Modular Plants

Flexible chemical production

by modularization and standardization –
status quo and future trends
IMPRESSUM

Herausgeber
Temporärer ProcessNet-Arbeitskreis „Modulare Anlagen“

Verantwortlich im Sinne des Presserechts

DECHEMA e.V.
Dr. Andreas Förster
Theodor-Heuss-Allee 25
60486 Frankfurt am Main

Erschienen im Dezember 2016

ISBN: 978-3-89746-191-2

Gestaltung/Satz
PM-GrafikDesign
Peter Mück, Wächtersbach

Druck
DECHEMA e.V.
Theodor-Heuss-Allee 25
60486 Frankfurt am Main

© Bild Titelseite: Invite GmbH

Contents

Preface 2
1 Motivation 3

2 Status Quo 7
2.1 Concepts and Levels of Modularization 7
2.2 Modularization in Engineering and Plant Lifecycle 8
2.3 Modular Equipment 9
2.4 Physical Modularization 9
2.5 Infrastructure and Utilities 10
2.6 Analytics 10
2.7 Proof of Concept 11

3 Required Working Areas and Gaps 13

3.1 Standardization and Interfaces 13
3.2 Planning Process 15
3.3 Apparatus Development 16
3.4 Scale-up 18
3.5 Automation 19
3.6 Logistics and Supply Chain Management 20
3.7 Regulations 21
3.8 New Business and Service Models 23

4 Summary and Further Activities 25

Glossary 27

References 29

Authors 31

1
 Preface

The European chemical industry is facing a strong global competition. With that, speed is
becoming a more import end competition advantage. Speed requires agile innovation pro-
cesses and quick investments in new production assets. Future production assets need to be
as flexible as possible, such that they can easily be reused for new or modified products. A
promising concept to improve competiveness and flexibility at the same time, especially for
small to medium scale production, are modular production plant concepts.

The experts across chemical industries agree that such modular plant concepts have large
economic potential. General concepts for modular production and the required enabler tech-
nologies for process intensification have jointly been developed in recent public funded pro-
jects, for example F3 Factory, CoPIRIDE or ENPRO. These projects have shown that multiple
Dr. Thomas Weber
Vorsitzender des VCI Fachaus­ challenges exist.
schusses Forschung- und
Bildungspolitik
At the moment, there is a lack of standardization for modules on equipment level, as well
as on the level of a complete production plant. Therefore, current modules cannot simply be
bought on the market, even though it is broadly accepted in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries that this would
result in significant advantages in investment costs, time to market and flexibility of production assets.

Associated with the non-availability of ready to use equipment and plant modules on the market, is the unmet market
need for process control and automation concepts for modular plants. Additionally, the discussion of centralized (classi-
cal) process control systems versus distributed (modular) process control systems has just begun. The supporters of a
completely modular design strategy envision the various plant modules acting fully automated and autonomously, with
communication existing only via interfaces and communication protocols. Clearly this would be a giant leap forward to-
wards full exchangeability and re-usability of modules. Having an appropriate concept for modularization of process con-
trol and automation could become one of the key enablers for modular production plant concepts.

There is also need for further development in the field of equipment/apparatus design, e.g. for separation and purification
steps, that is available in different sizes in order to quickly and directly be scaled-up from laboratory to production scale at
an acceptable risk. An often discussed, a simple and safe solution for production scale, is number-up instead of a classical
scale-up. However, limitations exist as numbering up in many cases can increase investments costs and complexity signif-
icantly. The dilemma for the industrial process developer in this situation is the lack of clear design rules and guidelines
to decide from an early phase of an innovation project whether a traditional scale-up concept should be followed, and
increase the size of the process apparatus, or whether it would be smarter to use a numbering-up strategy.

To foster the cross company and cross university discussion and cooperation on modular plant concepts the ProcessNet
Working Group “Modular Plants” has been set up. It includes the companies BASF, Bayer, Clariant, Evonik, Invite and
Merck as well as the universities Ruhr-Universität Bochum and TU Dortmund. In this white paper the experts from the
working group summarize the status of the discussion and highlight the fields where there is still need for development. I
hope that this white paper inspires the reader to new ideas and encourages a cross chemical industry spirit of innovation
for modular production plant concepts.

Frankfurt, December 2016

2
1. Motivation

This white paper is a common initiative of the ProcessNet chemicals as well as pharmaceuticals. The paper targets
Temporary Working Group on “Modular Plants” including all industries affected by modular plant engineering, e.g.
the companies BASF, Bayer, Clariant, Evonik, Invite and other operating companies, equipment suppliers, auto-
Merck as well as the universities Ruhr-Universität Bochum mation companies and engineering companies. It shows
and TU Dortmund. Recently finished public funded projects remaining gaps, identifies need for further research and
demonstrated successfully the technical and economic development and addresses the main challenges of this
benefits of modular plants for the first time and their ap- topic.
plicability especially for small to medium scale (typically
0,1 – 1000 t/a) continuous production [1]. However, further Today, the European chemical industry is facing increasing
demand for development was especially identified in the market competition from outside Europe and challenges
course of industrial demonstration. Technical implemen- with product launches in new and often volatile markets,
tation of continuously operated plants was found to be i.e. among others a fast response to market requirements
more complex and challenging than conventional batch and reduced investment risk for new plants. Furthermore,
plants. Therefore, in addition to substantial process op- shorter product lifecycles and thus smaller product vol-
timization, the nature of plant engineering and construc- umes can be observed. These result from a diversification
tion needs to be adapted to fully leverage the benefits of and increasing specialization of the product range due to
a continuous production approach for fine and specialty more and more customer-orientated products. The latter

