EQUIPMENT LAYOUT

Objectives:
At the end of this session you will be able to know

What is an Equipment Layout

Major inputs for development of Equipment Layout

Basic data required to develop an Equipment Layout

Guidelines to be followed while developing an Equipment Layout

Guidelines to be followed while developing an Equipment Layout
Drawing.

What is an Equipment Layout?

Equipment layout is an engineering drawing which shows the relative arrangement of
the various equipments and machineries laid in the particular unit / area / building of a
plant.
This is the most challenging single activity of a Piping Engineer. The challenge involves
creativity, ability to draw upon experience of similar jobs, provisioning for unexpected
changes and resolving often conflicting requirements.

The major inputs for development of equipment layout are:

Plot Plan with clear demarcation of Units

Process P&IDs (Utility Distribution P&IDs are received later because these are

based on equipment layout).

Indicative Layout, if available (normally for Licensor Units)
Engineering Design Basis
Statutory Requirements
Tentative Dimensions of Equipments/ Packages
Connectivity and Access for Maintenance and Erection
Critical Piping Circuits e.g. Transfer Lines and Reboiler Lines etc.
Aesthetics

This drawing is started when Process flow sheets and major equipment dimensions (e.g.
equipment list) are available. Piping Engineer should first develop a one-plane elevation of all
equipments to scale and relatively locate the equipment to fulfill process requirements. He should
keep good margins for nozzle lengths, bends, valves, slopes and distances between equipments,
etc. while locating the equipments. He must as well think of structural / concrete beam depths,
monorails, pipe ways, cable trays, lighting, etc. while deciding the floor elevation. Routing of major &
critical process lines should also be discussed at this stage. After deciding floor elevations and
number of floors, work can start on preliminary arrangement drawings which should show each floor
plan as well as elevation views at different sections

Basic data required to develop an Equipment Layout

For proceeding to preliminary arrangement of equipment, following information is
collected from various engineering groups

Type of building / structure

Surface protection requirement.

Size and type of moving equipment.

Approach & operating space requirements.

Monorails / EOT / HOT requirement for maintenance.

Space requirement for instrument cables.

Space & location requirements for Analyser cabinets / rooms, etc.

Space requirement for cable racks & trenches.

Factory Act requirements.

Economic consideration with regard to type of structure, column spacing & tie
beam, etc.

Erection requirements such as bolted joints in the structure.

Erection openings in floors.

Openings in walls or door sizes.

Extra space for derrick / crane, etc.

Cable openings for electrical and Instrumentation.

Generally starting point of the preparation of equipment layout is the arrangement of

pipe rack with relation of equipment. The most common practice is to have the pipe
rack in the middle and rows of equipments on either sides of it. This arrangement
enables to make an economical piping layout. Various shapes of pipe rack and
equipment arrangement such as L T, U are practice where a straight pipe rack is not
possible. The equipment are arranged in logical process flow sequence for the very
reason of reducing piping and piping cost. This is all more important when the piping
involved is of stainless and alloy steels.
The layout shall be made in such a way that reasonable accessibility for operations
maintenance is provided and provision of operation and maintenance facilities in the
form of approaches, monorails, davits, platforms, leaders, working space for
maintenance, etc. are included
Guidelines to be followed while developing an Equipment Layout

Normally furnaces are located on the outskirts of the unit in the upwind directions.

Process equipment such as reactors, primary fractionators and distillation columns

connected to furnace outlets are located as close as possible to furnaces so that
transfer lines are short and simple.

Furnace tube clearing and removal space as well as access to mobile crane shall be
provided.

To the extent possible, common platform is provided to a group of towers.

The manholes in the towers shall be arranged in the direction facing the access
way.

The required safety distances shall be provided with the equipment as well as for
the purpose of maintenance and operation.

Gas compressors shall be located downwind of the furnaces.

Air fin coolers are generally kept above pipe rack. (Top layer)

The control room of the unit shall be located in the safe area and also at t\a central
location so as to minimize the length of lead cables.

Eye wash and safety showers shall be located at all strategic points.

