Process safety concepts are considered with a view to identifying gaps and issues with current methods in order to develop better methodologies for designing safer layouts. The objective of this study was to review the current methodologies for plant layout optimization and to resolve facility siting issues. However, safety concerns have increased to the point that developing this type of approach is necessary. An optimization problem with constraints related to safety is not easy to solve given limitations such as nonlinearity, uncertainty, and ethical difficulties in converting human life to costs for calculation purposes. A few approaches have been taken to transform consequence analysis, such as toxic gas dispersion and its mitigation as well as the risks of fire and explosions, into mathematical equations as constraints of an optimization problem.
Determining the optimal distribution of facilities in a plant requires an optimization calculation, including a variety of distance constraints, one of which is related to process safety. Plant layout entails the allocation of a given number of facilities on a given piece of land. The value of this book is not as a source of point estimates of future power costs, but as a source of insight into the factors that can determine future outcomes, including factors that can be influenced by Congress.ĭesigning the process layout in a chemical plant is a complex and multidisciplinary task requiring input from experts in fields such as chemical, civil, mechanical, and instrument engineering. The rankings of the technologies by cost are therefore also an approximation and should not be viewed as definitive estimates of the relative cost-competitiveness of each option. Future uncertainties preclude firm forecasts. None of the projections are intended to be a "most likely" case. This book provides projections of the possible cost of power from new fossil, nuclear, and renewable plants built in 2015, illustrating how different assumptions, such as the availability of federal incentives, change the cost rankings of technologies. Government decisions to influence or not influence these factors can largely determine the kind of power plants that are built in the future. These factors, including construction costs, fuel expense, environmental regulations, and financing costs can all be affected by government energy, environmental, and economic policies. This book analyzes the factors that determine the cost of electricity from new power plants.