Plot Plan Development

Plot plan is a primary document in design of a plant. It takes lot of

experience, knowledge of international and local standards and regulations
as well as Process Flow.

General Plot Plan Development Philosophy

Block System

Block layout should be adopted as far as possible. The entire area should
be sub-divided into blocks. If process units are operated in an intergrated
way, and shutdowns are taken simultaneously of these units, then they may
be considered as single block for interdistances and relative placement
purpose.

Process Flow

Plant layout arrangement should follow the general route of raw material to
process unit(s) with tankages interposed as required followed by storage &
despatch facilities. Blocks should be arranged in sequential order of
process flow.

Flooding

All units and roads should be located on high ground to avoid flooding.

Roads

All process units and dyked enclosures of storage tanks shall be planned in
separate blocks with roads all around for access and safety. Primary traffic
roads in the installation should be outside hazardous areas. Roads
separating the blocks shall act as firebreaks.

Pedestrian pathways should be provided / marked alongside the primary

traffic roads. Alternative access shall be provided for each facility so that it
can be approached for fire fighting in the event of blockage on one route.
Road widths, gradient and turning radii at road junctions shall be designed
to facilitate movement of the largest firefighting vehicle in the event of
emergency.

Layout of the facilities shall be made to minimise truck traffic ingress in the
plant. Two road approaches from the highway / major road should be
provided, one for employees and other for product / material movement.
Both these approaches should be available for receipt of assistance in
emergency.

Roads should be provided in a symmetric manner to serve all process areas

requiring access for the operation, maintenance and fire fighting. These
roads should encircle the process blocks/ process units.

Pipe Racks

Main pipe racks / pipe track shall not be routed through process units.
Provide overhead clearance for vehicles over roadways and railroads.

Rail

Rail spur shall be located close to the periphery of the plant to minimise
road/pipe crossings and blockage of roads during shunting. Locate Rail
loading facilities along the periphery of the installation

Ignition Sources

Presence of ignition source shall always be contemplated beyond the

boundary wall of the installation.

Flare Stacks

Located flare stacks upwind of the process units to avoid leaking

hydrocarbon vapors reaching flare stack and getting ignited. Area around
flare should be paved.

Furnaces and Heaters

Located Fired heaters upwind of process unis to avoid hydrocarbon vapors

entering in fired heaters.
Cooling Towers

Cooling towers shall be located downwind side of process units to avoid

fog created by them drift into process units and cause visibility problems as
well as corrosion problems. The short side of the tower shall be located into
the prevailing summer wind, to accomplish maximum efficiency.

Control Rooms

Control room should be located in a non-hazardous area. Control room

should be upwind of process plants, hydrocarbon storage and handling
facilities. Control room shall not be located at lower level than surrounding
plants and tank farms to avoid flooding with process fluids or contaminated
rain water. There shall be no structrure that could fall on the control room
in case of a blast.

Sulphur Handling

Sulfur handling is a dusty operation. Dust from such operations shall not
reach process units. They should be located downwind side of process
units. Minimum separation distance of 50 meters is recommended between
sulfur storage / handling and any facility or boundary wall.

Equipment drawing air (e.g. air compressors, air blower, FD fan etc) should
be located away from Sulfur recovery unit / Sulfur handling facility.

Sulphur recovery unit and sulphur loading area should be located close to
product movement gate and away from process units, hazardous and
populated areas.

Petrolium Coke Handling

Petroleum coke storage and handling facilities should be located as far as

possible away from process units, air separation plants, populated and
hazardous areas.

Tank Farm

Group storage tanks according to product classification as per relevant

national standard. If the area is hilly, locate storage tanks at lower
elevations.
Electrical Power

If a power generation facility supplies steam to a process block also, locate

it near that process block.

When external power grid is interconnected with plant’s own power

generation facilities, then either locate the power generation block near the
plant boundary or run external power transmission lines
underground. Power transmission lines shall never be run above the plant
as well as parking areas. Horizontal clearance between power transmission
lines and plant shall be as per local electricity rules.

Locate High Tension substations near the major load centers.Locate Low
Tension substation in such a way that distance between distance between
distribution transformer and farthest motor is minimum.

Fire Fighting

Fire station, firewater storage & firewater pump house shall be located at a
safe place away from hazardous areas. Fire station should be upwind of
process units and hydrocarbon storage area with straight approach to
process units / other critical areas.

Loading/Unloading

Locate truck loading/unloading facilities close to the product movement

gate, and orient in such a way to provide one way traffic pattern for
entrance and exit.

Erection Methods

Erection methods shall be studied for all types of equipment / structures.

Towers, reactors, fired equipment etc should be located in such an area so
to facilitate erection.

Utility Blocks

Locate Utility blocks adjacent to unit blocks.

Effluent Treatment Plants

Separate collection system should be provided for different types of waste

generated in the process plant such as oily water, caustic, acid effluents,
fecal etc. Effluent Treatment Plant should be located minimum one block
away from process unit area, down wind of process units and important
areas considering odour & emission of volatile organic compound.

