furnace (FH- 100),
and it is then sent to the plug flow reactor (PFR-100) in which acetone is formed (conversion of
86.35% was achieved). The reactor effluent is cooled and partially condensed in a heat exchanger
(E-101), and it is then sent to a separation unit (V- 100) in which most of the light gas (hydrogen)
enters Stream 7 while the remaining components (acetone, IPA, and water) is distributed between
stream 7 and 8. Some of the acetone in Stream 7 is recovered by absorbing it with pure water in
adsorber column (T-100). Top product from adsorber column (stream 11) is further cooled in a

13
heat exchanger (E- 102) and sent to a separation unit (V- 101) where pure acetone is further
removed in other to produce an off gas stream of about 95 mol. % light gas (hydrogen gas).
Components in stream 8 from separation unit (V- 100), stream 10 from adsorber column (T- 100)
and stream 14 from separation vessel (V- 101) is then mixed in a mixer (MIX- 100). The combined
product in stream 15 is then sent to a distillation column (T- 101). The top product stream (stream
17) contained 99.5 mol. % acetone while the bottom product stream (stream 18) is sent to another
distillation column to produce a top product stream (stream 19) of 88 wt. % IPA and 12 wt. %
water and a bottom stream of pure water (stream 20). Stream 19 is then recycled into the process
as stream 21. Stream 17, which contained 99.5 mol. % acetone, is then cooled to about 26oC in a
heat exchanger (E- 103). The desired acetone production rate is 15,000 metric tons/year.

3.3 PROCESS DETAILS

3.3.1 Feed Streams
Stream 1: isopropyl alcohol, liquid, 88 wt. % IPA, 12 wt. % water, 1 atm, and 25°C.
Stream 9: process water, 3 bar, 30°C.

3.3.2 Effluent Streams

Off gas Stream: Off-gas stream to incinerator, gas contains 95 mol. % hydrogen in the stream.
Acetone Stream: Acetone product, liquid contains 99.5 mol. % acetone in the stream.
Stream 20: Waste water stream, liquid contains 100 mol. % water.

3.3.3 Equipments
Mixer (Mix- 101)
A mixer mixes the feed stream and recycle stream (stream 21) to produce stream 22 which is fed
to the pump

Pump (P- 100)

A pump increases the pressure of stream 22 to the indicated pressure (2.2 bar) in stream 2.

Heat Exchanger (E- 100)

This unit heats, vaporizes, and superheats stream 2 to 235°C at 2.2 bar in stream 3.

14
Fired Heater (FH-100):
This unit heats components in stream 3 to temperature of 450oC at indicated pressure in stream 4.
Energy is supplied by combustion of natural gas in air. Natural gas is assumed to be 96% methane
and the rest ethane.

Reactor (R- 100):

Following development of a new catalyst, only the following reaction occurs:

(CH3)2CHOH  (CH3)2CO + H2
Isopropyl Alcohol Acetone
The reactor exit pressure is 1.9 bar. The reaction is endothermic with the products (stream 5)
exiting at a much lower temperature (147oC). A reaction conversion of 86.35% is observed.

Heat Exchanger (E-101):

This unit cools and partially condenses the reactor effluent (Stream 5). None of the hydrogen
condenses. The exit pressure of 1.5 bar and exit temperature of 45°C in stream 6 was achieved by
using cooling water (cw).

Separation Vessel (V-100):

This unit disengages the vapor and liquid effluent from E-101. In this separator, all hydrogen in
stream 6 enters the vapor phase, Stream 7. All other components distribute according to the
appropriate property model you choose at the temperature and pressure of E-101.

Absorber (T-100):
Here, additional acetone is recovered by absorption of stream 7 into pure process water. The
absorber operates at the same temperature and pressure as V-100. Stream 11 contains all of the
hydrogen and the acetone, IPA and water which are not in Stream 10.

Heat Exchanger (E-102):

This unit cools stream 11 to 15oC, and the pressure is to 300 kpa in stream 12.
Separation Vessel (V-100):

15
This unit disengages the vapor and liquid effluent from E-102. In this separator, all hydrogen in
the stream 12 enters the vapor phase, that is the off gas stream to form 94.4 % of the stream. More
Acetone, IPA and water are separated into stream 14.

Mixer (Mix- 101)

A mixer mixes stream 8, stream 10 and stream 14 to produce stream 15 which is fed to the short
cut distillation column (T- 101), Acetone column.

Short cut Distillation Column (T-101) - Acetone Column:

In this distillation column, the acetone, IPA, and water in Stream 15 are separated. The column
operates at 1.5 bar. The acetone produced is 99.9 mol% pure and 99.5 mol% of the acetone in the
stream 15 is recovered in Stream 18. Stream 17 contains most of the water and IPA from Stream
15.

Heat Exchanger (E-103):

This unit cools stream 18 to 26oC, and the pressure is to 150 kpa in Acetone stream. All acetone
is condensed to liquid phase and can be stored in a pressurized tank.

Short cut Distillation Column (T-102) - IPA Column:

In this distillation column, water is separated from stream 17. The column is operated at 1.5 bar.
The composition of stream 19 is (88 wt. % IPA and 12 wt. % water). This stream is recycled as
stream 21 which then combines with the feed stream (stream 1). Stream 20 is composed only of
water.

