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What is Process Engineering Design?
Chemical and Process Engineering
Chemical manufacturing processes have evolved from modest beginnings to the complex production of chemicals we see today. These processes convert raw materials such as fossil fuels, water, minerals, and metals into thousands of products central to modern living. Chemical and process engineering focuses on the development, design, operation, and management of these transformations in a safe and cost-effective manner. Grounded in the principles of chemistry, physics, and mathematics, the discipline relies on the laws of physical chemistry and physics to guide the feasibility and efficiency of operations, while mathematics plays a critical role in optimisation and modelling. As a process design consultant, we apply this foundational knowledge to help clients develop reliable, scalable, and economically sound chemical processes tailored to real-world industrial demands.
Chemical Process Engineering in Design
The design of a process plant starts with an idea to produce a new product or improve an existing one. It is usually a result of one or more chemical reactions and mainly the physical processes such as the separation of the components or a group of components from a natural mixture, are the subject of the design. An excellent example of such a process is crude oil primary separation.
The engineering design of a chemical manufacturing process can be categorised into two broad phases.
The conceptual or process design is the first phase that includes the selection of the chemical process, technology, process conditions, collection of required data, issuing of process flowsheets, selection, specification, and chemical engineering calculations of equipment, and preliminary cost estimation. Typically, in a project organisation, the process engineering design team is heavily involved in this phase also known as the front-end engineering design (FEED).
The second phase, basic plant design, includes the detailed mechanical design of equipment, detailed design of electrical systems, civil structures, piping and ancillary services. The support design group is responsible for these engineering activities as they have the expertise in other engineering disciplines required to complete the plant design.
A typical chemical process plant design can be illustrated in these phases, as shown below.
The different phases of the project as shown above illustrates that the goal of plant design is to complete them within the framework of projects. The process engineers are heavily involved in FEED within this project phase and constantly interact and communicate with other engineering disciplines.
Process Engineering Key Role
Establishing the steps in a chemical plant design is essential and recognises the involvement of the multidiscipline engineering. Since process engineering design is conducted at the front-end of plant engineering design, therefore, outputs or deliverables from this stage have a significant impact on the subsequent design stages. The non-exhaustive list of process engineering workflow is illustrated below.
Seamless collaboration among different engineering disciplines is key to a successful chemical plant design execution. With this tight collaboration with other engineering disciplines, process engineers set work priorities, choose equipment, select instrument from alternatives, identify key hydraulic and elevation constraints. Aligning process engineering activities as well as deliverables sets the groundwork for the whole design execution and strategy.
The process information flow is communicated through the activities and deliverables that the process engineering owns or shares with another engineering discipline. One deliverable example is the piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID). The P&ID is a schematic representation used to facilitate the design process, convey intent, or construct and communicate information to the client and all involved disciplines.
Process Plant Consultants
Large-scale organisations may utilise their own design teams to conduct the entire project design and even execute the plant construction, all within their organisation. However, most commercial-scale process plants are very complex, consisted of various unit operations linked together by piping and automatically controlled via basic process control system (BPCS). Many process engineers working in a process plant are operations engineers specifically trained to troubleshoot an underperforming- or optimise a chemical plant but may lack the skills and experience to design a chemical plant.
To minimise risks, organisations of many sizes usually outsource and commission a process plant consultant also known as engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) to design the process plant. The process engineers can be part of either the EPCM’s organisation or the owner's engineering design team. Process engineers in the EPCM’s organisation are part of the project team executing the design and performing the deliverables in the project. The process engineers that are part of the owner's design and engineering team are the engineering consultants responsible for reviewing and approving the deliverables from the contracted EPCM organisation to ensure that the deliverables comply with the design specifications and requirements.
Process Engineering
At jimmylea, we offer specialised expertise as a process engineering consultant, helping clients in the chemical, energy, resources, and water sectors deliver efficient, fit-for-purpose engineering solutions. With decades of real-world project experience, we support clients in navigating technical challenges, streamlining operations, and improving process reliability. As a trusted process design consultant, we assist in developing new processes, scaling up from pilot to plant, and refining existing designs for better performance and compliance. Our focus is always on practical, cost-effective solutions that align with project goals and operational realities. Organisations across Australia and Singapore engage us when projects require deep technical knowledge, cross-disciplinary thinking, and the ability to deliver under tight deadlines.