Compatibility

Scalability

Mobility Process intensification

Methods Universality

Plug and Produce Modularization

Standardization

Fast Flexible
Diversification of
Decentralization
Production the product range
Time to market reduction Plant
Globalization of the markets Challenges

Aims Reduction of investment risk Cost Uncertain raw materials supply

competive
Customer-oriented production High competitive pressure

Quick adaptability to volatile markets Volatile markets

Development of new markets Shorter product lifecycles

Figure 1: Methods, aims and challenges of reconfigurable production plants [2]

3
 1. motivation

is further enhanced by the upcoming 4th industrial rev­ 100 million euros into research and development pro-
olution (Industry 4.0). With this, the interconnection be- grams focusing on advanced manufacturing schemes over
tween customer and production is expected to increase the last years. Micro reaction technology, process inten-
thus asking for shorter delivery and development times sification, resource efficient continuous chemistry, mod-
(equals reduced time to market) and a quick adaption of ularization and standardization were key elements of the
the production set up to changing market and product activities funded. The funded projects propelled the un-
needs. Figure 1 gives an overview of the methods, aims derstanding of potential chemical and technological solu-
and challenges identified in this context. tions for modular and standardized production plants.
Additionally, as a result of research within the projects
In summary, it can be stated that flexible and cost compet- and an intensive precompetitive exchange among the in-
itive development methodologies and production technol- dustry partners, insight into both opportunities and con-
ogies are required. To be successful in specialty and fine straints of the technology platform has been measurably
chemicals these methodologies and technologies have improved, leading to subsequent research and develop-
to be applied quickly. These boundary conditions can be ment activities.
met by applying modularization and standardization con-
cepts to chemical process technology. Modularization can More general modularization frameworks with a focus on
increase flexibility in terms of capacity (e.g. by number- medium to large production facilities are currently being
ing-up or parallelization), product mix (e.g. by exchange developed in projects such as the ENPRO initiative (Ener-
of reaction or downstream processing modules following gy Efficiency and Process Intensification for the Chemical
a plug and produce), feedstock and site (e.g. mobility of Industry) [3], which will provide the required engineering
modules). With standardized process technology, fast and software for data integration and information exchange
cost competitive access to relevant process modules can [4] throughout the plant lifecycle and between projects.
be achieved. This is the case if standard modules are used In biopharmaceutical production, modular plant concepts
by many companies and thus can be manufactured at a with single-use systems are gaining importance. The spe-
high number and lower costs. cial issues in this field are addressed by the DECHEMA
Working Group “Single-use-technology in biopharmaceu-
Following these drivers, the European Commission in- tical manufacturing” [5]. Figure 2 summarizes the drivers
vested jointly with their industrial partners approximately mentioned.

Modularization as a Tool for…

… Time to Market … Changeability in Production … Mobility and Risk Mitigation

»» Faster plant planning due »» Compensate lack of flexibility »» Distributed production nearby
to reuse of information and of continuous plants using the customer / feedstock
workflows adaptable modules

»» Savings in procurement and »» Achieve economy of scale »» Sequential numbering-up of

construction (known parts and enabling multi-purpose modular plants, following the
vendors) continuous plants market development
© INVITE

Figure 2: Drivers for modularization in small scale continuous production

4 Page 5 • Modularisierung bei INVITE • Seminar 2014-07-21

Beside the strengths and drivers for the development and distinguished according to sector specific characteristics
construction of modular plants, there are still challeng- like capacity, chemical steps, product prices, environmen-
es and weaknesses that require improvement of existing tal factor, the time to market and the plant concept. The
planning and designing strategies. The SWOT-analysis in white paper at hand focuses on modularization and its ap-
Table 1 shows the position of modularization towards mar- plication to small to medium scale, continuously operated
ket competition. multi-purpose production plants. This is not a general re-
striction and other fields of application are possible and
As can be taken from the above mentioned considerations, reasonable, but for technical (e.g. spacetime yield and
the overall modularization concept affects nearly every compact construction in case of continuous production)
step in planning and designing a chemical production and economic reasons the first focus lies on the currently
facility. In Figure 3, the different chemical sectors (phar- most promising applications. The corresponding field of
ma, specialties, bulk chemicals and petrochemicals) are applications is marked with a grey frame in Figure 3.

Table 1: Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of modularization and standardization

Strengths Weaknesses

»» Improved flexibility, efficiency and profitability by »» Extra effort for the first implementation and
reconfigurable multi-purpose production plants maintenance of a modular engineering approach
(e.g. databases, software support)
»» Smaller CapEx by reuse of modules addressing short
product cycles »» Extra effort for the design and construction of
module prototype through essential guidelines
»» Capacity expansion by numbering-up/smart scale-up
»» Accelerating engineering cycles by reusing know-how »» Restriction of technical opportunities due to design
guidelines and conflict of goals (e.g. process
»» Storing knowledge in documentation for future optimization/standardization)
applications
»» Available standard solutions may inhibit the
»» Acceleration of construction, testing and operator application of innovative solutions
training by utilization of centralized manufacturing
capabilities
»» Limited applicability to world scale plants
(losses in economy of scale)
»» Easier realization of closed containment (e.g. for low
environmental impacts) possible due to small scale S W

