PLOT PLAN & LAYOUT

PLOT PLAN & LAYOUT

Presentation Contents
 Scope
 General Requirements
 Roads and Access
 Plot Plan Layouts
 Plot Plan for a Single Process Unit
 Plot Plan for Multiple Units
 Layout and Spacing of Process Equipment
 Fired Heaters
 Pumps
 Exchangers
 Towers and Vessels
 Layout and Spacing of Buildings and Substations
 Electrical Substations
 Utility Facilities
 Offsite Tank Storage
 Access
 Drainage and Dikes
 High Pressure Storage Tanks and Spheres (In Excess of 103.4 kPag)
 Loading and Unloading Facilities
 Flares
 Pipeways and Structure Clearances
 SCOPE:
 This specification presents the requirements
for plot plan layout, equipment arrangement
and recommended minimum spacing of
process equipment within the property
boundaries of new or modified units.
 Local government regulations or ordinances
that contain spacing requirements more
stringent than these contained in this
specification shall take precedence over the
provisions of this specification.
 Process, operational, safety, constructability
considerations or existing conditions may
take precedence and all should be
considered.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

 Storage tanks are generally located in areas

remote from process units because of their large
size and hazard.
 Prevailing wind should be considered when
locating ignition sources such as furnaces and
flares.
 Office areas located in separate buildings, or
separated by fire-rated walls or partition from
areas, shall have exits arranged in accordance
with NFPA 101.
Roads and Access
Access for Maintenance
a. Process units shall be arranged, either singly or in
groups, within a block that can be surrounded by
plant roads for free movement of maintenance and
safety equipment.
b. Equipment shall be so arranged that maintenance
functions can be performed from these plant roads or
access roads within the units.
c. Provisions shall be made so that plant roads are not
blocked for extended periods by maintenance.
d. Adequate alternative routes must be available to
provide access to areas not undergoing
maintenance.
e. Pipe racks should provide crane access for
maintenance.
Access for Fire Fighting
a. Access from two directions will be provided between integrated
layout process units.
b. Access to a unit for fire control operations shall not depend upon
crossing an adjacent operating unit.
c. Process units should be provided with fire breaks of at least 6 m
approximately every 60 m by means of access ways or through
equipment layout considerations.
d. Main accessways should be at least 6 m wide and can act as a fire
break. Main accessways for fire fighting should not be located
under pipeways and should not pass through adjacent units. They
should be provided through process unit areas to allow fire fighting
from two directions with 30 m hose lengths.
e. Secondary accessways should be 3.6 m wide for access by fire
fighters dragging hose or 6 m wide with 4.5 m height clearance to
permit access by mobile fire fighting equipment.
f. Secondary accessways may pass under pipeways or through
adjacent process units or equipment, provided clearance is
adequate. Alternate secondary accessways are necessary to
prevent entrapment of fire fighters if flammable vapors are
present, if a fire flares out of control, or if the wind changes.
Plot Plan Layouts
 Process Unit Arrangement
The following factors shall be considered:
a. Process requirements
b. Constructability
c. Operatability
d. Safety
e. Available plot area
f. Relationship to adjacent units or to other facilities
within the plant.
g. Economy
h. Future expandability
i. Security
j. Prevailing wind direction
 Plot Plan for a Single Process Unit
a. A pipe rack is placed along the center of the unit.
b. Vessels, exchangers, and other equipment are
placed on either side of the pipe rack.
c. Pumps are located along the pipe rack.
d. Air coolers are located on top of the pipe rack or
at grade level.
e. Fired heaters are located at one end of the plot in
an isolated area, normally upwind, at a safe
distance from hydrocarbon processing equipment.
 Plot Plan for Multiple Units
a. Place a main pipe rack along the center of the
area
b. On either side of this pipe rack, locate branch
pipe racks at right angles to the main one
c. Arrange process units around the branch pipe
racks, as described for a single process unit
d. Main pipe rack should be outside of process
unit battery limits
 Layout and Spacing of Process
Equipment
Process Unit Spacing
 Equipment in a process unit should be located
30 m from equipment handling hydrocarbon in
adjacent units.
 Process equipment should be located at least
60 m from railroad main lines.
Fired Heaters

 Fired heaters are a continuous ignition

source and require separation of at
least 15 m from process equipment
containing flammable liquids.
 Locate fired heaters at least 15 m
from pumps and compressors and
from vents that might release
ignitable vapors.
 PUMPS
 Locate transfer pumps offsite in areas
outside of tank dikes. Space the transfer
pumps at least 3 m from other non-
associated pumps, at least 15 m from
unit substations, a minimum of 60 m
from main substations, and 9 m from
main pipeways.
Exchangers
a. Maintenance of exchangers involves blinding
nozzles and testing; removing channel, shell, and
floating head covers; cleaning tubes; and
removing tube bundles or removing tubes from
fixed tubesheet bundles or completely removing
fixed tubesheet exchangers.
b. Facilities for bundle cleaning should be provided.
Locate these facilities to avoid creating a
housekeeping problem. Drains from this facility
must connect to the oily water sewer system.
c. All exchangers with removable bundles shall
have clearance equal to the bundle length or
bundle extractor plus 5 m and extending 6 m on
at least one side. Clearance at the back of the
exchangers should be about 3 m for exchangers
with removable shell covers.
d. Exchangers in rows shall have a minimum
clearance of 1 m between shell flanges and shall
have their shell covers in line. This clearance
should be increased for hot exchangers requiring
onstream cleaning.
 Towers and Vessels

