Process Industry Economics

Process Industry Economics: Principles, Concepts and Applications, Second Edition, explores the fundamentals of market evaluation, capital and operating cost estimation, and profitability evaluation, along with their implications for process technology evaluation, project development and investment decisions. Sections cover time dependent technology evolution in process plants, including scale development, performance improvement in new and operating plants, and learning related to environmental, safety and sustainability assessments. Influences on capital investment decisions, including capacity planning and environmental considerations are explored and supported by case studies. Finally, the aspects of overall industry performance and drivers are discussed.

Prof. David Brennan has worked in design, operations, and project evaluation roles within the chemical industry and chemical engineering design offices. His academic experience at RMIT and Monash Universities includes teaching design and process economics, and managing the design project. His research has covered aspects of process design, process economics, environmental assessment and sustainability, in a variety of contexts. Experience has been mainly in Australia, but has included exposure to process plants, businesses, academic institutions, and related personnel in UK, Europe, and USA.

1. The scope of process industry economics2. Market Evaluation and Forecasting3. Capital Cost Estimation4. Operating Cost Estimation5. Evaluation of Project Profitability6. Some Worked Examples in Process Economics7. Process Technology Evolution and Adoption8. Capital Investment Decisions9. Industry Planning and Structure