Opportunities O T Threats

»» Platform technology for a broad range of applications »» Rate of reusing remain low (special solutions)
»» Fast provision of a demand-actuated production plant »» Insufficient attainable reconfigurability
and fast entering of new markets and regions
»» Risk of know-how loss
»» Decentralized, resource-efficient production plants »» Different local regulations vs. standardization
»» Reduction of investment risks »» Low acceptance of innovative plant concepts
»» New engineering and construction approaches, e.g.
lean engineering and broader supplier market

»» New business opportunities, e.g. planning,

maintenance, service, leasing of modules for
suppliers or engineering companies

5
 1. motivation

The required working areas and technology gaps identi- R&D centers are discussed that are necessary for a suc-
fied in recent research projects (e.g. ENPRO, F3 Factory, cessful implementation of modularization in the pharma-
CoPIRIDE, etc.) are described. Based on these, common ceutical and specialty chemicals industry. Apart from the
activities of owners, operators, equipment suppliers and R&D demand, innovative business models are presented.

0.1 t/a 20 125,000 100 - 1000 15 Multi-purpose

€/kg kg/kg years Plants

Chemical Plant
Pharma E-Factor
Steps Concepts

Time to
Specialities Price
Market

Bulk Chemicals

Petrochemical products

10,000,000 t/a 1 0.05 0.1 2-5 Dedicated

€/kg kg/kg years Plants

Figure 3: Applicability of modular concepts [6]

6
2. Status Quo

Following the motivation of this paper, the concept of „Designing with standardized units, dimensions or in-
continuous production with flexible modular plants is terfaces, which can be easily assembled, maintained as
a promising approach to meet these challenges men- well as flexibly arranged and operated“.
tioned above. In recent research projects the technical
and economic potential of modular production plants This section presents the current situation regarding
has been demonstrated. Modularization plays the key modularization on different levels from planning aspects
role of this concept and will be defined for chemical pro- to physical modularization and reviews the results from
cess industry in the course of this paper as the F3 Factory project, further developments and indus-
trial implementation.

2.1 Concepts and Levels of In order to address reconfigurability in production and to

Modularization enable decentralized production, a physical modulariza-
tion of process plants is offered in addition to the modular
An accelerated engineering phase and a shorter time to planning workflow. This physical modularization can take
market can be realized by the reuse of engineering infor- place on the level of apparatuses, plants, and logistics on
mation and closed data handling throughout the project site as well as in the production network [8]. If a physical
phases planning, construction, operation, dismantling modularization is desirable, the compatible modules are
and reuse (Figure 4) [7]. This accounts for information on constructed as adaptable units and are assembled to form
process equipment as well as for engineering workflows multi-purpose plants. During the following operation, the
and plant design. To achieve this goal the utilization of a exchangeability of single modules simplifies maintenance
standardized, modular planning workflow is essential pri- and service and reduces changeover times. Operational
or to physical modularization. data obtained during production can be directly used by

Construction
Workflows Planning Construction Operation

Doing the same things Reuse of existing knowledge Compatible modules Flexible Production
in the same way »» Reusable building blocks »» Geometrical and technical »» Service and maintenance
»» Templates »» Configurability where design-guidelines to enable strategies for modules
»» Guidelines necessary; uniformity compatible building blocks »» Exchange of modules
»» Handover documentation where possible
➢ Gain speed, ensure quality ➢ Ensure reusability and ➢ Adaptable units for multi-­ ➢ Reliable and flexible © INVITE
technical robustnes purpose plants production
© INVITE

Implementation in each project Implementation on demand Production

Continuous improvement Reuse operational experience Reuse of modules Dismantling

Figure 4: Procedural layers of modularization

7
 2. status quo

the plant engineer to define maintenance strategies and to different operating conditions. Each PED is stored as
to optimize already planned modules for prospective pro- a database element containing all information and docu-
jects. Following the production phase, the plant will be ments. The database needs to encompass the entire peri-
dismantled while information and physical components od to cover all project phases from initial planning steps
can be reused. This ensures the continuous improvement to the operational plant, i.e. from conceptual design via
and the reapplication of operational experience. equipment specification in basic and detail engineering
until procurement and construction as well as plant oper-
ation and maintenance. In addition to typical engineering
2.2 Modularization in Engineering documents (e.g. P&ID, instrument datasheets, 3D-CAD…),
and Plant Lifecycle it has to include templates for the process control system,
a safety and reliability assessment and a list of possible
In order to enable the reuse of engineering information, configuration alternatives. Regarding the process life cy-
a systematic modularization approach covering the pro- cle, PEDs can help to accelerate the development from a
cess development up to the dismantling of a plant has to research state in the lab to pilot and production plant. This
be applied. Therefore, a process is first virtually divided can be achieved by numbering-up modular equipment or
into equipment groups that belong to the same part of by using available equipment with the same functionality
the process. This generation of modules reduces the com- and main characteristics at different operational scales.
plexity of a process and creates reusable building blocks.
All planning documents required for the construction of PEDs should be accompanied by simulation models,
such modules are merged in functional process units that which allow for the configuration of modules, starting
we call Process Equipment Design modules (PED) which from a description of the PED functionality. The final goal
are saved in databases. A PED incorporates at least one for the application of these simulation models, is a defini-
main equipment item, providing the desired unit oper- tion of the PED´s operation window under given process
ation together with all needed peripheral components boundary conditions.
(e.g., pumps, heat exchangers, piping and process control
components). The individual components are combined Consequently, for an improved reuse, the PEDs are cate-
to achieve a desired PED operation window defined by gorized in functional units, the process and service units.
technical parameters (e.g. ranges for temperature, pres- Process units are in direct contact with reactants, pro-
sure, flow rates, material grades). Within each PED the cess or waste streams (e.g. storage and dosage, reaction,
main equipment items can be exchanged to adapt the PED downstream, formulation and packaging). Service units
have supporting functions for one or more process units,
Process Equipment Design (PED) such as utility and energy supply, and do not have direct
contact to the process streams. This distinction and the re-
lated database should allow for different reuse scenarios
to speed up the time to market. If process specifications
for a given task fit into an already existing PED, it can be
reused without modification. If no existing PED will meet
the specification of the process task under consideration,
a new PED has to be designed. Therefore, the documenta-
tion package of the best fitting PED is used as a starting
point and new components are specified where necessary.

