Chemical Process Equipment: Selection and Design,2nd editionEdited by James R Couper, W Roy Penney, James R Fairand Stanley M WalasElsevier, 2004776 pp, £125.00, ISBN 0 75067 510 1

Reviewed by Dr Robert Thornton

This substantial book, which has been updated since theoriginal edition of 1990, provides an introduction to thedesign of a wide variety of items of process equipment.The chapters, and the equipment described therein, areorganized along familiar ‘unit operation’ lines. Withineach section the authors have tried to cover some back-ground theory, practical correlations, worked examplesand descriptions of equipment used—and they are on thewhole successful in achieving this. There is also a goodselection of physical properties and data relating to processmaterials and apparatus. The theoretical explanations aredesigned to act as reminders to experienced engineersrather than as ‘first principles’ derivations for the un-initiated. Naturally this approach means the operationswhich have an established theoretical basis such as heattransfer, distillation and gas absorption tend to get thegreatest depth of coverage—at least when measured bynumbers of pages.

One of the most useful and successful aspects ofthe book is the inclusion of ‘Chapter 0’—Rules ofThumb. This is an overview of typical applications, capa-bilities, limitations and performance of common items ofprocess equipment. It forms an invaluable summary forinexperienced and also experienced engineers who maybe starting a design from the proverbial ‘blank sheet ofpaper’.

The words in the title of the volume are carefully chosenand accurately reflect the contents—the book is quite nar-rowly focused on the design of equipment items viewedas individual entities. Given that the writers undoubtedlyworked within space constraints, it is all too easy to criti-cize them for what is left out. However, readers shouldbe aware that aspects of process design, which one mightinterpret as the way the individual items work togetherand interact with each other, are not addressed to a signifi-cant degree. This is despite the first three chapters brieflyintroducing ideas about material balances and flowsheets,and a rather good section discussing control strategies forindividual items. Thereafter, plant-wide issues tend to get

ignored. Programmable control and data collection systemsare not considered. There is little coverage of safety, andalmost no mention of Hazard and Operability studies,environmental issues, sustainability or energy integration.Fires, explosions and toxic releases are not dealt with,and the book is silent on equipment and techniquesdesigned to ameliorate their effects, such as pressurerelief systems, venting, containment, fire fighting,explosion suppression and relief, and similar matters. Themovement of materials through a factory, manual handling,plant layout and the interaction of human operators with theprocess are all omitted.

The book has a traditional feel about it, with many of theexamples being drawn from the heavy petrochemical indus-tries. Readers with backgrounds in pharmaceuticals, orfoods and beverages, may feel the work less useful. Bio-chemical operations get a brief mention in the form of afew paragraphs on fermenter design and chromatographicseparations. The updated chapters on mixing and agitation,membrane operations and equipment cost algorithms aregood and embrace some recent references including somemanufacturers’ websites.

In certain areas, page layout could be improved. Dia-grams and tables often get widely separated from therelevant text, making the information hard to follow.Nomenclature is a bit of a problem too—only one chapter(10) has a separate nomenclature section, and in other chap-ters the definition of symbols is deeply buried within thetext. The reviewer noticed a number of minor misprintsin the Cost Algorithm chapter (21), mainly relating to sub-scripts and superscripts—nothing too serious but they dodetract from clarity. The inclusion of many pages of equip-ment specification forms and suppliers’ questionnaires isperhaps debatable, and the space might have beenemployed for something more useful. Finally, it shouldbe noted that the book is uncompromisingly US-centric,with US units and standards being quoted throughout.Readers had better make themselves familiar withpounds, feet and horsepower.

Selection and design of process equipment is a huge sub-ject, and the authors of this book have made a brave attemptto condense a great deal of information into a limited space.The volume will happily sit alongside other similar worksof reference, when it will provide useful insight and back-ground. Not surprisingly, there are significant gaps if it isused as a stand-alone text. However, this reviewer feelsthat the ‘Rules of Thumb’ chapter alone raises the workinto the ‘commended’ class.

Trans IChemE, Part A, Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 2005, 83(A8): 1057–1058

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