Modular process plant structural system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current modular production plants face limitations in volumetric output and economic viability due to their design, which restricts their ability to efficiently transport and assemble in remote locations, and they fail to meet ISO 1496 container standards for vertical orientation, leading to increased costs and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A modular process plant structural system utilizing ISO 1496-certified modules with 200 mm and 300 mm I-beam frames, connected via twistlock connectors and bolting plates, allowing for flexible orientation and stacking of modules to accommodate various equipment, enabling efficient transportation and assembly in both horizontal and vertical orientations, thus meeting the ISO 1496 standards for international multimodal transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If modules are designed to meet ISO 1496 container standards for vertical orientation, then international multimodal transport efficiency is improved, but current modular plant designs cannot accommodate taller equipment and require more modules
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables modules to be oriented and stacked in vertical dimensions beyond traditional horizontal container configurations. By designing modules that can be vertically oriented and stacked while meeting ISO 1496 standards, the system accommodates taller equipment and reduces the total number of modules needed, thereby improving volumetric output without proportionally increasing device complexity.
2Productivity
If modules are stacked vertically to accommodate taller equipment, then transportation efficiency is improved, but structural strength requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The modular design segments the overall plant structure into standardized modules that can be vertically stacked. Each module is designed with appropriate structural strength to support its own weight and the modules above it, while maintaining ISO 1496 compliance. This segmentation allows vertical stacking for transportation efficiency without requiring excessive structural strength in individual components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite structural designs combining different materials and structural elements to achieve the required strength-to-weight ratio for vertically stacked modules. This allows the modules to withstand stacking loads during transportation while maintaining compliance with ISO 1496 container standards.
3Ease of manufacture
If standard ISO shipping containers are used for transport, then international multimodal transport cost is reduced, but current modular designs cannot be vertically oriented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs modules that universally meet ISO 1496 container standards regardless of their orientation (horizontal or vertical). This multi-functional design allows the same module type to be used in various orientations and stacking configurations while maintaining compliance with international shipping standards, thereby reducing transport costs without sacrificing orientation flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a modular process plant structural system which includes numerous modules, all ISO-certified under ISO 1496 and capable of holding within the entire module at least one chemical (or non-chemical) production plant piece of equipment, capable of individually being shipped or transported. The modules can be stacked vertically, horizontally, or mixed (both vertical and horizontal arrangement). The modules are pre-fabricated offsite, built with the desired equipment within the module, pre-plumbed with piping, instrumentation, and electrical wiring, and then the multiple modules are shipped multimodally as ISO 1496 containers to the desired location and assembled to form a plant. Generally, two or more modules are connected together to form a complete plant. The plant can be of any type, e.g., chemical, mechanical/production, thermal, and the like, or of any size, e.g., production, small, micro, or pilot plant scale. When no longer needed, the plant may be disassembled and reused at another site or facility.