Single PEDs can be combined to form a Process Plant De-

Documents in engineering and plant lifecycle sign (PPD). The PPD conforms to the scope of performance
»» PED contains one or more unit operations and all of a modular plant and comprises all documents that are
needed peripheral components
needed for a successful construction and operation (e.g.
»» Technical design guideline safety certificate of the combination of PEDs, summary of
»» P&ID, Lists, 3D-CAD, cost estimation, models…
all maintenance and spare parts information of each PED
➢ Reuse of engineering information to an overall maintenance concept, etc.). It defines the po-
© INVITE
sitions and connections between PEDs and virtually rep-
Figure 5: Process Equipment Design resents the desired process. Additional information such

8
as P&ID and 3D drawings for the whole plant as well as »» Inherent modular design, providing configurable ele-
possible operation windows of the single PEDs are stored ments to adapt to various operating conditions (e.g.
in the PPD. Furthermore, due to the bundled information modular process control systems providing variable
of each PED, the PPD enables a quick reconfiguration of integration of modules into the master system).
the process by exchanging single PEDs. Once a PED is
exchanged, the operation window of the PPD is adapted »» Series of equipment providing the same functionali-
automatically. This approach supports the concept of re- ty at different operational scales (e.g. a pump series
configurable production plants. providing different volumetric flow ranges utilizing the
same operational principal).

2.3 Modular Equipment

2.4 Physical Modularization
To enable an efficient, yet versatile production environ-
ment, the availability of reliable process equipment for In order to achieve versatile continuous production units
industrial small scale processing is a fundamental pre- and to enable decentralized production, a physical modu-
requisite. This includes validated model descriptions for larization of process plants can be applied. Module defi-
process-intensified equipment as well as robust devices nitions will then be performed such that functions defined
providing industrial grade reliability. Modular equipment in PED definition are maintained. Physical modulariza-
(ME) can help to standardize and facilitate equipment tion is suitable for multiproduct/multi-purpose plants, in
selection. Reusability to reduce complexity is especially which frequent reconfigurations of the process structure
promising on this level. A single piece of equipment can are common between production campaigns. Addition-
be defined as modular if it provides one of the following ally, an integration of small scale continuously operated
features: equipment into pilot or multi-purpose batch plants can be
realized to enable highly efficient hybrid production con-
»» Inherent modular design, providing serial or parallel cepts. In this case, the plant consists of individual Process
numbering-up of basic elements (e.g. channel reactor Equipment Assemblies (PEAs). A PEA represents the phys-
prepared for numbering-up of channel number and ical implementation of a PED, following additional ge-
length) or another key feature dedicated for reusing ometrical and technical design guidelines, to ensure com-
the equipment. patibility of independently planned modules. In addition,
each PEA contains its own automation and control intelli-
gence that interacts with the other PEAs via defined data
Modular Equipment (ME) interfaces. Near-field process control systems are provid-
ed, which can be connected to the overall process control
system. PEAs can be exchanged in operative conditions of
the plant, via defined physical interfaces to allow a ver-
satile retrofitting for multiproduct- and pilot-plants. Each
PEA is constructed into a transportable skid in which the
footprint of the skid is a multiple of a discrete grid size,
which gives flexibility for the arrangement and rotation of
adjacent modules. To enable fluidic and electrical connec-
tions predefined compartments as well as standards for
the final interconnection of the PEAs are specified. Espe-
cially for the main equipment, a certain void space inside
»» Serial and/or parallel numbering-up each module is reserved during initial planning, which al-
»» Configurable elements lows for integration of different equipment configurations
»» Series of equipment (same functionality at without major design reviews, in order to facilitate the re-
different operational scales)
use of already planned PEAs.

The connection of various PEAs to a production plant is

© INVITE
described by the Process Equipment Frame (PEF). The
Figure 6: Selection and configuration of Modular Equipment PEF contains the geometric conditions and safety-related

9
 2. status quo

specifications of the installation environment and covers Finally, the extended modular infrastructure comprises
the supply of all PEAs. Containing the overall process con- the whole site including a logistic concept for the PEAs
trol system of arranged PEAs the PEF is considered as an and PEFs (e.g. warehouse) as well as service aspects (e.g.
independent production unit. For standalone or decen- maintenance).
tralized production scenarios, the integration of PEAs into
a PEF can be performed in modified freight containers, A special infrastructure to house small PEAs could be a
which can provide a fully integrated infrastructure to build standardized container that provides the necessary infra-
up a mobile and reconfigurable production environment, structural components as mentioned above. Evonik devel-
requiring only basic utility supply on site. In this case, the oped such a standardized mobile infrastructure platform
PEA design is subject to geometrical specifications. called “EcoTrainer” that is capable of housing and operat-
ing small-scale, modular processes.

