Nivaar worked solution (AI-drafted; not reviewed by a licensed engineer)
National Exams — December 2014 — 04-Chem-A5 Chemical Plant Design and Economics. Three-hour, closed-book exam; any non-communicating calculator permitted. Six equally weighted (20-mark) questions are posed and the candidate answers any five; only the first five are marked. All six are answered below for completeness. Question 1 is a conceptual process-design question answered with a flow sheet and organised prose; questions 2, 3 and 4 mix a short essay with numerical work (turnover-ratio pricing, sinking-fund depreciation, and simple/compound loan interest); question 5 combines profitability and risk discussion with a return-and-payout calculation; question 6 is a safety, optimization and environmental essay.
Reference texts: M.S. Peters, K.D. Timmerhaus & R.E. West, Plant Design and Economics for Chemical Engineers (5th ed., McGraw-Hill) — the exam's named primary text (cost estimation Ch. 6, interest and investment Ch. 7, depreciation Ch. 9, profitability and payout Ch. 10, optimum design Ch. 11, plant safety and loss prevention); R. Turton et al., Analysis, Synthesis, and Design of Chemical Processes (4th ed., Prentice Hall) — flowsheet synthesis and process development; T.M. Duncan & J.A. Reimer, Chemical Engineering Design and Analysis (Cambridge, 1998) — the source of the boiling-point data used in Question 1; supporting Canadian tax practice from the Canada Revenue Agency Capital Cost Allowance classes and the half-year rule, and environmental practice from the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) and provincial air-quality regulation.
