Plant Design & Economics from Coursera

This course covers essential aspects of plant design and process optimization, focusing on their impact on cost and efficiency. Learners will explore strategies to improve process efficiency, understand methods for budgeting and financial planning, and learn how process simulation can enhance plant models. The course also addresses project management principles crucial for successful plant projects and essential safety considerations to ensure the well-being of personnel and compliance with regulations. Designed for engineers, plant managers, and industry professionals, this course equips participants with the knowledge to apply theoretical concepts practically, modernizing operations and improving economic performance.

This course is designed for engineers, plant managers, and industry professionals who are eager to deepen their understanding of plant design and process optimization. It is ideal for individuals looking to improve their plant's economic performance and stay ahead of industry trends. Whether you're a newcomer to these concepts or an experienced professional seeking to refine your skills, this course provides practical knowledge and strategies that are relevant to modernizing and optimizing plant operations.

No prior knowledge or experience is required to participate in this course. It is suitable for beginners who are interested in learning about plant design and process optimization, as well as for professionals seeking to enhance their expertise. The course is structured to accommodate a range of experience levels, ensuring that all participants can effectively engage with and benefit from the material presented.

By the end of this course, you will be equipped to describe core plant design and optimization concepts, understanding the fundamental principles that drive plant efficiency and operational performance. You will be adept at assessing how these principles can be applied to enhance economic outcomes and improve real-world scenarios. Additionally, you will develop and implement strategies for optimizing plant operations, ensuring alignment with industry trends and economic goals. Finally, you will gain the ability to recognize and address common challenges in plant design and process optimization, effectively resolving issues to achieve superior plant performance.

What's inside

Syllabus

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Explores strategies to improve process efficiency, which is a core skill for plant managers and engineers seeking to optimize plant operations and reduce costs

Addresses project management principles, which are crucial for engineers and plant managers involved in overseeing plant construction, upgrades, and maintenance projects

Covers essential safety considerations, which are vital for ensuring the well-being of personnel and compliance with regulations in plant environments

Teaches methods for budgeting and financial planning, which are essential for plant managers and engineers responsible for managing plant finances and investments

Learners will understand how process simulation can enhance plant models, which is a valuable skill for engineers and plant managers seeking to optimize plant performance

Reviews summary

Practical plant design fundamentals

According to learners, this course provides a solid foundation in plant design and economics, covering essential concepts like cost, efficiency, and safety. Many find it helpful for understanding practical aspects and applying knowledge to real-world situations. However, some students note that the course might be too basic for experienced professionals and occasionally lacks depth on more complex topics. A few reviews also mention issues with lecture clarity or needing supplementary materials. Overall, it seems to be a good starting point, especially for beginners or those seeking a broad overview.

Covers a wide range of topics.

"The course touches upon many different aspects of plant design and economics, which is good for an overview."

"Provides an overview of budgeting, safety, simulation basics, and project management principles."

"Good for getting a general idea of the different facets involved in the field."

Excellent introduction for newcomers.

"As a beginner in this field, I found the material accessible and easy to understand, building my confidence."

"This course gave me a solid foundation in the basics of plant design and economics."

"Great introduction to the field for someone with no prior knowledge."

Focuses on real-world use cases.

"This course really helped me see how to apply these principles in a plant setting."

"Found the examples directly relevant to my job and the challenges I face daily."

"I learned practical tools and strategies that I could apply immediately to my work environment."

Some lectures unclear or hard to follow.

"A few lectures were difficult to understand due to the instructor's delivery style or pace."

"The audio quality wasn't always great, making some parts hard to hear clearly."

"Some complex concepts weren't explained clearly enough in the video lectures, requiring extra research."

Too basic for advanced learners.

"For someone with prior experience in chemical engineering, this course felt a bit too superficial."

"Could use more in-depth coverage on complex topics like advanced optimization techniques or specific simulation software."

"I was hoping for more advanced material and case studies than what was presented."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Plant Design & Economics with these activities:

Review Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics

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Reinforce your understanding of thermodynamics principles, which are fundamental to process design and optimization.

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Review key concepts like enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs free energy.
Work through example problems related to chemical reactions and phase equilibria.

Practice Cost Estimation Exercises

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Improve your cost estimation skills by working through practice problems related to equipment costs, installation costs, and operating costs.