16
 CHAPTER 4
MATERIAL AND ENERGY BALANCE

4.1 MATERIAL BALANCES

Desired acetone production rate = 15 000 tons/ year.
Feed Stream (Stream 1) = 51.13 kmol/hr (2400 kg/hr) (88% IPA 12% water)
Let number of working hours in a year be 8000 hours per year
(8000/8760 x 100 = 91.3% efficiency)
8000
2400 kg/hr to tons/year 𝑋 (1000) = 19 200 tons/year
Table 4.1: Operating Conditions for the different streams
Operating Conditions

Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 10

Pressure [kPa] 101 220 220 220 190 150 150 150 500 150 150

Temperature 25 67 235 450 147 45 45 45 30 55 49

[C]
Mole Flow 51.13 58.85 58.85 58.85 93.77 93.77 54.73 39.04 39.04 51.85 30.64
(kmol/hr)
Mass Flow 2400 2762 2762 2762 2762 2762 1117 1646 500 848 769
[kg/h]
Vapor / Phase 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0
Fraction

Name 15 18 17 12 OFF 14 ACETONE 19 20 21 22

GAS STREAM
Pressure [kPa] 150 150 150 300 300 300 150 150 150 150 101

Temperature 41 68 94 15 15 15 26 90 111 90 67
[C]
Mole Flow 84.56 33.2 51.35 51.85 36.97 14.88 33.2 7.787 43.57 7.718 58.85
(kmol/hr)
Mass Flow 3078 1928 1150 848 184 664 1928 365 785 362 2762
[kg/h]
Vapor / Phase 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0
Fraction

18
Table 4.2: Molar composition of component in each stream

Components 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Water 0.3127 0.3127 0.3127 0.3127 0.1962 0.1962 0.0487 0.403 1 1 0.0994

IPA 0.6873 0.6873 0.6873 0.6873 0.0589 0.0589 0.0216 0.1111 0 0 0.0077

Acetone 0 0 0 0 0.3724 0.3724 0.2917 0.4857 0 0 0.2195

Hydrogen gas 0 0 0 0 0.3724 0.3724 0.638 0.0001 0 0 0.6735

Off Gas Acetone

Components 12 Stream 14 15 Stream 17 18 19 20 21 22

Water 0.0994 0.0041 0.3362 0.544 0 0.8958 0 0.3127 1 0.3127 0.3127

IPA 0.0077 0.0005 0.0255 0.0651 0.0046 0.1042 0.0046 0.6873 0 0.6873 0.6873

Acetone 0.2195 0.0511 0.6378 0.3907 0.995 0 0.995 0 0 0 0

Hydrogen gas 0.6735 0.9445 0.0004 0.0001 0.0004 0 0.0004 0 0 0 0

Acetone in acetone stream = 33.04 kmol/hr (1918 kg/hr) (0.995 X 33.2)

Now, converting 1918 kg/hr to tons/year
Let number of working hours in a year be 8000 hours per year
(8000/8760 x 100 = 91.3% efficiency)

8000
1918 kg/hr to tons/year 𝑋 (1000) = 15 344 tons/year of acetone produced.

4.2 ENERGY BALANCE

The table below shows a summary of the energy streams of the Acetone production process
Table 4.3: Summary of the energy streams

Unit Q1 Q10 Q11 Q30 Q31

Heat
Flow kJ/h 592.5076 4752261 6061052 1546657 1909369

19
 CHAPTER 5

EQUIPMENT DESIGN

5.1 PUMP

Table 5.1 Design of pump

User tag number P-100

Equipment mapped from 'P-
Remarks 1 100
Casing material Carbon steel

Liquid flow rate [GPM] 18.135442

Fluid head [FEET] 53.899235
Fluid specific gravity 0.737657
Design gauge pressure
[PSIG] 35.304
Design temperature [DEG
F] 250
Fluid viscosity [CPOISE] 0.644217
Pump efficiency
[PERCENT] 75
Allow resize

5.2 HEAT EXCHANGERS

Table 5.2 Design of Heat exchanger

Heat Exchanger
Name E-100 E-101 E-102 E-103
Duty [kJ/h] 3349320.49 1963931.65 617814.19 1128272.75
UA [kJ/C-h] 43086.20 49855.49 50253.31 69439.11

20
 Control UA [kJ/C-h] 43086.20 49855.49 50253.31 69439.11
Tube Side Pressure Drop [kPa] 0.00 40.00 -150.00 0.00
Shell Side Pressure Drop [kPa] 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Tube Side Delta T [C] 167.89 -101.93 -39.63 -42.08
Shell Side Delta T [C] -6.27 12.89 6.32 11.44
Uncorrected LMTD [C] 80.49 46.02 16.38 21.48
LMTD [C] 77.74 39.39 12.29 16.25
Ft Factor 0.97 0.86 0.75 0.76
Wall Time Constant [seconds] - - - -
Tube Side Zones 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
Shell Side Zones 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
Tube Side Volume [m3] 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10
Shell Side Volume [m3] 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10
Heat Trans. Area [m2] 60.32 60.32 60.32 60.32
Shell UA Reference Flow [kg/h] - - - -
Tube UA Reference Flow [kg/h] - - - -
Minimum Flow Scale Factor 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Shell side U [kJ/h-m2-C] - - - -
Tube side U [kJ/h-m2-C] - - - -
Overall U [kJ/h-m2-C] 714.31 826.54 833.13 1151.21
Carbon Carbon Carbon Carbon
Material of Construction steel steel steel steel

5.3 SEPARATOR

Fig 5.3 Design of Separator

User tag number V-100 V-101

21
 Equipment mapped from Equipment mapped from
Remarks 1 'V-100'. 'V-101'.
Liquid volume [GALLONS] 634.560878 634.560878
Vessel diameter [FEET] 3 3
Vessel tangent to tangent height
[FEET] 12 12
Design gauge pressure [PSIG] 35.304 35.304
Vacuum design gauge pressure
[PSIG]
Design temperature [DEG F] 250 70
Operating temperature [DEG F] 113 59
Material of Construction Carbon steel Carbon steel

