Saturday 15 December 2018

Useful Information Regarding Pilot Plants

By Mary Lewis


Since the start of the technological era, technology has constantly been changing. It is this constant change that makes it necessary for any new technology to be scrutinized to determine if it can be used in its current state or if additional modifications are required. This is where pilot plants come in. A pre-commercial production system that uses latest production technology in order to give a chance for more studies to be undertaken on the new technology is known as a pilot plant.

A pilot plant is built and operated for several other reasons besides obtaining knowledge. For instance, it provides a chance of exploring the effects of changing operating conditions in already existing commercial production units. To add on this, they make it possible for engineers or anyone concerned to investigate aspects such as recycle operations and materials of construction among many other factors.

A pilot plant also plays an essential role in safety. Before one forwards their process of proposal to a higher body of decision making for funding, they must ensure that it is completely safe. Building and operating the plant helps in reducing chances of making mistakes which may be costly on the final equipment. Financers prefer to make financial commitments to investments that have a potential of succeeding.

A pilot plant is also necessary for the purposes of conforming to government regulations or changing them. Another non-technical purpose is to try and get the public to support the new technology in question before it goes into full operation. Typical pilot plant is a miniature version of a full-scale production plant. Every aspect of the full-scale plant is captured in a pilot plant. They are built in various sizes depending on the technology being tested.

Building can be done in laboratories with the use of simple stock laboratory apparatus while paying attention to the sizes. Nevertheless, in certain instances the plants may be a lot more expensive on engineering works because the assembling is done right from process equipment instrumentation and piping together with being custom fabricated. Their usage in teaching employees in preparation for operations in full-size production units is another major use associated with them.

The plant also achieves other layout design goals like low maintenance costs and low space requirement. In this phase, the involved personnel must ensure that the components they require for maintenance and replacement are located in a place where they can be accessed easily. For easier modification and building, the final unit must be properly laid.

Most ordinary people may not understand that a poorly laid and crowded units cost more in terms of repair efforts and takes more maintenance time. Well-laid operating facilities which come after the piloting phase take advantage of the available space without exceeding or underusing it. It goes without saying that the space must be maintained at a premium since adding more or significantly reducing it translates to unnecessary expenses.

Finally, skill and experience come when an individual wants to design the layout of a unit. Some commonly used techniques include inspired guesswork, less-detailed design, and detailed design. Each approach has its merits and demerits. The advantages and shortcomings are realized when considering factors like the real space required, cost, and time.




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