Browse courses on Cost Estimation

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Find cost estimation problems in textbooks or online resources.
Solve the problems using different cost estimation methods.
Compare your results with the solutions to identify areas for improvement.

Read 'Plant Design and Economics for Chemical Engineers' by Ulrich and Vasudevan

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Gain a comprehensive understanding of plant design principles and economic evaluation methods.

View Putting Knowledge to Work on Amazon

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Read the chapters related to cost estimation and profitability analysis.
Work through the example problems and case studies.

Four other activities

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Read 'Product and Process Design Principles' by Seider et al.

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Learn a structured approach to product and process design, covering process synthesis, analysis, and optimization.

View Product and Process Design Principles:... on Amazon

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Review the chapters on process synthesis and optimization.
Apply the principles to a case study from the book or your own project.

Create a Process Simulation Model

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Enhance your understanding of process simulation by creating a model of a chemical process using software like Aspen Plus or CHEMCAD.

Browse courses on Process Simulation

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Choose a process from the course or your own research.
Gather necessary data for the simulation, including thermodynamic properties and reaction kinetics.
Build the process flow diagram in the simulation software.
Run the simulation and analyze the results.

Develop a Preliminary Plant Design for a Specific Chemical Product

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Apply the concepts learned in the course to a real-world scenario by designing a plant for a specific chemical product.

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Select a chemical product and research its production process.
Develop a preliminary process flow diagram (PFD).
Estimate the capital and operating costs for the plant.
Perform an economic analysis to determine the profitability of the project.

Write a Blog Post on a Recent Innovation in Plant Design

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Deepen your understanding of current trends in plant design by researching and writing a blog post on a recent innovation.

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Research recent innovations in plant design, such as modular construction or advanced control systems.
Write a blog post summarizing the innovation and its potential benefits.
Include examples of plants that have implemented the innovation.

Career center

Learners who complete Plant Design & Economics will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Plant Manager

Plant Managers are responsible for the overall performance of a plant, including efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness, all of which this course thoroughly addresses. This course is especially relevant as it directly discusses the core concepts needed by plant managers to drive efficiency and operational performance. The course’s focus on optimizing plant operations is crucial for effective plant management. The course also offers strategies for addressing common challenges and ensuring superior performance of a plant, aligning perfectly with the responsibilities of a plant manager. Anyone hoping to reach this role should consider the course.

See salaries and explore the career path for Plant Manager

Process Engineer

A Process Engineer designs, implements, and optimizes industrial processes. This role involves improving manufacturing efficiency and reducing costs, making the knowledge from this course directly applicable. This course provides insights into process optimization, budgeting, financial planning, and simulation, all of which are essential for a process engineer. The practical strategies for modernizing operations and improving economic performance are particularly relevant for success in the field. Furthermore, the ability to address challenges in design and process optimization helps a process engineer identify and resolve issues to achieve superior plant performance.

See salaries and explore the career path for Process Engineer

Manufacturing Engineer

A Manufacturing Engineer designs and optimizes the processes within a manufacturing facility. This course addresses many of their daily tasks, such as process optimization, budgeting, and using process simulation. The course provides knowledge which improves a manufacturing engineer's ability to modernize operations and improve economic performance. With this course's emphasis on improving process efficiency and addressing common challenges, a manufacturing engineer is better equipped to drive plant performance and efficiency. Furthermore, the course helps build an understanding of plant design and optimization concepts.

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Industrial Engineer

Industrial Engineers focus on improving efficiency and productivity in industrial operations, making this course a very valuable resource. This course helps build a foundation in plant design and process optimization by covering key aspects such as process efficiency, budgeting, financial planning and process simulation. An industrial engineer will be better prepared to implement strategies to optimize plant operations, which is a core aspect of their job. The ability to understand and resolve common challenges in plant design and process optimization helps enhance an industrial engineer's ability to improve plant performance.

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Operations Manager

An Operations Manager supervises the day-to-day activities within a plant and strives to maximize efficiency, just like the content covered in this course. You will improve your ability to improve process efficiency, budget, and develop financial plans, all of which are very useful for an operations manager. An operations manager will benefit from the course's discussion of process simulation to enhance plant models. The ability to address and resolve common challenges in plant design and process optimization is also very applicable. The tools taught in the course will assist an operations manager in improving plant performance and ensuring alignment with industry trends.

