PROCESS EQUIPMENTS AND SYMBOLS Introduction Equipments are devices that provide power, process and store materials.

Equipments in piping systems depend on the specific industries using them. Specialized equipment can be found in petroleum, petrochemical, pulp and paper, food processing, brewing and power plants. It is important that new versions of equipment are used in designs and vendors equipment drawing for location and orientation of nuzzles and connections for instrumentations and utilities must be consulted. Common equipments include pumps, tanks, vessels, heat exchangers, etc. Many of the following equipments will be found in some plants of different industry types. Equipment Types Pumps: A pump draws in liquid from one side (suction) and releases it under pressure through another side (discharge). Pumps are the workhorses of process plants and centrifugal pumps are the most popular because they make up about 90% of pumps in process piping. Horizontal and vertical design models of pumps are available. Compressors: Compressors draw in gas or vapor from one side (suction) and releases it under pressure through another side (discharge). The gas or vapor is compressed and discharged at the higher pressure. Fans and blowers: Fans are used to induce air draft through a room while blowers are used to induce air draft through other equipment. Blowers are more powerful than fans. Tanks and Vessels: Tanks are storage devices for fluids with internal pressure under 15 psig. They come in different shapes (cylindrical, spherical, rectangular, square, etc.) and sizes and may be horizontal, horizontal or inclined. Vessels are special container used in processing materials usually at elevated temperatures and pressures (above 15 psig). Processes such as distillation, cooking, chemical reactions, separation and accumulation occur inside a vessel. Tanks and vessels often have attachments such as nuzzles, manhole, saddle, caps, etc. The shell is the wall of the tank. The caps form the end or head. The nozzle is a short pipe with a flange that provide piping interface. The saddle may be a steel or concrete support that carries the tank. A steel saddle is anchored to a concrete pad or foundation. The manhole is an opening (18 or more) that provides access into the tank for maintenance Heat exchangers: These are devices that allow the transfer of heat from the fluid in one set of pipes to the fluid in another set of pipe. The two fluids do not mix in the process. Kilns: Kilns are long slightly inclined large diameter vessels used to dry materials. They usually rotate during operations and are common in pulp and paper plants and cement factories. Towers: These are vertical vessels used to distill various products from crude oil. As the material rises in the column, different products are extracted due to varying temperatures and pressures in the column sections. They are also called columns. Condensers: A condenser is vessel that converts gas to liquid. The gas enters the vessel on one side and comes out on the other side as a liquid. Heaters: Heaters are also called furnaces. They are used to heat up materials during processing. The material like crude oil is transported through the heater in a series of tubes. Heaters are common in petrochemical plants. Reactors: These are used to contain catalysts that enhance chemical reactions or remove un-required materials from feeds. They usually operate under high pressures and temperatures. Design models may be vertical, horizontal or spherical. Boiler: A heater that is fired by oil, natural gas or wood. It converts water into steam. Reboiler: A heater that is used to keep the temperature of circulating fluid at its boiling point. It replenishes the temperature of a feedstock. The kettle-type reboiler design is similar to the shell-tube type heat exchanger.

Mixer: A vessel with a propeller used to mix liquids. It is also called an agitator. The propeller may be attached or removable from the vessel. Clarifiers: A clarifier is an open tank that receives wastewater and effluents. Slugs are removed from the bottom that tapers toward the center but clarified liquid is obtained from the top over weir. Cyclone: A cyclone is a separation device with a stormy motion inside during operation. Materials enter at the base at an angle the heavier ones fall to the bottom and the lighter ones exit at the top. It is common in the pulp and paper industries. Evaporator: A device that removes water from liquid chemical compound by steam heating. The processed liquid becomes more concentrated. It is common in the pulp and paper industries. Filter: A rotating vessel used to separate solids from liquids. Refiner: A high-speed grinding equipment used mainly in the food processing industries to convert coarse ANSI Equipment Symbols Below are listed some symbols of chemical apparatus and instrumentation normally used in a P&ID, according to ANSI.

Fig. 2a: Some ANSI equipment symbols

Fig. 2b: Some ANSI equipment symbols ISO Equipment Symbols Below are listed some symbols of chemical apparatus and instrumentation normally used in a P&ID, according to DIN 30600 and ISO 14617.

Double pipe

U shaped tubes

Spiral

Fixed straight tubes

Plate & frame

Fig. 3: Heat exchangers

a) Fan

b) Axial fan

c) Radial fan

Fig. 4 Fans

a) Tray column

b) Packing column

c) Half pipe mixer

d) Jacketed mixer (autoclave)

Fig. 5 Columns and mixers

a) Furnace

b) Cooling Tower Fig. 6: Furnace and coolers

c) Cooler

a) Pump

b) Vacuum pump or compressor Fig. 7: Pumps and compressors

Covered gas vent

Viewing glass

Dust trap Fig. 8: Miscellaneous symbols

Steam trap