two-dimensional diagrams (PFD, P&ID, etc.). However, when it comes to the construction of the plant,
there are many issues that require a three-dimensional representation of the process. For example, the
location of shell and tube exchangers must allow for tube bundle removal for cleaning and repair.
Locations of pumps must allow for access for maintenance and replacement. For compressors, this access
may also require that a crane be able to remove and replace a damaged drive. Control valves must be
located at elevations that allow operator access. Sample ports and instrumentation must also be located
conveniently. For anyone who has toured a moderate-to-large chemical facility, the complexity of the
piping and equipment layout is immediately apparent. Even for experienced engineers, the review of
equipment and piping topology is far easier to accomplish in 3-D than 2-D. Due to the rapid increase in
computer power and advanced software, such representations are now done routinely using the computer.
In order to “build” an electronic representation of the plant in 3-D, all the information in the previously
mentioned diagrams must be accessed and synthesized. This in itself is a daunting task, and a complete
accounting of this process is well beyond the scope of this text. However, in order to give the reader a
flavor of what can now be accomplished using such software, a brief review of the principles of plant
layout design will be given. A more detailed account involving a virtual plant tour of the dimethyl ether
(DME) plant (Appendix B.1) is given on the CD accompanying this book.