Chemical plant equipment includes machines, tanks, and parts used to store, move, and process raw materials. The process involves delivery, storage, mixing, reacting, separating, and purifying the products. Supporting systems, such as cooling towers and air compressors, and equipment for product transportation and storage are also important.
Chemical plant equipment used for chemical processing includes a wide variety of machines, tanks and other parts. As raw materials enter a process, they are stored, moved and processed in many ways. One way to examine important chemical plant equipment is to walk through the major process steps.
Raw materials can be delivered by ship, truck or rail, as liquids and solids. They are often stored in bulk material tanks and warehouse storage can be used for bags or drums. Materials ultimately enter the process through feed tanks that store enough product to supply the reaction steps, or bagged chemicals can be added manually.
The next step in the process is mixing and reacting the products. Mixing tanks with large agitator blades or air jets can mix solids and liquids. Tower reactors move liquids and gases in the same or opposite directions to deliver chemical reactions. Reactors can be heated to melt raw materials or provide the temperatures needed for chemical reactions to occur. The heat can be supplied by electricity, which requires electric heating coils, or with steam supplied from a separate steam plant. Some processes run at low temperatures and need cooling systems to maintain proper temperatures.
Once the multiple reaction or reactions have occurred, the next type of chemical plant equipment is separation and purification. In many processes, the desired product is mixed with raw materials or other chemicals used in the reaction. These products can be removed using tanks that separate liquids and gases or towers that extract the desired product by mixing the stream with water or solvents. The final product can be dried in large vats called spray towers, where the liquid is sprayed into droplets that allow the liquid to evaporate, creating a dry final product.
Products may need to be dried in large rotating drums, called ovens, which remove water or solvents to create the final product. Liquids may need to be heated or cooled before shipping and are stored in tanks that provide the necessary temperatures. Dry products can be placed in bags or other containers, requiring the installation of a packing plant that loads the bags from bulk storage.
A review of chemical plant equipment should also include the systems that support the operation of the plant. Chemical plants often require a large cooling capacity, and cooling towers can be used to provide fresh water for plant use. Air compressors provide pressurized air for your process and instrumentation needs. The instruments control everything by monitoring system conditions and operating control valves, and can be powered by electricity or compressed air. Refrigeration systems may be required for process cooling or for the storage of temperature sensitive products.
Another type of chemical plant equipment is used to move product through the plant. Pumps move liquids and liquid/solid mixtures through the various stages of the process and load the finished product onto rail cars, ships and trucks. Some solids can be mixed with air and moved through pipes like a liquid, saving time and handling bags or containers. The valves can start and stop the movement of product in and out of reactors or tanks, or change the direction of flow to different reactors or storage tanks.
Conveyors using continuous belts move bulk or bulk solids from one location to another and into or out of storage buildings or tanks. Groups of storage tanks called tank farms store products awaiting transportation or use at another facility. Warehouses store bags, containers or drums of finished product for shipment and can be temperature controlled. There is normally a loading dock attached to a warehouse and motorized loaders called forklifts can pick up pallets or containers and place them into transport trucks.
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