5.4 FIRED HEATER

Fig 5.4 Design of fired heater

Fired Heater
Name FH-100
Number of Radiant Zone Streams 1
Number of Convective Zone 0
Streams
Number of Economizer Zone 0
Streams
Number of Radiant Zone Tubes 20
Ambient Temperature [C] 25
Rad Fluid Pressure Drop -
Furnace Pressure Drop [kPa] -
Duty to Tubes [kJ/h] -
Oxygen Efficiency [%] 100
Tube Inner Area [m3] 0.471744663

22
 Tube Outer Area [m2] 24.25812183
Tube Inner Volume [m3] 0.471744663
Shell Inner Diameter [m] 1.7
Shell Outer Diameter [m] 2
Shell Thickness [m] -
Zone Height [m] 4.28
Shell Inner Area [m2] 22.85822815
Shell Outer Area [m2] 26.89203311
Shell Net Volume [m3] 9.098590668
Shell Total Volume [m3] 9.714746963

5.5 PLUG FLOW REACTOR

Fig 5.5 Design of plug flow reactor

Plug Flow Reactor

Name PFR-100
Pressure Drop [kPa] 30
Reactor Volume [m3] 3.55
Tube Length [m] 2
Tube Diameter [m] 1.5
Void Volume [m3] 1.775
Particle Diameter [m] 0.0001
Particle Sphericity 0.55
Solid Density [kg/m3] 2500
Solid Heat Capacity
[kJ/kg-C] 250
Number of Tubes 1.00444453
Minimum Step Fraction 1.00E-06

23
 Minimum Step Length
[m] 2.00E-06
Number of Segments 20
Wall Thickness [m] 0.005
Bulk Density [kg/m3] 1250

5.6 SHORTCUT DISTILLATION COLUMN

Fig 5.6 Shortcut Distillation Column

Shortcut Column
Name T-101 T-102
Minimum Reflux 0.99 1.11
External Reflux 5.00 5.00
Minimum Trays 28.00 12.94
Actual Trays 33.37 15.73
Optimal Feed 0.12 0.01
Rectify Vapour Flow
[kgmole/h] 199.21 46.72
Rectify Liquid Flow [kgmole/h] 166.01 38.93
Stripping Vapour Flow
[kgmole/h] 199.21 46.72
Stripping Liquid Flow
[kgmole/h] 250.56 90.29
Light Key Mole Frac 0.00 0.00
Heavy Key Mole Frac 0.0046 0.3127
Condenser Pressure [kPa] 150.00 150.00
Reboiler Pressure [kPa] 150.00 150.00
Condenser Temperature [C] 68.08 90.25

24
Reboiler Temperature [C] 93.80 111.38
- -
Condenser Duty [kJ/h] 4752261.35 1546716.38
Reboiler Duty [kJ/h] 6061052.94 1909429.18

25
 CHAPTER 6

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

6.1 THE PRICES OF PRODUCT

The main product that is produced from this plant is Acetone.

The cost for acetone is $0.88/kg. Molecular weight of Acetone is 58 kg/kmol.

The cost for IPA is $0.72/kg IPA in the feed solution. Molecular weight of IPA is 60 kg/kmol.

Price in cost per kilomoles of Acetone becomes $0.88/kg x 58 kg/kmol = $51.04/kmol.

Price in cost per kilomoles of IPA becomes $0.72/kg x 60 kg/kmol = $43.2/kmol.

6.2 PLANT SPECIFICATION

Table 6.1: plant specification

Information Estimated Data

Plant life 10 years
Operating period 8000 hrs/year
Product price $51.04/kmol
Capital cost annuity interest factor 15%

6.3 COST ESTIMATION

For detailed sizing, costing, and economic evaluation including profitability analysis, the Aspen
Process Economic Analyzer was used.

Description of steps:

Step 1: Setting Up the Model for Process Economics

This step involves compiling all of the information that will be needed for this analysis and creating
a model that will be used for the economics analysis. While rigorous models are recommended to

26
reduce the number of assumptions that will be taken for equipment sizes, existing process
simulation models are usually the most time efficient start points. The startup period, operating
hours per year, operating life of the plant, the start of basic engineering, the prices of raw materials
needed for the process feed as well as any product information, costs of the utilities were specified
to run the economic analyzer in Aspen Hysys.

Step 2: Mapping Unit Operations to Process Equipment

The APEA engine will automatically map the unit operations present in the process simulation to
constituent equipment according to the definitions within the economic template for the project. A
single unit operation can be mapped to one or multiple pieces of equipment. Examples: the pump
on the flowsheet was mapped to a pump equipment, while the distillation column was a tower, a
condenser, accumulator, reboiler and other equipment needed to make the distillation column work
properly.

Step 3: Sizing and Defining Process Equipment

The equipment sizing step is a crucial step in the cost analysis of a process model. Activated
Economics has an interactive sizing expert tool which automatically sizes unit operations based
on simplified routines to generate enough parameters to evaluate the cost of the item successfully.

Step 4: Evaluating Cost and Investment Metrics

Once the mapping, equipment sizing and customization steps were complete, the cost engine
evaluates the cost of the process and its equipment. This delivered a final process capital and utility
cost along with a number of project investment metrics that can be used to compare relative costs
of process case alternatives.

6.4 RESULT OF COST ANALYSIS

The table below shows the summary of the result of the aspen plus economic analyzer (APEA).

27
Table 6.2: APEA result summary.

PROJECT RESULTS SUMMARY AMOUNT

Total Project Capital Cost [USD] 4790000
Total Raw Materials Cost [USD/Year] 12165120
Total Products Sales [USD/Year] 13502720
Total Operating Labor and Maintenance Cost [USD/Year] 669503
Total Utilities Cost [USD/Year] 64204.7
Total Operating Cost [USD/Year] 1330000

Operating Labor Cost [USD/Year] 657450

Maintenance Cost [USD/Year] 12053.3

Operating Charges [USD/Year] 164363

Plant Overhead [USD/Year] 334752

Subtotal Operating Cost [USD/Year] 1230000

G and A Cost [USD/Year] 98625.8

The next table shows a more detailed result of the equipment, installation and utility cost of all the
major unit operations in the process.