ETP Plant should be closer to disposal point by the side of the boundary
and at lower grade to facilitate gravity flow of effluent.

Construction Activities

For construction activities, area should be earmarked.

Maintenance Requirements

Maintenance requirements for each type of equipment shall be identified

and considered.

Future Expansion

Future expansion should be assessed and space provision be made

accordingly.

Smoking Booths

Smoking booths should not be provided in the hydrocarbon industry.

However if required, these shall be located at minimum distance of 60
meters from any hydrocarbon source.

Relative location of units

Locating unit blocks based on their hazard characteristics, wind direction

etc. is a critical activity while developing plot plan. Following rules needs to
be adhered to while developing a plot plan.
Before development of plot plan we should have the block dimensions of all
plant and non plant buildings, rack width and length with shape, plant north
direction, and wind direction.

Block layout should be followed as far as possible. The entire area should be
subdivided into blocks. Layout of these block and facilities should be in
sequential order of process flow.

1. Flare location:

** Flare location should be 90 mitres away from process and non process
buildings.

** It should be in upwind direction such that the flammable gases from

hydrocarbon and other processing areas cannot be blown into the open
flames by prevailing wind. This above is per OISD-118 directive mainly in
onshore plants.

** As per API-14E directive for off shore installations it is downwind. The exact
wording from the said code is produced here i.e “vent or flare structures
should be designed to prevent buckling caused by wind movement. vent or
flare structures should preferably be installed on the downwind side of
platform, taking into account helicopter and boat approaches etc.”

** Areas around flare should be paved and vegetation should be clear to

ensure they will not be ignited.

** Fencing around flare to be considered to protect people, livestock and

wildlife.

This below image shows an example location of flare note the wind direction
as well as the area near flare.
Flare location in oil and gas installations
2. Roads:

** Road width 8 mitres or 6 mitre and plant inner road should be at least 4
mitres. Roads should have 1 mitre shoulder at each side and then storm water
drain.

** Process units should be surrounded by approachable roads.

** There should be alternative access road for each block/facility in plant so

that it can be approached for fire fighting in the event of blockage in one route.

** Two road approaches from the highway/ major road should be provided,
one for

Employees and other for product/material movement.

** Ware house near material entry gate to avoid traffic inside process area.
Provide Weigh Bridge near material handling gate.

3. Tank farms:

** Storage tanks shall be planned in a separate block with roads all around for
access and safety.

** Tank farms should be in downwind direction.

** Storage tanks should be located at lower elevation.

Tank location in oil and gas installation
** Storage tanks should be grouped according to product classification.

2. Effluent treatment plant (ETP):

** Waste from different plant need to be collected at effluent treatment plant .If
this drainage done through gravity flow pumping capital can be saved. Due to
this requirement the location of ETP should be at low height area.

** it should be downwind side from process and non process buildings so that
foul odour should not come to office or to men working at process buildings.

** ETP should be located minimum one block away from process unit area,
close to disposal point and by the side of plant overall boundary.

2. Cooling tower:
** Cooling tower should be located downwind side of compressor house or
any air intake facility so that moist air from cooling tower should not be taken
by them.

** Cooling tower should be located downwind side Process equipments and

substation so that fog developed will not cause corrosion or obstruct vision or
short circuiting.

cooling tower
2. Substation:

** Location of substation at approximately centre of the plot so that cabling is

minimum.

2. Fire station:

** Fire station ,fire water storage and fire water pump house shall be located
at a safe distance away from hazardous area .

** should be upwind of process units and hydrocarbon area.

** Straight approach to critical areas required.

** should be located near main gate.

Fire station, Fire storage tanks, control station building, Admin building location near main
gate
2. Control station:

** Control room shall be located upwind of process plants in a non hazardous

area. .

** It should not be located in lower level than surrounding plants and tank
farms.

** No structure shall be there that would fall on the control room in care of
blast.

2. Sulphur recovery unit/Petro coke storage Unit :

** Sulphur recovery unit deals with hydrogen sulphide also called sour gas
and sulphur dioxide which are hazardous element. These have potential
health effects if inhaled or through skin contact. Liquid sulphur also has fire
hazards.
Petroleum coke and storage facilities have possibility of a combustible dust
explosion.

** considering these above Sulphur recovery unit, sulphur loading area,

petroleum coke storage and handling facilities should be located close to
product movement gate and away from process units, populated area

** Equipment drawing air e.g air compressor, air blower and Fans should be
located away from sulphur recovery unit and handling facilities.

2. General points :

** Green belt area should be 1/3 of total plot area.

** consider future expansion (50%) and floor space index to be 50% of

construction area.

** Safe distance between all units and equipments as per governing statutory
regulation.

** Process units away from traffic in higher ground.

** Ware house near material entry gate to avoid traffic inside process area.
Provide Weigh Bridge near material handling gate.

** Rail loading facilities should be located along the boundary of plant.

NOTE: The above article is derived from Oil Industries Safety Directorate – OISD
Code. In Any case GE GAP 2.5.2 , Petroleum rules/Act , client standards and country
specific codes and standard should also to be followed.