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Project Manager

Project Managers oversee all aspects of projects from initiation to completion. Given that this course covers project management principles needed for plant projects, it is helpful for a project manager. This course helps project managers to understand the nuances of plant design. The course goes into essential aspects of plant design, process optimization, and their impact on cost and efficiency. With this knowledge, a project manager is better equipped to manage plant projects successfully and make more informed decisions. The course also includes valuable insights into process simulation, a tool to help a project manager plan and execute projects effectively.

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Safety Engineer

Safety Engineers are responsible for ensuring the well-being of personnel working in a plant, a direct connection to the safety considerations covered in this course. This course is useful for anyone in this role. The course discusses the essential principles of plant design and optimization, including safety considerations. A safety engineer will also benefit from learning strategies for improving process efficiency and understanding how process simulation impacts plant models. The course will help to resolve and address common challenges in plant design and process optimization, which directly improves a plant’s safety.

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Quality Engineer

A Quality Engineer ensures that manufacturing processes meet a company’s standards, a task that frequently requires process optimization skills. This course is helpful because it teaches plant design and optimization concepts, and the fundamental principles that drive operational performance. A quality engineer will benefit from the course’s coverage of strategies to improve process efficiency and enhance economic outcomes. Furthermore, the course will help a quality engineer understand key aspects of process simulation which helps create improved plant models and ultimately leads to higher quality output.

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Supply Chain Analyst

Supply Chain Analysts optimize processes that affect the flow of materials and products, which requires a strong understanding of process and operations. The course helps build a foundation in core plant design and optimization concepts such as the principles that drive plant efficiency. A supply chain analyst can benefit from the course’s insights into how to apply these concepts to enhance economic outcomes and improve real-world scenarios. The course’s material on optimizing plant operations and ensuring alignment with industry trends also adds relevance, making it a useful course for anyone in this field.

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Cost Estimator

Cost Estimators analyze the costs associated with a project, a task that involves significant financial planning skills, which this course addresses. With this course, a cost estimator gains a better understanding of budgeting, financial planning, and process optimization in a plant setting. A cost estimator can also use the knowledge of process simulation this course offers to create better plant models and more accurate estimates. Given the course's emphasis on improving economic performance and operational efficiency, this course can be helpful for those in this role.

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Continuous Improvement Specialist

A Continuous Improvement Specialist works to enhance processes, efficiency, and profitability of a plant, objectives that are directly inline with the goals of this course. By providing a deep dive into plant design and optimization, this course may help a continuous improvement specialist create effective changes. The course gives a foundation in the principles of plant efficiency and operational performance. A continuous improvement specialist will certainly benefit from the course's focus on improving economic outcomes and strategies for optimizing plant operations.

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Consultant

Consultants often advise clients on plant design and process optimization, a topic which this course covers. The course helps build a consultant's understanding of the fundamentals driving plant efficiency and operational performance. A consultant may benefit from the course’s emphasis on how to enhance economic outcomes and improve real-world scenarios. By providing insights into strategies for optimizing plant operations, the course provides a knowledge base of use to a consultant.

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Research and Development Engineer

Research and Development Engineers focus on discovering new technologies and processes for plants, which corresponds to certain aspects of this course. The course provides a firm foundation in core plant design and optimization concepts and principles that drive efficiency. Since this course also emphasizes strategies for optimizing plant operations and using process simulation, a research and development engineer may find it helpful. By helping them understand plant design and key challenges, this course can help a research engineer bring cutting edge solutions to the plant.

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Facilities Manager

A Facilities Manager oversees the maintenance and operation of a plant’s physical infrastructure. The course may be useful to anyone in this role. You will get a better understanding of plant design principles, how to improve operational performance, and how to make sound financial plans, all of which apply to the role of a facilities manager. The course can also help a facilities manager understand how process simulation enhances plant models when planning improvements. The course also describes the common issues a plant faces and strategies to resolve them.

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Technical Sales Engineer

Technical Sales Engineers need a solid understanding of the technical aspects of the products they sells, and if this involves plant equipment, this course provides a foundation in this area. The course introduces fundamental plant design and optimization concepts, which helps a sales engineer better understand the products they sell. The course also gives insights into process efficiency, financial planning, and how process simulation enhances plant models. These are very helpful when discussing a product’s benefits and value to a client, making this course useful.

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Plant Design & Economics

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Reviews summary

Practical plant design fundamentals

Activities

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