Table 6.3: Unit operation cost analysis

Component Total Direct Equipment Equipment Installed

Name Cost Cost Weight Weight
(USD) (USD) LBS LBS
E-103 72800 15000 3100 11486
MIX-101 0 0 0 0

28
 V-100 96100 14900 2600 10303
E-102 57700 10800 1500 6380
E-101 61400 10800 1400 8025
V-101 96100 14900 2600 10303
MIX-100 0 0 0 0
PFR-100 244400 38900 7800 34946
RCY-1 0 0 0 0
P-100 31200 3800 180 3210
E-100 86200 17100 3400 16944

Main
Tower_@T-100 166800 40300 6200 17032

Total 912700 166500 28780 118629

6.5 PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS

Profitability analysis was carried out based on a number of economic criteria such as payback
period, internal rate of return, and cash flow analysis. In addition, the following objective function
was used. It is the equivalent annual operating cost (EAOC), and is defined as

EAOC = − (product value – feed cost – other operating costs – capital cost annuity)

The capital cost annuity is defined as follows:

𝑖(1+𝑖)n
Capital cost annuity = FCI
(1+𝑖)n −1

Where FCI is the installed cost of all equipment;

i is the interest rate;

and n is the plant life, in years.

For accounting purposes, i = 0.15 and n = 10.

29
 0.15(1+0.15)10
Capital cost annuity = $912700 x
(1+0.15)10 −1

Capital cost annuity = $912700 x 0.19925

Capital cost annuity = $181855.475

6.6 PAY BACK PERIOD

For the analysis of the payback period, the following formula was used:

𝐼𝐼
PBP =
𝐶𝑎𝑠ℎ 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤

Where II is initial investment and is assumed to be:

II = (Total Capital Cost + Equipment Cost + Total Installed Cost) x 5.

II = ($4790000 + $166500 + $912700) x 5

II = $5 869 200 x 5

II = $29, 346 000.

Cash inflow = $13, 502 720 (product cost per year) constant value annuity.

29,346 000
Therefore; PBP =
13,502 720

PBP = 2.17 years approx. 2 years.

6.7 INTERNAL RATES OF RETURNS (IRR)

Internal rate of return is gotten when the net present value of cash inflow is zero.

NPV = ∑PV - II

Where PV is present value of cash inflow and is evaluated as;

30
PV = ∑Cash inflow + PVIF.

Where PVIF is present value interest factor taken as;

1
PVIF =
(1+𝑖)n

Where i is 15% interest factor

And n is number of years, in this case 10 years.

Preparing the discounted cash inflow for a period of 10 years:

Table 6.4: Discounted cash inflow at 15% rate.

period
(n) cash inflow PVIF PV
1 13502720 0.8696 11741965

2 13502720 0.7561 10209407

3 13502720 0.6575 8878038

4 13502720 0.5717 7719505

5 13502720 0.4971 6712202

6 13502720 0.4323 5837226

7 13502720 0.3759 5075672

8 13502720 0.3269 4414039

9 13502720 0.2842 3837473

10 13502720 0.2471 3336522

∑PV = $67762050

NPV = $67, 762, 050- $29, 346 000

NPV = $38, 416, 050

31
Note that $38, 416, 050 is positive and very far away from zero. So we will take three steps further
i = 18%.

Discounting again with 18% interest rate.

Table 6.5: Discounted cash inflow at 18% rate.

period
(n) cash inflow PVIF PV
13502720 11443555
1 0.8475
13502720 9697654
2 0.7182
13502720 8217755
3 0.6086
13502720 6964703
4 0.5158
13502720 5902039
5 0.4371
13502720 5001407
6 0.3704
13502720 4238504
7 0.3139
13502720 3591724
8 0.266
13502720 3044863
9 0.2255
13502720 2580370
10 0.1911

∑PV = $60, 682, 574

NPV = $60, 682, 574 - $29, 346 000

NPV = $31, 336, 574

Note that $31, 336, 574 is positive and very far away from zero. So we will take some steps further
i = 48%.

Discounting again with 48% interest rate.

32
Table 6.6: Discounted cash inflow at 48% rate.

period
(n) cash inflow PVIF PV
9123788
1 35562240 0.6757
6163992
2 35562240 0.4565
4165589
3 35562240 0.3085
2813967
4 35562240 0.2084
1901183
5 35562240 0.1408
1285459
6 35562240 0.0952
868224.9
7 35562240 0.0643
586018
8 35562240 0.0434
396980
9 35562240 0.0294
267353.9
10 35562240 0.0198

∑PV = $27, 572, 554

NPV = $27, 572, 554- $29, 346 000

NPV = $-1, 773, 446
Note that $-1, 773, 446 is negative

Interpolating between i = 18% and i = 48% on PVIF,

18 $31, 336, 574

X 0
48 $-1, 773, 446
Where x is unknown IRR.
X = 46.39% which is approx. 46%. Therefore, the internal rate of return is 46%.

33
6.8 EQUIVALENT ANNUAL OPERATING COST (EAOC)

EAOC = − (product value – feed cost – other operating costs – capital cost annuity)

Capital cost annuity = $181 855.475

Operating costs = $1 230 000

Feed cost = $12 165 120

Product value = $13 502 720

EAOC = - (13 502 720 – 12 165 120 – 1 230 000 - 181 855.475)

EAOC = -$74,255.475.

A negative value of EAOC means there is a profit. It is desirable to minimize EAOC.