2.5 Infrastructure and Utilities

2.6 Analytics
The modular concept is completed by an appropriate mod-
ular infrastructure, in which the PEFs can be integrated To take full advantage of intensified continuous process-
and operated. This infrastructure should provide access es, key steps must be taken towards long-term stable,
to the utilities the PEF requires, e.g. via a standardized tightly controlled and fully automated production. In this
backbone interface. Required utilities could be pressur- context, process analytical technologies (PAT) play a cru-
ized air, nitrogen, raw materials, waste streams as well as cial role. Based on their information the critical process
necessary data connections. It could also deliver an inter- parameters (CPP) can be monitored, controlled, and opti-
face for the supervision and orchestration of the PEAs and mized in order to achieve the desired product output quality
PEFs via a so-called “Process leading level”. The modular or to detect changes in critical quality attributes (CQA).
infrastructure further provides the basic structural needs
such as light, accessibility for frames and ventilation. The To enable an efficient implementation of PAT tools, the re-
latter do not necessarily need to be appropriate to operate quired measuring methods (including appropriate meas-

Layers of Modularization
the frames without additional ventilation for EX-proof pro-
cesses. However, it should be possible to operate the PEAs
and PEFs not just for R&D activities, but also for production
uring/sampling points) should be defined at an early
planning phase. Ideally, the same analysis methods are
applied throughout process development and scale-up
purposes. Thus, the infrastructure needs to be qualified as from lab to pilot or production scale. This makes an accel-
a production environment (e.g. permissions, etc.). erated implementation of PAT tools possible.
sign Process Equipment Assembly Process Equipment Container
(PEA)
Process Equipment Assembly (PEA)
(PEC)
Process Equipment Container (PEC)

Physical representation
Physical representation of PEDs of Mobile rack
Frame for plants forindividual
containing plantsPEAsbuild

PEDs
»» Follows technical and geometrical guidelines from PEAs
»» Installation and fixation of PEA
»» PEAs for unit operations and support functions »» Connection and distribution of energy, utilities and
process media
ore ➢➢ Providing
Follows technical and
functional modularization
Reusable, replaceable and combinable elements
Installation
➢ Adaptable and fixation of
production units
geometrical guidelines © INVITE
PEAs
➢ Mobile embodiment © INVITE

 7:PEAs
Figure for unit
Process Equipment operations
Assembly and Frame
and Process Equipment  Connection and distribution of
ne 10 support functions energy, utilities, and process
ost media
 Up to Up to

Processing steps -30 % Time-to-market -50 %

Footprint -30 % OpEx -20 %

Solvent reduction 100 % CapEx -40 %

Design effort -25 % Logistics -30 %

Space-Time-Yield 100-fold Energy consumption -30 %

Figure 8: Modularization and intensification showed measurable impact from F3 Factory Project [11]

The strategies, developments and claims of the process ties of complex fluids, and for continuous measurements
industry with regard to PAT tools mentioned in “Roadmap of fouling in tubular reactors.
Prozesssensoren 4.0” [9] can also be applied for small-
scale, modular plants. Especially the ATEX (ATmosphères
EXplosibles) confirmation of PAT tools, the close arrange- 2.7 Proof of Concept
ment of measuring point and sensor, and the integration
to the modular automation are specific aspects and de- F3 Factory and learnings
mands for modular plants.
The F3 Factory project followed a completely new ap-
Some of these issues are currently addressed in the proach for planning and designing modular plants. The
EU-funded research project CONSENS (Integrated Control vision was a radical modular approach for a rapid process
and Sensing) [10]. The goal of the CONSENS project is to development, the implementation of novel flexible and
advance the continuous production of high-value prod- sustainable processes with an improved CapEx (capital
ucts (meeting high quality demands in flexible intensified expenditure) and OpEx (operational expenditure). In the
continuous plants) by introducing novel online sensing successful case studies, the potential of intensification
equipment and closed-loop control of the key product pa- and modularization for the chemical industry was demon-
rameters. Innovative process analytical technology will be strated. The numbers quoted in Figure 8 represent results
developed for online concentration measurements, for the achieved across the case studies of the F3 Factory project.

Modular Infrastructure (MI)

online non-invasive measurement of rheological proper- The outputs of individual processes and industrial case
studies may be different overall [1].
Modular Infrastructure (MI)
Despite the successful project, there are further results
and lessons to be learnt (Table 2). During the F3 Factory
project, first design guidelines and standards were ap-
plied that enhanced the flexibility of a production plant by
exchangeable PEAs (e.g. standardized footprint; smallest
grid element with a length of 570x570 mm [12]). With the
defined standards, the consortium as well as the equip-
ment suppliers had to design their equipment according
to the technical design guidelines.

