4/13/2017 BlockFlowDiagramprocessdesign

BlockFlowDiagram
Fromprocessdesign

Author:NickPinkerton,KarenSchmidt,andJamesXamplas(ChE352inWinter2014)

Steward:DavidChen,FengqiYou

DatePresented:February2,2014

Contents
1Introduction
2Overview
2.1Uses
2.2Models
2.2.1I/ODiagrams
2.2.2BlockFlowPlantDiagram
2.2.3BlockFlowProcessDiagram
2.3Conventions
3Example1:ProductionofBenzene
4Example2:OxidationofPropenetoAcrylicAcid
5References

Introduction
Ablockflowdiagram(BFD)isadrawingofachemicalprocessesusedtosimplifyandunderstandthebasicstructureofasystem.ABFDisthe
simplestformoftheflowdiagramsusedinindustry.BlocksinaBFDcanrepresentanythingfromasinglepieceofequipmenttoanentireplant.
Foracomplexprocess,blockflowdiagramscanbeusedtobreakupacomplicatedsystemintomorereasonableprinciplestages/sectors.

Overview
Uses

CreatingaBFDisoftenoneofthefirststepsindevelopingachemicalprocess.Differentalternativescanbeeasilyandinexpensivelycomparedat
anearlystageusingsimpleBFDs.Oncealternativeshavebeenchosen,theBFDservesasastartingpointforacompleteprocessflowdiagram
(PFD).

ABFDisausefultoolforreports,textbooksandpresentationswhenadetailedprocessflowdiagramistoocumbersome.Thesemodelsallowfor
thereadertogetanoverallpictureofwhattheplantdoesandhowalltheprocessesinteract.Thesecanbeunderstoodbypeoplewithlittle
experiencewithreadingorcreatingflowdiagrams(TowlerandSinnott,2013).

Models

BFDscomeinmanyformsandstyles.Theycanbeextremelysimpleorverydetailedintheirexplanationofaprocess.

I/ODiagrams

ThesimplestformofBFD,theI/O(input/output)diagram(Biegleretal.,1997),providesthematerialstreamsenteringandexitingtheprocess.
Thediagramismodeledbelowusingarrowsenteringandexitingaprocessboxtorepresenttheinputsandoutputs,respectively.

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4/13/2017 BlockFlowDiagramprocessdesign

Figure1.I/ODiagram

BlockFlowPlantDiagram

Thismodelofflowdiagramisusedtoexplainthegeneralmaterialflowsthroughoutanentireplant.Theywillbegeneralizedtocertainplant
sectorsorstages.Thesedocumentswouldhelporientworkerstotheproductsandimportantoperationzonesofachemicalfacility(Petersand
Timmerhaus,2003).

BlockFlowProcessDiagram

Thismodelwillconcentrateonaparticularsector/areaofachemicalplant.Thiswouldbeaseparateflowdiagramthatdetailswhatwouldhave
beenpresentinsideofoneoftheblocksintheplantdiagram.Thesediagramsmaybemoreorlesscomplicatedthantheplantdiagrambutwill
focusononlyasmallsubsectionoftheoverallprocess(PetersandTimmerhaus,2003).

Conventions

ThereareseveralconventionsregardingtheconstructionandformatofBFDsthatarecommonlyusedintheengineeringcommunity.Someofthe
recommendedconventionsare:

1.Operations/equipmentarerepresentedwithblocks
2.Materialflowsarerepresentedwithstraightlineswitharrowsgivingthedirectionofflow
3.Linesarehorizontaland/orvertical,withturnsat90degreeangles
4.Flowsgofromlefttorightwheneverpossible
5.Iflinescross,thehorizontallineiscontinuousandtheverticallineisbroken
6.Lightstreams(gases)aretypicallyclosertothetopoftheBFDthanareheavystreams(liquidsorsolids)
7.Criticalinformationuniquetotheprocess(suchasachemicalreaction)issupplied
8.Asimplifiedmaterialbalanceshouldbeprovided(Seideretal.,2004)

Example1:ProductionofBenzene
Tolueneandhydrogenareusedasfeedstocks(https://processdesign.mccormick.northwestern.edu/index.php/Define_product_and_feed)forthe
productionofbenzene.Thetolueneandhydrogenaresenttoareactor,andtheeffluentissenttoagasseparatorwherethenoncondensablegases
aredischargedfromthesystem.Thebottomsoftheseparatorprovidesaliquidfeedtoastillwherethelighterbenzenegasiscollectedasthe
distillateandthebottomtoluenedrawisrecycledbackintothereactor.TheBFDprovidedshowsthereaction,thestreamnames,andthemass
flowoftheinletsandoutlets.Therearemanycomponentsofthissystem(heatexchangersandpumps,etc.)thatarenotrepresentedbecausethey
arenotvitalforanunderstandingofthemainfeaturesoftheprocess.

Figure2.Blockflowprocessdiagramfortheproductionofbenzene(Turtonetal.,2012)

Example2:OxidationofPropenetoAcrylicAcid

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4/13/2017 BlockFlowDiagramprocessdesign
Propaneisdehydrogenatedtopropene,whichisoxidizedtoacroleinfirstandthenfurtheroxidizedtoacrylicacid.Theproductsareseparatedin
theendtogiveacrylicacidandvariousbyproducts.Thebyproductsarefurtherseparatedtoyieldapropanerecyclestream.Eachblockinthe
BFDprovidedshowswhateachindividualunitisdoingalongeverystepoftheprocess.Italsoshowsinletandoutletstreams,aswellas
byproductsandrecyclestreams.ABFDinthisstyleishelpfulsothatallmaterialscanbeseen,everystepoftheprocessisoutlined,and
byproductscanbetakenintoconsiderationforwasteremoval/treatment.

Figure3.Blockflowprocessdiagramfortheproductionofacrylicacid(Khoobiaretal.,1984)

References
BieglerLT,GrossmannIE,WesterbergAW.SystematicMethodsofChemicalProcessDesign.UpperSaddleRiver:PrenticeHall1997.

KhoobiarS,PorcelliR,inventorTheHalconSdGroupInc.,assignee.Conversionofpropanetoacrylicacid.EuropeanpatentEP0117146.1984
May5.

PetersMS,TimmerhausKD.PlantDesignandEconomicsforChemicalEngineers.5thed.NewYork:McGrawHill2003.

SeiderWD,SeaderJD,LewinDR.ProcessDesignPrinciples:Synthesis,Analysis,andEvaluation.3rded.NewYork:Wiley2004.

TowlerG,SinnottR.ChemicalEngineeringDesign:Principles,PracticeandEconomicsofPlantandProcessDesign.2nded.Boston:Elsevier
2013.

TurtonR,BailieRC,WhitingWB,ShaewitzJA,BhattacharyyaD.Analysis,Synthesis,andDesignofChemicalProcesses.4thed.UpperSaddle
River:PrenticeHall2012.

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