A demonstration plant is an industrial system used to validate an industrial process for

commercialization Commercialization or commercialisation is the process of introducing a new product or production method into commerce—making it available on the market. The term often connotes especially entry into the mass market (as opposed to entry into ear ...

. It is larger than a

pilot plant A pilot plant is a pre-commercial production system that employs new production technology and/or produces small volumes of new technology-based products, mainly for the purpose of learning about the new technology. The knowledge obtained is then ...

, and is the final stage in research, development and demonstration of a new process. Demonstration plants are built in a range of sizes, and the term 'demonstration plant' can sometimes be used interchangeably with 'pilot plant.' However, demonstration plants are generally larger than pilot plants, and are often constructed following a successful trial in a pilot scale size. Demonstration plants are used to prove a process works at industrial scale, and is financially viable in its intended industry.

Goals

The goals of a demonstration plant are generally as follows: * Prove a new technology using commercially available, pre-tested equipment. * Show a reasonable

return on investment Return on investment (ROI) or return on costs (ROC) is a ratio between net income (over a period) and investment (costs resulting from an investment of some resources at a point in time). A high ROI means the investment's gains compare favourably ...

(ROI) for the capital that will be invested in a full-scale system, including the

operational costs Operating costs or operational costs, are the expenses which are related to the operation of a business, or to the operation of a device, component, piece of equipment or facility. They are the cost of resources used by an organization just to main ...

of running such a system. * In some cases, to start bringing product to market in significant enough amounts that production, distribution and

target market A target market, also known as serviceable obtainable market (SOM), is a group of customers within a business's serviceable available market at which a business aims its marketing efforts and resources. A target market is a subset of the total ma ...

viability can be established, including finalization of market testing. * Establish a viable product method that will endure the test of a true manufacturing operation.

Design factors

Many of the same design techniques that are used for pilot plants are also used when developing demonstration plants.

3D modeling In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical coordinate-based representation of any surface of an object (inanimate or living) in three dimensions via specialized software by manipulating edges, vertices, an ...

, chemical similitude studies, mass and energy balances, risk factors,

computational fluid dynamics Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a branch of fluid mechanics that uses numerical analysis and data structures to analyze and solve problems that involve fluid flows. Computers are used to perform the calculations required to simulate th ...

(CFD), and

mathematical model A mathematical model is a description of a system using mathematical concepts and language. The process of developing a mathematical model is termed mathematical modeling. Mathematical models are used in the natural sciences (such as physics, ...

ing are common techniques used to design demonstration modules before actual fabrication occurs. The emphasis in a demonstration plant is on using industrial equipment, rather than smaller-scale equipment, to prove process viability. A significant amount of product must be produced in equipment that will hold up over a long production lifetime and not be prohibitively expensive. A demonstration plant must show that enough end-product can be created to offset the costs of the commercial system over a period of time.

References

{{reflist Industrial engineering Industrial processes

Goals

Design factors

See also

References