Industrial implementation
Integration of PECs in a modular infrastructure
Integration ofof required
»» Standardized provision PECs utility in a material
and raw Besides public funded projects, chemical companies as
modular
»» Supervision viainfrastructure
supply via a backbone
a higher process control system
well as suppliers have already started to implement mod-
ularization in their different fields of application. Lacking
»» Necessary site logistics
a common understanding of the degree of modularization
»» Production environment
 Standardized provision of © INVITE
and standardization, various ways have been used to im-
plement modularization in these companies. The subse-
required utility and raw
Figure 9: Modular infrastructure

material supply via a 11

backbone
 2. status quo

Table 2: Lessons learnt of F3 Factory

Successful Weakness & Challenges

»» Modular concept shown for a wide range of chemistry »» Prototype challenges
– Polymers – Development of first PEAs and PEFs is time and cost
– Surfactants consuming
– Intermediates & fine chemicals – Standardization still in an early phase
– Pharmaceuticals – Benefits only available for developed PEDs

»» Scale of tested applications »» Backbone optimization possible

– Tested range: 5 t/a – 120 t/a
»» Equipment challenges
– Possible production scale: 0,1 t/a – 1000 t/a
– Robustness of equipment (e.g. pumps valves, …)
»» Operational Aspects – Limitations for thermal separation steps
– Normal qualification for staff team
»» Currently only applied in niche markets
– From truck to operational readiness in 40 minutes
»» National regulations limit easy transfer of equipment
»» Maintenance to different countries
– Exchange PEAs in ~ 1 h possible
»» Technological gaps still existing

quent chapter emphasizes the interest of the individual (fast & reliable) and types of technology transfer
companies and the need for further development. (sampling, piloting, and training). At present, Clariant
is working on pilot projects with focus on formulations
While the evolution of modular plants is still in an early and chemical reactions.
stage of implementation, container-based solutions are
already applied for small-scale commercial production: »» Invite offers engineering services for modular plants
following the F3 Factory concept. This includes basic
»» BASF uses customized containers for small-scale pro- and detailed engineering as well as testing at a tech-
duction and its advantage of centralized construction nical center especially equipped for modular process
workshops and subsequent transportation to the pro- containers.
duction site of interest.
In addition to the implementation of these concepts in the
»» Evonik uses containers as a special kind of stand- chemical companies, there are more and more suppliers
ardized mobile infrastructure platform (Eco Trainer) applying these concepts in their business. ZETON offers
for fast process development and subsequent small- the construction of modular lab-, mini- and pilot plants
scale production. This concept has successfully been for different chemical sectors. Integrated Lab Solutions
demonstrated for electronic chemicals in the past [6]. (ILS) builds compact lab- and mini-plants especially for
In addition, Evonik is establishing a modular frame high throughput experimentation with ME. Hte provides
concept similar to the F3 Factory concept for process technologies and services for enhanced R&D productivity
development in a pilot plant environment. with focus on high throughput technology platform and
modular systems for catalyst testing. Lonza and Ehrfeld
»» Merck is operating in an environment in which time to offer modular microreactor systems for continuous pro-
market is the most sensitive fact for introducing new duction. Furthermore, HiTec Zang developed a lab auto-
products into the market. The small-scale continuous mation system that allows for a quick realization of batch
production plants follow the Multi Process Plant con- sequence protocols. However, these modular concepts
cept, which ensures a high flexibility in combination are still based on individual standardization concepts and
with process intensification. lack a common standardization approach.

»» Clariant differentiates between modular plant con-

cepts that address specific needs like market entry

12
3. Required Working Areas and Gaps

Based on this status-quo a high degree in flexibility and Furthermore, scale-up strategies that support the defini-
efficiency has already partially be proven in the recent tion of modules (PED, ME, PEA, PEF) and allow a scale-up
years by modular technologies such as micro reaction in a time efficient way, are necessary.
technology. Nevertheless there are some blank areas,
which need to be addressed. The next step for a success- Quick exchangeable PEAs enhance the flexibility of mod-
ful implementation of modular plants in the chemical in- ular plants to produce different products in various capac-
dustry is the identification of technology gaps and busi- ities and represent an alternative to multi-purpose batch
ness challenges as well as the subsequent provision of plants. To ensure an overall fast process adaption with low
sustainable solutions. changeover times and reduced effort for plant operators,
modular automation concepts must be developed.
To ensure the exchangeability of PEAs, standardized in-
terfaces, standards in the modular automation [13] and To provide a demand-actuated production, plant logistics
an integrated PED and apparatus database/portfolio and supply chain management of modular production
are required. The technical feasibility of the adaptable, concepts must be supported by two aspects. Firstly, mod-
modular plant concept has successfully been demonstrat- ular logistics handling units and appropriate processes
ed although there is still a need of a standardized plan- have to be created. Secondly, planning methods on site
ning process. The application of apparatus databases for and production network level have to be developed.
systems modeling, reliability and CapEx estimation is a
standard tool in chemical engineering. For small-scale in- The advantages of positioning PEAs in a transportable
novative equipment the necessary information is not yet skid (PEF, e.g. ISO-container) to enable decentralized pro-
systematically classified or not even available. Therefore, duction go along with challenges getting an operating li-
a systematic database of equipment information as well cense for a plant at different law fields (regulations) and
as model-assisted tools for equipment selection in the further boundary conditions, such as GMP (Good Manu-
planning process is needed [14]. After this extra effort for facturing Practice) ability or CE specifications. In addition,
the first implementation has been spent, the engineering different local regulations may require designs contrary to
will be further accelerated and the storing of knowledge the standardization guidelines.
for future applications is possible.
Depending on the needs of the customer the degree of re-
In order to achieve this aim, challenges within appara- configurability of modular plants can vary. Derived from
tus development must be met. For the implementation of business cases and products, the requirements of busi-
complete modularized processes, there is a special need ness and technology concept have to concur. Therefore,
for small-scale, continuously downstream PEAs, which a standardized management model for choosing the suit-
match geometrical limitations (e.g. height of standard able modular plant design that meet customers’ needs
freight container) and fulfill the required separation ef- has to be developed. New business and service models
ficiency. Additionally, due to the mode of operation and are required to exploit the flexible modular production in
in special cases the small-scale geometrical dimensions practice.
of a modular plant, the selection of suitable reactor de-
signs, equipment and new sensors for reaction/product
monitoring is important to enable a robust and reliable 3.1 Standardization and Interfaces
operation. For the development of an innovative and ef-
ficient small-scale production technology platform, a Reduced stock ranges and just in time production will de-
close cooperation between owners/operators, engineer- mand for new designs of chemical production facilities.
ing com­panies, equipment suppliers and R&D centers is In order to achieve an efficient design, process functions
mandatory. should be separated into standard functions and functions
that need process understanding or that represent com-
petitively relevant know-how. An efficient design process

