Process Engineering Capabilities

Process Development/Design for water, wastewater, byproduct recovery and utility systems in an industrial environment require a combination of engineering education, technical and practical experience, responsible creativity, and a thorough process understanding - a combination that is hard to find.

EnCOSS LLC personnel have this curriculum vitae, and are therefore uniquely positioned to provide professional Process Engineering services to their industrial clients.

In the narrowest sense, Process Engineering involves the critical selection of process steps, and development and application of design criteria. The goal is to define the components of a system sufficiently for other engineering disciplines to then complete the project. In a broader sense, the Process Engineer is frequently the key component of projects, as he or she defines the scope of work to be supplied as part of the initial project team, and carries the project forward through detailed design, construction and startup. The Process Engineer remains involved into on-going operations.

Proper evaluation of alternative process steps requires an understanding not only of the chemical, physical or biological performance of a given process, but also it's response to transients, reliability, operating and maintenance requirements. There must also be a thorough consideration of installation, operating & maintenance costs. This type of understanding is best acquired through a combination of education and experience. EnCOSS personnel have a unique combination of knowledge and hands-on experience that allows them to excel in this arena.

Once a process system is selected for design, the next critical component is the development of design criteria. Both adequate definition of existing conditions, as well as accurate prediction of process performance once the existing conditions are defined, is required. Regarding the former, EnCOSS personnel have sufficient expertise with their clients' industries to recognize anomalies, and ensure that no production variations or intermittent production sub-processes will upset the performance of the process being designed. EnCOSS is also diligent in statistically evaluating existing data, and in evaluating the potential changes from production schedule upturns or downturns. Similarly, EnCOSS personnel have successfully executed numerous lab bench-scale studies and pilot plant operations. Only extensive experience can tell when a pilot study is needed, when lab bench scale work can be relied upon, or when neither is required and the process can be designed from existing data.

Two examples will illustrate the principle.

The client approached an engineer to design a wastewater treatment system for one of their plants. The plant wastewater contained cyanide, and the engineer was requested to "not reinvent the wheel, and design an alkaline chlorination system". During startup, it was discovered that zinc was present in the wastewater. The complexation reaction between zinc and cyanide prevented the alkaline chlorination system from being as effective as desired. A problem that took months to get resolved in the field at significant cost could have been resolved through bench testing at nominal cost, and the right system could have been installed the first time.
A company was asked to provide treatment for a blast furnace blowdown stream in an integrated steel mill. This company had recently completed a pilot study on the same stream for another steel producer in which the key parameters were comparable. Armed with this knowledge, lab and pilot work were able to be eliminated in favor of going straight to design and installation. The resulting system has met performance goals since installation.

The difference between the two examples lies in (1) recognizing the differences that demand testing, and (2) the experience level to adequately judge what is required.

EnCOSS has fieldworthy pilot equipment and the capability to implement on-site pilot studies for all technology offerings. EnCOSS can also provide services for bench or pilot studies for non-proprietary technologies for our customers. EnCOSS is currently developing additional lab bench study capabilities, and expects to have a lab bench facility in place by the end of 2005. Serious field experience is also the guide in process scale-up the results of bench scale or field pilot results.

Once the process is selected, the design criteria developed and applied to a given project - the next step is the generation of the process package such that it adequately defines the process to those performing the detailed engineering. In this phase, PFDs, P&IDs, mass balances, process descriptions, functional control descriptions, process equipment data sheets and specifications are developed and refined to define the scope to purchase equipment and build the project. This phase requires a complete understanding of all facets of the project - client's standards, consideration of site constraints and available utilities, operational and maintenance issues, and the application of chemical and environmental engineering principles. EnCOSS personnel understand this work.

In addition to the various crucial aspects of Process Engineering, EnCOSS engineers are available for -

consultation during the design and construction phase
startup of new systems and startup oversight
process plant troubleshooting
operations supervision
process optimization and cost control consulting.

For more information or to discuss your project, please contact the EnCOSS LLC office nearest you.