From the profitability analysis, it can be concluded that it is economically feasible to produce
acetone using these process conditions.

34
 CHAPTER 7

SAFETY MEASURES

7.1 HAZARD IDENTIFICATION

 Fire Hazard
 Electricity Hazard
 Mechanical Hazard
 Chemical Hazard

7.1.1 Chemical Hazard

The categories includes:

 Flammable liquids
 Acute toxic substance
 Skin corrosion and irritation substance

Raw material: Isopropyl alcohol

Use: Manufacture of Acetone

Hazard warning information: Highly flammable liquid and gas, harmful if ingested, causes
slight skin irritation, causes eye irritation.

Hazard Prevention Measures: place container in a well –ventilated area, Keep away from
inflammables, Smoking prohibited, prevent eye contact, and do not dispose in drainage canals.

7.1.2 Fire Hazard

Fire hazards includes all types of potential threats for ignition, fire prevention practices,
firefighting, built-in fire safety systems and situations that restrict the escape of people from an
affected building or area in the event of a fire.

Suitable Extinguishing media: Carbon dioxide, chemical powder, and alcoholic form.

Special Exposure Hazards:

35
 i. Vapours and liquids are flammable. Liquid will accumulate electric charges. Vapor is
heavier than air and may float to places far away, and may flashback from ignition sources.
ii. High heat will cause this material to decompose and produce toxic gas. The containers in
a fire site may rupture and explode.

Special Extinguishing Procedure: Retreat and extinguish the fire from a safe distance or a
protected area, Stay upwind to keep away from hazardous vapour and toxic decomposition, Any
leakage should be stopped before extinguishing the fire, If the leakage cannot be stopped and there
is no immediate danger in the surrounding area, allow it to burn away. If the leakage is not stopped
before extinguishing the fire, the vapor and the air will form an explosive mixture and ignite
afterwards, Separate materials that are not on fire and protect the personnel, Move the container,
Personnel without special protective equipment should not enter the fire field.

7.1.3 Electrical Hazards

Causes: defective electrical equipment or electrical lines; defective lightning protection, defective
electrical installations.

Risks: explosions, fires, electrical shocks.

Hazard prevention measures: use of safe electrical equipment, turn off electricity, to ask advice
from an electrician.

7.1.4 Mechanical Hazards

Causes: Large number of equipment, improper maintenance of equipment, dangerous part,

negligence, failure of SOP, worn or teared parts etc.

Risks: Injuries, Falling into tanks, from ladder, from construction area etc

Hazard prevention measures: All personnel should use personal protective equipment when
operating on any machine, Right tools should be used etc.

36
7.2 EXPOSURE CONTROL

Engineering Control:

i. Complete gas exchange or partial exhaust devices.

ii. Will not produce sparks if used alone and grounded to the ventilation system.
iii. Exhaust opening is connected directly outside the window. 4. Provide enough fresh air to
supplement the air exhausted by the exhaust system.

7.3 PERSONAL PROTECTION

i. Respiratory Protection:
1) Below 2000ppm: Fixed amount air supplied type respirator, respiratory respirator
with organic vapor filter cartridge powered for air purification or full chemical filter
cartridge, respirator with organic vapor filter cartridge, full self-contained or air
supplied respirator.
2) Unknown Concentration: positive-pressure self-contained respiratory apparatus,
positive-pressure full air-supply respiratory apparatus with positive-pressure self-
contained respiratory apparatus.
3) Escape: Gas mask with organic vapor filter cartridge, life escape self-contained
breathing apparatus.
ii. Hand Protection: Impermeable gloves made of butyl rubber, rubber-like, Viton, 4H, CPF
3, Responder, etc.
iii. Eye Protection: Anti chemical splashing safety goggles, full face masks
iv. Skin & Body Protection: Leak-proof gloves made of butyl rubber, rubber-like, Viton, 4H,
etc.

37
 CHAPTER 8

PLANT LAYOUT

8.1 SITE CONSIDERATIONS

The location of the plant can have a crucial effect on the profitability of a project and the scope for
future expansion. Many factors must be considered when selecting a suitable site. The principle
factors to be considered are:

Marketing area

For material that are produced in bulk quantities such as cement, mineral acids, and fertilizers
where the cost of the product per tonne is relatively low and the cost of transport is a significant
fraction of the sales price, the plant should be located close the primary market. This consideration
will be less important for low volume production, high-priced products; such as pharmaceuticals.

In an international market, there may be an advantage to be gained by locating the plant within an
area with preferential tariff agreement.

Raw materials

The availability and price of suitable raw materials will often determine the site location. Plants
producing bulk chemicals are best located close to the source of the major raw material; where this
is also close to the marketing area.

Transport

The transport of the materials and products to and from the plant will be an overriding
consideration in site selection. If practicable, a site should be selected that is close to at least two
major forms of transport: road, rail, waterway [canalor river], or a sea port. Road transport is being
increasingly used and is suitable for local distribution from a central warehouse. Rail transport will
be cheaper for the long distance transport of bulk chemicals. Air transport is convenient and
efficient for the movement of personnel and essential equipment and supplies, and the proximity
of the site to a major airport should be considered.

38
Availability of labour

Labour will be needed for construction of the plant and its operation. Skilled construction workers
will usually be brought in from outside the site area, but there should be an adequate pool of
unskilled labour available locally and labour suitable for training to operate the plant. Skilled
tradesmen will be needed for plant maintenance. Local trade union customs and restrictive
practices will have to be considered when assessing the availability and suitability of the local
labour for recruitment and training.

