Patent ID: 7003359

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for process plant design which comprises: (a) defining a plurality of process plant product lines; (b) preparing a general process design for each process plant product line; (c) dividing each of the general process designs of (b) into a plurality of engineered components; (d) determining from the plurality of engineered components of (c) a minimum number of repeatable engineered components and the process attributes thereof which are required for future general process designs; (e) preparing a detailed design of a process plant in a process plant product line, wherein the detailed design includes (e1) selecting specific repeatable engineered components and the process attributes thereof from the minimum number of repeatable engineered components determined in (d) and (e2) preparing a detailed design for one or more of the repeatable engineered components selected in (e1); and (f) preparing a detailed design of a process plant in another process plant product line, wherein (f1) the detailed design includes selecting specific engineered components and the process attributes thereof from the minimum number of repeatable engineered components determined in (d); (f2) at least one of the repeatable engineered components selected in (f1) is identical to one of the repeatable engineered components of (e2) for which a detailed design has been prepared; and (f3) the detailed design of the repeatable engineered component of (e2) is reused in the detailed design of the process plant of (f).