Provisions for future expansion shall be provided in the layout as well as in Rocks.

The layout shall specially take care of the erection scheme of tall towers and heavy
equipment.

The heat exchangers shall be located perpendicular to pipe rack with sufficient tube
pulling/ rod cleaning area at channel end. The required space for tube bundle
removal is about one meter plus the length of removable bundles and shall be
shown is dotted lines in Equipment layout.

Pumps are generally arranged under the pipe rack in a row. Pumps handling
hydrocarbons and material above 2300 C shall not be located below air fin coolers.
The motor side of pump shall be general towards centre on track.

Location of tall columns and furnaces shall be close to road side for ease of
maintenance and construction. They shall not be located on congested areas.

Thermo siphon reboilers shall be preferably placed close to their associated towers.
The reboilers shall be mounted on the tower, so that piping design is simplified and
pipe requirement is minimum.

No other fuel tankages except day tank shall be located inside process unit.

The equipment layout thus prepared is sent to almost all major disciplines and Client
for their comments. These comments are then consolidated and the conflicting ones
are discussed across the table. Changes which affect others are once again taken up
with respective disciplines. This layout is then put up for Apex Review.
The approved version is the basis for further engineering by Piping and many other
disciplines e.g.

Structures: for Foundations and Super-structures

General Civil: for Pavement Drawing and equipment foundations.
Process: for Development of Utility P&IDs

Piping : for development of piping layouts

Instrumentation: for Cable Routing
Electrical: for Area Classification and Trench and cable Routing on rocks.
Construction: for Erection Planning, Hard Stand Arrangement, for cranes of
devices etc.

Guidelines to be followed while developing an Equipment Layout Drawing.

Equipment layout shall be drawn in 1:50 or 1:100 scale. (Or larger scales for

table form Equipment Layout.)

A0 size drawing sheet should generally be used however if the area to be

covered is small, A1 size can be used.

Place north arrow at the top right hand corner of the sheet to indicate plant

north.
The area above title block to be kept free for general notes and reference

drawings key plan etc.

All equipments are marked with its equipment no. as appearing in equipment list

& dimensions (major diameter, height/ length etc.)

All equipments centerline are located in for layout of outdoor plant/ offsite

facility, the equipment shall be located by co-ordinates.

Conceptual layout, P & ID, vendor/ fabricated equipment drawings are to be used

as basic document for preparing equipment layout drawings.

Walkways, cutouts, pipe racks, floor drains, gutter, trenches, ramp etc. if

applicable should be clearly marked in the drawing.

For in house plant layout, the location of staircases, lift & other utility areas

should be clearly shown.

In equipment layout sectional drawing, for each equipment its top most or

bottom most or bottom most elevations should be marked.

Orientation of equipment shall be clearly marked for all the equipments by

orienting one if the major nozzles.

In case of reactors/ tanks, the location of manhole/ hand hole, SG/LG, LI etc. shall

be at accessible position.
Equipment lifting cutout shall be marked clearly in the drawings.
Equipment planned to be installed in future shall be shown dotted.
For heat exchangers, tube removal/ cleaning space shall be marked.
While locating the pumps care shall be taken to ensure that the NPSH (net

positive suction head) requirement is met.

General notes are written on one of the drawings (first) and shall not be repeated

on all layouts but reference shall be given.

Direction of north shall be maintained same for all the plans for the same plant/

project and generally to be kept upwards.

If more than one drawing is required to cover a specified area, then the match
line shall be indicated clearly with the reference drawings

One of the general notes should specify the absolute level of the area covered
with respect drawings and also should indicate 0.00 of plant matches to which

level.
The equipment load, operating or test load whichever is maximum shall be
considered for design and the layout should indicate this along with the dynamic

factor wherever applicable. This could also be covered in table as well.

For reactors with agitators, lifting beam shall be provided for agitator removal.
For vendor equipment maintenance space as recommended by them for

maintenance shall be provided.

Equipment layout shall also indicate the positions of utility stations, safety

shower and eye wash.

Equipment elevation shall be so arranged to ensure gravity flow where specified.