13
 3. required working areas and gaps

has to find standard solutions for standard tasks. These cal piping and wiring is able to connect the modules with
solutions should be prepared by suppliers so that the fo- each other. Defined connection dimensions and technolo-
cus can be placed on the competitively relevant tasks. gies as well as handover locations are required, both for
mechanical and electrical or information interfaces. The
Structuring a design problem into individual tasks is the focus must therefore be on the time and cost determining
fundamental idea of module based plant design. For these aspects of the overall concept. In cases in which module
tasks, solutions can be found with defined boundaries exchange is expected infrequently, it could for example be
and minimum interaction with preceding and succeeding sufficient to describe the location of a hand over position
tasks. A key prerequisite for this approach will be the de- of a connecting pipe in order to guarantee compatibility.
velopment of standard solutions for problems occurring The physical connection pipe however could be produced
repeatedly and the definition of guidelines for designing and tested locally if the rest of the module is already as-
new PEDs. Examples for standard applications are stor- sembled and tested.
age, dosing or mixing. These typically do not represent
competitive knowledge and can be developed in a joint Manufacturing the PEDs will benefit from clearly defined
effort by multiple companies and manufactured by suppli- interfaces and design guidelines because the number of
ers. This could substantially reduce plant manufacturing iterations required during plant design will be reduced
costs. On the other hand, PEDs will have to be designed saving costs and time. When designing PEDs, brown field
individually or existing PEDs need to be modified, either application like the extension of an existing facility should
because no suitable PED is available, or because certain also be taken into consideration. The application of prov-
boundary conditions make individual design inevitable. en solutions is still reasonable, additionally skid design
can be beneficial to allow for a quick installation. Inter-
In order to bring PEAs into operation, interfaces are re- faces have to be sufficiently flexible to integrate the PEA
quired to interconnect PEAs among one another and to into existing piping and into the existing process control
local infrastructure. In cases where the later plant will be system. This will be especially important as a PEA will not
operated in an environment especially designed for host- only host the main equipment item, but also automation
ing PEAs, MI interfaces can be defined for mechanical, flu- and other auxiliary equipment. PED and PEA standardiza-
idic and electrical connections and for the communication tion should focus on defining a spatial structure including
with the process control system. the position of the main equipment item so that it still al-
lows for flexible adaption of its interior.
To guarantee PEA compatibility and quick and easy plant
reconfiguration, interfaces have to match the require- Setting up a production facility from PEAs requires a de-
ments of a large variety of potential processes. This can termined throughput corridor for each PEA. Additionally,
only be achieved with flexible interfaces suitable for adap- a clear description of the PEA structure in terms of spa-
tion to local boundary conditions. Even though interfaces tial subdivision is necessary to fully exploit the benefits
have to be standardized for connections frequently ap- of module based production technology, e.g. using PEFs.
plied, a certain degree of freedom is still needed to adapt Safety aspects will play a key role in module design. Allo-
the interface to local requirements. This will allow for a cation of intra-modular and inter-modular safety functions
quick PEA installation and plant reconfiguration in multi- will require much attention. PEDs should be designed in-
purpose plants. In cases of frequent exchange, rigid in- herently safe, nevertheless module/module interactions
terfaces are required that allow for quick PEA connection have to be surveilled closely. When defining the PEDs´
and disconnection. However, this may cause substantial structure, the demands of ergonomics, maintenance,
additional costs. It will thus be important to find a reason- changeovers and reconfigurations will have to be taken
able compromise between standardization and flexibility. into consideration. For PEDs designed for operation in
A universal interface applied for any type of PEA will not multi-purpose plants, cleaning capabilities will be crucial
be reasonable. Only if interfaces are sufficiently flexible to in order to avoid cross contamination. This will require in-
adapt them to local boundary conditions, these standard- terfaces for the supply of cleaning agents, waste disposal
ized interfaces will be applied. and for ventilation.