Locate tall towers with their manways

and platforms facing an open area or
roadway to facilitate construction and
maintenance.
A platform must be provided
at the top of the tower for
maintenance purpose
Layout and Spacing of Buildings and
Substations
Control Rooms and Operator Shelters
 Control rooms should be a minimum of
60 m from the property boundary as
required per local security regulations.
 Central control rooms should be located
at least 150 m from LPG loading racks or
process equipment containing flammable
or combustible liquids and/or vapors that
 could form a vapor cloud and at least 60 m
from all other process equipment containing
hydrocarbons. The 60 m spacing requirement
is provided for fire exposure considerations.

The 35 m spacing requirement is provided

for fire exposure considerations.
 Electrical Substations

Substations should be located a

minimum of 60 m from the property
boundary as required by local security
regulations.
The 15 m spacing requirement to all
equipment handling hydrocarbons is
provided for fire exposure
considerations.
Utility Facilities
Boilers and Utility Equipment
Fuel oil day tanks, fuel oil pumps, and heat
exchangers should be spaced 9 m away from
other utility equipment. Fired steam
generators and ancillary equipment should be
located 30 m minimum from process
equipment handling flammable and
combustible liquids and gases.
 Offsite Tank Storage
a. For remote instrument enclosures, control
houses, and for process unit substations:
(i) A minimum of 60 m from the tank shell and 30 m
from the top of the dike for tanks greater than
12,720 m3 capacity and less than 45 m in
diameter.
(ii) A minimum of 30 m from the tank shell and 15 m
from the top of the dike for tanks less than
12,720 m3 bbl capacity and less than 45 m in
diameter.
(iii) Crude storage should be spaced as far as
practical from substations, remote instrument
enclosures, and control houses.
TANKS A, B, C ARE FIXED OR FLOATING ROOF SMALL TANKS (LESS THAN 10 m. DIAMETER) WITH A
TOTAL CAPACITY OF LESS THAN 8000 m3; NO INTER-TANK SPACING REQUIREMENTS OTHER THAN FOR
CONSTRUCTION / OPERATION / MAINTENANCE CONVENIENCE. TANKS D1 & D2 ARE TANKS WITH
DIAMETERS GREATER THAN 10 m., & WITH DIAMETER OF D2 GREATER THAN D1.

Inter-tank spacings between small and larger tanks.

Tank and compund wall distances from typical features.
FLOATING ROOF TANKS OF DIAMETER D1 D2 D3 GREATER THAN 10 m. WITHIN
THE SAME COMPUND. D1 GREATER THAN D2 & D2 GREATER THAN D3.
Access
 Tankage shall be arranged so that every tank
with a diameter greater than 15 m is directly
accessible from a fire fighting access road on at
least one side. Tanks 45 m in diameter or larger
shall be accessible from fire fighting access
roads on at least two sides.
Drainage and Dikes
 Minimum height for impounding dikes shall be 2
meters.
 The minimum size of the sealed drain pipe will be the
diameter of the largest pipe to or from the tank.

Single Tank Dikes

a. Crude tanks in any diameter must be individually diked.
b. Hot Oil, FCC Charge and Slop Tanks of any diameter,
must be individually diked.
High Pressure Storage Tanks and
Spheres (In Excess of 103.4 kPag)
 The distance from the base of a flare shall be at least
90 m.
 Spheres and cylindrical pressure storage vessels
should be spaced a minimum of 60 m from process
unit equipment.
 Locate these tanks downgrade and downwind from
ignition sources.
Loading and Unloading
Facilities
 Truck loading racks for flammable and combustible
liquids should be located near the plant gates to
avoid truck traffic near process areas.
 Racks should be spaced 75 m from process
equipment and 150 m from administration buildings.
Flares

 Flare stack locations should be curbed to contain

hydrocarbon carryover and should be at least 60 m
from process equipment containing hydrocarbons,
except for flare knockout drums.
 Where burn pits or flares at grade are provided, a
minimum spacing of 150 m should be provided to
equipment containing hydrocarbons or to the plant
boundary.
Pipeways and Structure
Clearances
 Pipeways running parallel to roads shall have 1.5 m
clear from edge of shoulder to centerline of support
column.
 Pipeways crossing roads shall have 1.5 m clear from
edge of shoulder to centerline of support column.