Utilities [services]

Chemical processes invariably require large quantities of water for cooling and general process
use, and the plant must be located near source of water of suitable quality. Process water may be
drawn from a river from wells, or purchased from a local authority. At some sites, the cooling
water required can be taken from a river or lake, or from the sea; at other locations cooling towers
will be needed. Electrical power will be needed at all sites. Electro-chemical processes that require
large quantities of power. A competitively priced fuel must be available on site for steam and
power generation.

Environmental impact and effluent disposal.

All industrial processes produce waste products, and full consideration must be given to the
difficulties and cost of their disposal. The disposal of toxic and harmful effluents will be covered
by local regulations, and the appropriate authorities must be consulted during the initial site survey
to determine the standards that must be met. An environmental impact assessment should be made
for each new project, or major medication or addition to an existing process.

Local community considerations

The proposed plant must fit in with and be acceptable to the local community. Full consideration
must be given to the safe location of the plant so that it does not impose significant additional risk
to the community. On a new site, the local community must be able to provide adequate facilities
for the pant personnel: school, banks, housing, and recreational and cultural facilities.

39
Land

Sufficient suitable land must be available for the proposed plant and for future expansion. The land
should ideally be flat, well drained and have suitable load-bearing characteristics. A full site
evaluation should be made to determine the need for piling or other special foundations.

Climate

Adverse climate conditions at a site will increase cost. Abnormally low temperatures will require
the provision of additional insulation and special heating for equipment and pipe runs. Stronger
structures will be needed at locations subject to high winds [cyclone and hurricane areas] or
earthquakes.

8.2 SITE LAYOUT

The process units and ancillary buildings should be laid out to give the most economical flow of
materials and personnel around the site. Hazardous processes must be located at a safe distance
from other buildings. Consideration must also be given to the future expansion of the site. The
ancillary buildings and services required on a site. In addition to the main processing units
[buildings], will include;

i. Storage for raw materials and products: tank farms and warehouses.
ii. Maintenance workshops.
iii. Stores, for maintenance and operating supplies.
iv. Laboratories for process control
v. Fire stations and other emergency services
vi. Utilities; steam boilers, compressed air, power generation, refrigeration transformer
stations
vii. Effluent disposal plant
viii. Offices for general administration
ix. Canteens and other amenity buildings, such as medical centre
x. Car parks

40
Fig 8.1: A schematic diagram of a Site Layout.

When roughing out the preliminary site layout the process units will normally be sited first and
arranged to give a smooth flow of materials through the various processing steps, from raw
materials to final product storage. Process units are normally spaces at least 30m apart; greater
spacing may be needed for hazardous processes. The location of the principal ancillary buildings
should then be decided.

They should be arranged so as to minimize the time spent by personnel in travelling between
buildings. Administration offices and laboratories, in which a relatively large number of people
will be working, should be located well away from potentially hazardous processes. Control rooms
will normally be located adjacent to the processing units, but with potentially hazardous processes
may have to be sited at safer distance.

41
The sitting of the main process units will determine the layout of the plant roads, pipe alleys and
drains. Access roads will be needed to each building for construction, and for operation and
maintenance. Utility buildings should be sited to give the most economical run of pipes to and
from the process units. The main storage areas should be placed between the loading and unloading
facilities and the process units they serve. Storage tanks containing hazardous materials should be
sited at least 70m [200ft] from the site boundary.

8.3 PLANT LAYOUT

The economic construction and efficient operation of a process unit will depend on how well the
plant and equipment specified on the process flow-sheet is laid out.

The principal factors to considered are:

i. Economic considerations: construction and operating costs.

ii. The process requirements
iii. Convenience of operation
iv. Convenience of maintenance
v. Safety
vi. Future expansion
vii. Modular constructions

8.4 UTILITIES

Utilities are generally used for the ancillary services needed in the operation of any production
process. These services will normally be supplied from central site facility and will include:

i. Electricity
ii. Steam , for process heating
iii. Catalyst
iv. Natural gas

42
8.5 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATION

All individuals and companies have a duty to care to their neighbour, and to the environment in
general. In the United Kingdom this is embodied in the common law. In addition to the moral duty,
stringent controls over the environment are being introduced in the United Kingdom, the European
Union, the United States, and in other industrialized countries and developing countries.

Vigilance is required in both the design and operation of process plant to ensure that legal standards
are met and that no harm is done to the environment.

Consideration must be given to:

i. All emissions to land, air and water.

ii. Waste management.
iii. Smells.
iv. Noise.
v. The visual impact.
vi. Any other nuisances.
vii. The environmental friendliness of the products.

8.6 WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste arises mainly as by-products or unused reactants from the process or as off specification
product produced through mis-operation. There will also be fugitive emissions from leaking seals
and flanges, and in advertent spills and discharges through mis-operation. In emergency situations,
material may be discharged to the atmosphere through vents normally protected by bursting discs
and relief valves. The designer must consider all possible sources of pollution and, where
practicable, select processes that will eliminate or reduce (minimize) waste generation. Unused
reactant can be recycled and off-specification product reprocessed. Integrated processes can be
selected: waste from one process becoming the raw material for another. It may be possible to sell
waste to another company for use as raw material in their manufacturing processes. Processes and
equipment should be designed to reduce chances of mis-operation; by drains, and pumps should
be sited so that any leaks flow into the plant effluent collection system, not directly to sewers.

43
Hold-up systems, tanks and ponds, should be provide to retain spills for treatment. Flanged joints
should be kept to the minimum needed for the assembly and maintenance of equipment.

When waste is produced, processes must be included in the design for its treatment and safe
disposal. The following techniques can be considered:

i. Dilution and dispersion

ii. Discharge to foul water sewer
iii. Physical treatment: scrubbing, settling, absorption and adsorption.
iv. Chemical treatment: Precipitation, neutralization.
v. Biological treatment: activated sludge and other processes.
vi. Incineration on land, or at sea.

