Nivaar worked solution (AI-drafted; not reviewed by a licensed engineer)
National Exams — December 2016 — 04-Chem-A5 Chemical Plant Design and Economics. Three-hour, closed-book exam; one two-sided aid sheet and an approved 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 combines conceptual process-synthesis (reactor and recycle structure for a series-reaction chlorination) with a short economic-potential calculation; Question 2 is a numerical retrofit-costing problem (replacing distillation trays with structured packing); Questions 3–6 are qualitative essays on equipment design procedures, materials of construction, inherently safer design, and equipment-selection factors.
Reference texts: R. Smith, Chemical Process Design and Integration (2nd ed., Wiley) — reaction path, reactor conversion and the recycle structure of the flowsheet, and the economic-potential screen behind Question 1 (the monochlorodecane example is worked there); R.K. Sinnott & G. Towler, Chemical Engineering Design (Coulson & Richardson vol. 6, 6th ed., Butterworth-Heinemann) — the equipment cost correlations and retrofit factors of Question 2, the heat-exchanger and cyclone design procedures (Ch. 12, Ch. 10), materials of construction (Ch. 7), and equipment selection (Ch. 10, 18); T.A. Kletz & P. Amyotte, Process Plants: A Handbook for Inherently Safer Design (2nd ed., CRC) — the inherently-safer-design changes of Question 5; M.S. Peters, K.D. Timmerhaus & R.E. West, Plant Design and Economics for Chemical Engineers (5th ed., McGraw-Hill). Canadian practice per CCOHS and CSA Z767 (Process Safety Management) where jurisdiction matters.
