Process engineering design, calculated and verified

• Process design and basis of design

  Design flows, loads, consent limits and operating cases set out as one agreed basis, with every value traced to its source.

• Mass and energy balances

  Stream-by-stream balances for normal, peak and minimum cases, issued with closure checks on water, solids and heat.

• PFD creation

  Process flow diagrams to BS EN ISO 10628-2, drawn from the mass balance, with stream tables, equipment lists and design conditions on the sheet.

• P&ID creation

  Piping and instrumentation diagrams with ISA-5.1 instrument loops, valve and actuator fail positions, line numbering, specification breaks, relief and safeguarding.

• Live P&ID

  A browser-based P&ID linked to the design calculation, so line sizes, duties and stream data update when the design changes and every party works from one current drawing.

• P&ID process assessment

  Existing P&IDs assessed for continuity, control, isolation, relief and safeguarding, with findings ready for HAZOP and for correction before issue.

• 3D plant design

  3D plant models built from the client P&ID: equipment, pipe routes, access platforms and maintenance envelopes, with clash checks before fabrication.

• Engineering drawing creation

  General arrangements, sections, elevations, tank and skid details and pipework drawings to BS EN ISO 128 and BS EN ISO 5457, under document control.

• Plan views and layouts

  Plan and general arrangement views of plant, tanks, skids and pipe routes, coordinated with the P&ID for access, maintenance and lifting.

• Tender support documentation

  Process descriptions, functional design specifications, equipment datasheets, technical schedules and tender returns prepared for clients and contractors.

• Pricing support

  Capital and operating cost estimates, equipment and material take-offs, budget enquiries to suppliers and priced schedules for tender submissions.

• Equipment and hydraulic sizing

  Tanks, pumps, clarifiers, filters, mixers, weirs, launders and pipework sized from the balance, with the governing criterion stated.

• Water and effluent treatment design

  Potable water, wastewater and industrial effluent: lamella clarifier, MBBR, SBR, precipitation, pH correction and filtration process design.

• Design review and verification

  Independent review of vendor proposals and third-party designs, with each calculation repeated by a second method.

• Feasibility and options studies

  Treatment routes compared on performance, footprint, operating cost and risk, leading to a clear recommended option.

• CFD modelling

  Computational fluid dynamics of tanks, clarifiers, mixers, inlets, launders and pipe networks: single and multiphase flow (gas–liquid aeration, solid–liquid settling, free surface), turbulence, heat transfer, particle tracking, non-Newtonian sludge rheology, short-circuiting and residence time distribution, validated against first-principles hydraulics.

• DSEAR assessments

  Risk assessment under the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002: hazardous area classification to BS EN IEC 60079-10-1 and 60079-10-2, release and ventilation assessment, zone drawings and equipment category selection.

• Thermal analysis

  Heat and energy balances, heat exchanger and chiller sizing, heat loss and insulation, trace heating and frost protection, and transient heating and cooling of tanks and process streams.

• Process simulation

  Steady-state and dynamic simulation of treatment trains, control loops, tank levels and dosing, used to test operating cases, start-up and upset conditions before construction.

• Hand calculations

  Independent hand calculations and check calculations, set out step by step with sources and units, to verify software output, vendor figures and third-party designs.

• Technical reports

  Design reports, calculation packages, basis of design documents and technical notes written for clients, regulators and independent reviewers.

• Scientific studies

  Literature reviews, treatability and bench studies, water chemistry and solubility modelling, reaction kinetics, gas transfer, heat transfer and statistical analysis of site data.

First-principles calculation and validation

Calculations start from conservation of mass, energy and momentum, chemical equilibrium, reaction kinetics and transport phenomena. Rules of thumb and vendor figures are used only to check the result, never to replace it.

UK regulations and standards applied

Common questions