44
 CHAPTER 9
CONCLUSION
This project design was carried out to produce 15,000 tons/year of acetone and the equipment
required were specified. The process was designed assuming 8000 hours per year. The process
description was planned out at minimum equipment cost, safety consideration and material and
energy balances. Most of the world’s supply of acetone is produced as a by-product of reacting
cumene to phenol via the cumene hydro peroxide process, but for pharmaceutical and other
applications. Acetone is sometimes produced from isopropyl alcohol due to the requirement of
zero aromatic impurities.

The process chosen for the production of Acetone is catalytic dehydrogenation of isopropyl alcohol.
For the process synthesis and flow sheeting, base case material and energy balance together with
process simulation has been performed both by manual calculation and Aspen Hysys simulator.

Equipment process design and mechanical engineering design of all major equipment has been
performed by the Hysys simulator with standard input referred from literatures.

In this project, 15,344 tons/year of acetone was produced after the reaction process using a reactant
feed of 19, 200 tons/year (2400kg/hr) of isopropyl alcohol and water. The total capital cost per
year is $181855.475. The annual pay back period, internal rate of return and the equivalent annual
operating cost is 2 years, 46% and -$74,255.475 respectively. A negative value of EAOC means
there is a profit. It is desirable to minimize EAOC.

45
46
 REFERENCES
Allen, P. W.; Bowen, H. J. M.; Sutton, L. E.; Bastiansen, O. (1952). "The molecular structure of
acetone". Transactions of the Faraday Society. 48: 991.

Bizzari, S.N. (1996). CEH Marketing Research Report Acetone. Chemical Economics
Handbook, SRI International. Menlo Park, CA.

Burlage, Henry M.; Welch, H; Price, CW (2006). "Pharmaceutical applications of isopropyl

alcohol II. Solubilities of local anesthetics". Journal of the American Pharmaceutical
Association. 36 (1): 17–9.

Darwent, B. deB.; Allard, M. J.; Hartman, M. F.; Lange, L. J. (1960). "The Photolysis of
Acetone". Journal of Physical Chemistry. 64 (12): 1847–1850.

Doolittle, Arthur K. (1954). “The Technology of Solvents and Plasticizers”. New York: John
Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 628.

Felder, R. M. and R. W. Rousseau, (1986). Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes, 2nd

edition, Wiley, New York.

Krasavage W. J, O’Donoghue JL, Divencenzo G. D (1982). “Ketone”. Patty’s industrial hygiene

and toxicology, Vol. 2C, 3rd Ed. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons, 4709-4800.

Lozano A., B. Yip and R. K. Hanson (1992). "Acetone: a tracer for concentration measurements
in gaseous flows by planar laser-induced fluorescence". Exp. Fluids 13: 369–376.

Nelson D. L, Webb B. P. (1978) “Acetone”. Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology,

vol. 1, 3rd Ed. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons, 179-191.

Papa, A. J. (2005), "Propanols", Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, Weinheim:

Wiley-VCH.

Perry, R. H. and D. Green, eds., (1997). Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook, 7th edition,
McGraw-Hill, New York.

Reeve, W.; Erikson, C.M.; Aluotto, P.F. (1979). "A new method for the determination of the
relative acidities of alcohols in alcoholic solutions. The nucleophilicities and competitive

vi
 reactivities of alkoxides and phenoxides". Canadian Journal of Chemistry 57 (20):
2747–2754.

Reid, R. C., J. M. Prausnitz and B. E. Poling, (1987). The Properties of Gases and Liquids, 4th
edition, McGraw Hill, New York.

Stylianos Sifniades, Alan B. Levy, (2005). "Acetone” Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial

Chemistry, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim.

Turton, R., R.C. Bailie, W. B. Whiting and J. A. Shaeiwitz, (1998). Analysis, Synthesis and Design
of Chemical Processes, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ,

Weiner, Myra L.; Lois A. Kotkoskie (1999). Excipient Toxicity and Safety. pp. 32.

Wigaeus, E., Holm, S., and Astrand, I. (1981). Exposure to acetone. Uptake and elimination in
man. Canadian Journal of Work, Environment and Health 7, 84-94.

Williamson, D.H. and Whitelaw, E. (1978). Physiological aspects of the regulation of keto-genesis.
Biochemical Society Symposium 43,137-161.

vii
 APPENDIX
Material Balance Calculation
Mixer (Mix- 101)

Feed to Mixer
Stream 1 = 51.13 kmol/hr (2400 kg/hr)
Stream 21 (Recycle Stream) = 7.718 kmol/hr

Stream 1 = 51.13 kmol/hr

Stream 22 = 58.85 kmol/hr

IPA = 35.13 kmol/hr

H2O = 16 kmol/hr
IPA = 40.45 kmol/hr
ACETONE = 0 kmol/hr
H2O = 18.40 kmol/hr
HYDROGEN = 0 kmol/hr
ACETONE = 0 kmol/hr
HYDROGEN = 0 kmol/hr
Stream 21 = 7.718

IPA = 5.305 kmol/hr

H2O = 2.413 kmol/hr
ACETONE = 0 kmol/hr
HYDROGEN = 0 kmol/hr

viii
ix
Plug Flow Reactor (Pfr 100)

Reactor conversion: 86.35%

Feed to Reactor: 58.85 kmols/hr of feed. (2762 kg/hr)

Reactor Type: Plug flow reactor with fixed bed catalytic packing.

x
 Stream 4 Stream 5
PFR 100

IPA = 40.45 kmol/hr IPA = 5.52 kmol/hr

H2O = 18.40 kmol/hr H2O = 18.40 kmol/hr
ACETONE = 0 ACETONE = 34.92 kmol/hr
HYDROGEN = 0 HYDROGEN = 34.92 kmol/hr

