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ProcessPI Equipment Overview

The ProcessPI Equipment Module provides a comprehensive collection of engineering models for the design, sizing, rating, analysis, and performance evaluation of process equipment used throughout the chemical, petrochemical, oil & gas, pharmaceutical, food, water treatment, and power industries.

Built around real engineering principles, the module enables engineers, students, and researchers to perform reliable equipment calculations using a consistent, unit-aware Python interface. Every equipment model is designed to integrate seamlessly with the ProcessPI ecosystem, allowing interaction with process streams, thermodynamic properties, fluid calculations, and engineering utilities.

Capabilities

Equipment Design

  • Perform preliminary and detailed equipment sizing.
  • Design equipment using established engineering correlations.
  • Support thermal and hydraulic design calculations.
  • Generate engineering design reports.
  • Evaluate equipment under multiple operating conditions.

Equipment Rating

  • Analyze existing equipment performance.
  • Calculate operating capacities and efficiencies.
  • Compare design versus actual operating conditions.
  • Identify bottlenecks and performance limitations.

Performance Analysis

  • Calculate heat duties, pressure drops, flow characteristics, and operating parameters.
  • Perform steady-state engineering evaluations.
  • Validate process operating conditions.
  • Support debottlenecking and optimization studies.

Engineering Utilities

  • Automatic SI and Imperial unit conversion.
  • Structured calculation results.
  • Engineering warnings and validation checks.
  • Modular architecture for custom equipment development.
  • Integration with ProcessPI Streams, Components, Fluids, and Calculation Engine.

Available Equipment Categories

Heat Exchangers

Models for thermal equipment used in heat transfer applications.

Includes support for: - Shell & Tube Heat Exchangers - Double Pipe Heat Exchangers - Plate Heat Exchangers - Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers - Condensers - Evaporators - Reboilers

Typical calculations include: - Heat duty - Overall heat transfer coefficient - Log Mean Temperature Difference (LMTD) - Effectiveness-NTU methods - Pressure drop - Thermal rating

Pressure Vessels

Utilities for vessel geometry and engineering calculations.

Includes: - Horizontal Pressure Vessels - Vertical Pressure Vessels - Storage Tanks - Vessel Geometry - Volume Calculations

Typical calculations include: - Total volume - Liquid volume - Wetted area - Vessel dimensions - Liquid level estimation

Separation Equipment

Engineering models for common process separation units.

Includes: - Flash Drums - Knock-Out Drums - Gas-Liquid Separators - Liquid-Liquid Separators - Decanters - Cyclone Separators

Rotating Equipment

Performance calculations for rotating machinery.

Includes: - Pumps - Compressors - Blowers - Fans - Turbines

Typical calculations include: - Hydraulic power - Shaft power - Efficiency - NPSH - Performance curves

Mass Transfer Equipment

Models for mass transfer operations.

Includes: - Distillation Columns - Absorption Columns - Stripping Columns - Packed Columns - Tray Columns

Future capabilities will include tray hydraulics, packing correlations, flooding analysis, and column sizing.

Mixing & Agitation

Calculations for mixing systems and stirred vessels.

Includes: - Agitated Tanks - Mixing Power - Impeller Selection - Agitator Sizing - Power Number correlations

Module Integration

The Equipment Module is designed to work seamlessly with other ProcessPI modules.

  • Streams Module for material and energy stream connections.
  • Components Module for physical property calculations.
  • Fluids Module for fluid properties and hydraulics.
  • Calculations Module for reusable engineering calculations.
  • Units Module for automatic unit conversion.

Design Philosophy

Every equipment model follows the same engineering-first approach:

  • Object-oriented architecture
  • Consistent API across equipment classes
  • Automatic unit handling
  • Engineering validation
  • Extensible design
  • Production-ready calculations
  • Clear, structured output suitable for reporting

This consistency makes it easy to move from one equipment type to another without learning a different workflow.

Future Development

The Equipment Module will continue to expand with:

  • Mechanical design utilities
  • Cost estimation methods
  • Equipment selection tools
  • Design code support
  • Optimization algorithms
  • Equipment networks
  • Interactive engineering reports
  • Additional industrial equipment models

The goal is to provide a complete open-source engineering toolkit capable of supporting the majority of process equipment calculations encountered in industrial practice.