Flash Separator (V- 100)

Feed to Separator (V- 100) = 93.77 kmol/hr (2762 kg/hr)

xi
xii
 Stream 7 = 54.73 kmol/hr

Stream 6 = 93.77 kmol/hr IPA = 1.18 kmol/hr

V 100 H2O = 2.67 kmol/hr
IPA = 5.52 kmol/hr ACETONE = 34.92 kmol/hr
H2O = 18.40 kmol/hr HYDROGEN = 15.96 kmol/hr
ACETONE = 34.92 kmol/hr
HYDROGEN = 34.92 kmol/hr Stream 8 = 39.04 kmol/hr

IPA = 4.34 kmol/hr

H2O = 15.74 kmol/hr
ACETONE = 18.96 kmol/hr
HYDROGEN = 0. kmol/hr

Adsorber Column (T- 100)

Feed to Adsorber column

Process water = 27.75 kmol/hr (500 kg/hr)
Stream 7 = 54.73 kmol/hr (1117 kg/hr)

Product from Adsorber column

Stream 11 = 51.85 kmol/hr (848.1 kg/hr)
Stream 10 = 30.64 kmol/hr (768.6 kg/hr)

xiii
xiv
Process water = C kmol/hr (500 kg/hr) Stream 11 = 51.85 kmol/hr

IPA = 0.4 kmol/hr

T- 100
H2O = 5.15 kmol/hr
ACETONE = 11.38 kmol/hr
HYDROGEN = 34.92 kmol/hr

Stream 7 = 54.73 kmol/hr (1117 kg/hr) Stream 10 = 30.64 kmol/hr

IPA = 1.18 kmol/hr [Grab=your

IPA reader’s
0.784 kmol/hrattention with a
great quote from the document or
H2O = 25.27 kmol/hr
use this space to emphasize a key
H2O = 2.67 kmol/hr
point. To place
ACETONE this text
= 4.59 box
kmol/hr
anywhere on the page, just drag it.]
ACETONE = 34.92 kmol/hr HYDROGEN = 0 kmol/hr

HYDROGEN = 15.96 kmol/hr

Flash Separator (V- 101)

Feed To Separator (V- 101)

Stream 12 = 51.85 kmol/hr (848.1 kg/hr)

xv
xvi
 OFF GAS = 36.97 kmol/hr

Stream 12 = 51.85 kmol/hr (848.1 kg/hr) V- 101 IPA = 0.018 kmol/hr

H2O = 0.15 kmol/hr
ACETONE = 1.89 kmol/hr
IPA = 0.4 kmol/hr
HYDROGEN = 34.91 kmol/hr
H2O = 5.15 kmol/hr
ACETONE = 11.38 kmol/hr Stream 14 = 14.88 kmol/hr
HYDROGEN = 34.92 kmol/hr
IPA = 0.38 kmol/hr
H2O = 5.00 kmol/hr
ACETONE = 9.49 kmol/hr
HYDROGEN = 0 kmol/hr

Mixer (Mix- 100)

Feed To Mixer
Stream 8 = 39.04 kmol/hr
Stream 10 = 30.64 kmol/hr
Stream 14 = 14.88 kmol/hr

Product from Mixer

Stream 15 = 84.56 kmol/hr

xvii
xviii
 Stream 14 = 14.88 kmol/hr Stream 15 = 84.56 kmol/hr

IPA = 0.38 kmol/hr

H2O = 5.00 kmol/hr IPA = 5.5 kmol/hr

ACETONE = 9.49 kmol/hr H2O = 46.00 kmol/hr

HYDROGEN = 0 kmol/hr ACETONE = 33.04 kmol/hr

HYDROGEN = 0 kmol/hr

Stream 10 = 30.64 kmol/hr

IPA = 0.784 kmol/hr

H2O = 25.27 kmol/hr
ACETONE = 4.59 kmol/hr
HYDROGEN = 0 kmol/hr

Stream 8 = 39.04 kmol/hr

IPA = 4.34 kmol/hr

H2O = 15.74 kmol/hr

ACETONE = 18.96 kmol/hr

HYDROGEN = 0 kmol/hr

Short Cut Distillation Column (T- 101) – Acetone Column

Feed to Short cut Distillation Column (T- 101)

Stream 15 = 84.56 kmol/hr (3078 kg/hr)

xix
xx
 Stream 18 = 33.2 kmol/hr

Stream 15 = 84.56 kmol/hr IPA = 0.15 kmol/hr

H2O = 0 kmol/hr
ACETONE = 33.04 kmol/hr
IPA = 5.5 kmol/hr
HYDROGEN = 0 kmol/hr
H2O = 46.00 kmol/hr
ACETONE = 33.04 kmol/hr
Stream 17 = 51.35 kmol/hr
HYDROGEN = 0 kmol/hr

IPA = 5.35 kmol/hr

H2O = 46.00 kmol/hr
ACETONE = 0 kmol/hr
HYDROGEN = 0 kmol/hr

Short Cut Distillation Column (T- 102) – IPA Column

Feed to IPA Column

Stream 17 = 51.35 kmol/hr

xxi
xxii
 Stream 19 = 7.787 kmol/hr
Stream 17 = 51.35 kmol/hr

IPA = 5.35 kmol/hr

H2O = 2.435 kmol/hr
IPA = 5.35 kmol/hr
ACETONE = 0 kmol/hr
H2O = 46.00 kmol/hr
HYDROGEN = 0 kmol/hr
ACETONE = 0 kmol/hr
HYDROGEN = 0 kmol/hr
Stream 20 = 43.57 kmol/hr

IPA = 0 kmol/hr
H2O = 43.57 kmol/hr
ACETONE = 0 kmol/hr
HYDROGEN = 0 kmol/hr

xxiii