A single purpose plant in contrast does not require fre-

quent reconfiguration so that module/module interfaces
can be more flexible. It is sufficient to guarantee that lo-

14
3. required working areas and gaps

mation of the auxiliary equipment in early design phases,

Summing up, the following key activities are
configurable, modular flow charts will be required. Here,
necessary:
development has proceeded already quite far. One exam-
»» As a first step towards standardization operating ple is a P&ID configuration using decision trees. Yet, new
and engineering companies prepare specification technologies for knowledge management and decision
sheets in a joint effort support will be required similar to those already available
– for common process and service PEDs (e.g. stor- for car configuration.
age and dosing, mixing).
The design process has to start with an analysis of po-
– analogously, for the definition of interfaces. tential drivers for or against a modular design concept.
»» Based on these specification sheets, suppliers de- In the next step, process design has to take into consid-
velop the PEDs required. eration possible modular solutions and spatial limitations
in the final plant. Efficient selection requires knowledge
about potential solutions and the equipment available
3.2 Planning Process must fully be described by simulation models. Therefore,
ME has to be characterized such that it is described for
The key difference between conventional and module reuse including full documentation of possible config-
based design is that potential equipment and its charac- uration options. Additional to the opportunity for reuse,
teristics are already known in early design stages in case this will generate reviewed planning documentation with
of module based design. In contrast to conventional design, well-defined boundaries, helping to reduce iteration cy-
this requires equipment selection and process parameter cles common in state of the art planning. Furthermore,
adjustment instead of individual design. Thus far, equip- know-how collected in simulation models can be used for
ment is designed such that it meets the process require- describing PED properties in life cycle management. This
ments. Consequently, it may be required to adapt the indi- can for instance facilitate the communication between
vidual process parameters per unit operation to available PEA manufacturers and operators.
equipment instead. Here, robust design and optimization
strategies as well as tolerant unit operation design are Tools are required that allow for a structured equipment
key. This can lead to substantial time savings but also to comparison and selection. These tools will have to be
drawbacks in terms of process efficiency compared to a based on existing simulation models to describe the phys-
process individually designed. Designing a plant in a mod- ical and chemical processes occurring. However, in mod-
ular way may thus have a strong impact on the planning ular planning, the final operating point can no longer be
process. Therefore, the decision for or against modular defined precisely. Thus, an equipment has to be selected
design should be fixed in early design phases. As a conse- that covers the best possible operating range. In order to
quence, an innovative planning approach is required. allow for decision making, new tools are required that use
simulation models of the equipment available for selec-
A comparison of conventional and module based produc- tion against the background of insecure data. In the recent
tion approaches will only be reasonable if all cost factors are past, tools have been developed for decision making un-
evaluated in a holistic production scenario. This includes der uncertainty in early phases of process development.
the costs for the supply chain, personnel, size depend- Expanding these approaches to modular technologies will
ent equipment, changeover and many others. To evaluate be required.
such production scenarios new cost models are required.
Especially important is the fact that ME will have a differ- Even though the full benefit of modular planning can only
ent cost structure than conventional equipment. ME must be generated if PEDs for each unit operation are already
be designed for a wide operating range with robust design available, which is not the situation today. Thus, PED de-
and tolerant unit operations and equipment. For the main velopment will be a key task for the near future. This can
equipment items, new design approaches will be required help increasing robustness of the planning process and
aiming at increased equipment flexibility. This will have make workload less cyclic for the planning teams.
an impact on equipment costs and therefore requires new
equipment-cost correlations. For the auxiliary equipment,
e.g. the number of measurement and control devices may
vary. To allow for quick and precise investment cost esti-

15
 3. required working areas and gaps

Solids dosing including bio raw materials is a challenge for

Summing up, the following key activities are
small-scale equipment. Multiphase reactions can include
necessary:
complex behavior, e.g. phase transitions of reactants and/
»» Academia together with operating companies de-
or products along the conversion axis. This includes paste
velop
processing or fully solid process media such as granules
– the fundamentals of decision making in module or powders from precipitation reactions. The novel reac-
based planning and design.
tors should be easy to clean or include cleaning-in-place
– prototypes of simulation based decision support concepts, e.g. for very toxic raw materials. For improve-
tools to
ment, cleaning dead zones have to be minimized resulting
– select ME against the background of insecure in less/no fouling and narrow residence time distribution.
data.
To control heat release or reaction progress, distributed
– take the decision for or against modular design dosing should be feasible for reacting media, solvents, or
in early design phases based on a sound eco-
additives along reactor walls or through internals.
nomic comparison of conventional and modu-
lar design.
New reactor materials and manufacturing approaches
– new, robust design approaches aiming at increas- including additive manufacturing technologies enable
ing equipment flexibility and process tolerance.
the fabrication of new geometries for optimized reactor
»» Engineering software vendors prepare the frame- shape, faster development and testing of new reactors.
work to implement the decision support tools de- From these suppliers, new spare part concepts and single
veloped by academia and operating companies. use concepts can be offered. Alternative materials, e.g.
ceramics for high temperature applications, can be fabri-
cated with additive manufacturing for application in high-
3.3 Apparatus Development ly corrosive reaction systems. Furthermore, special wall
coatings, e.g. anti-fouling or functionalized reactor walls
In general, modularization is possible independent of new can be fabricated to allow for novel process windows.
apparatus technologies but their implementation facil-
itates modularization. Therefore, the main challenges of To monitor reaction outcome with conversion, yield and
apparatus development in this context are elaborated in selectivity, new sensors for reaction/product monitoring
the following sections. should be integrated close to the reactor including ana-
lytics via auto-sampling. Typical sensing methods include
Reactor selection and scale-up spectroscopic methods or sound and vibration assisted by
tomographic methods.
New reactor concepts are an important enabler for small-
scale plants. Special focus in the future is expected to lie Modularization and standardization of reactor equipment
on continuously operated reactors/processes for several should include, as already mentioned, an easy and flexible
reasons: high space time yield, low internal holdup, re- combination and reconfiguration of equipment modules.
sulting in, e.g. small amount of toxic/hazardous substanc- Intelligent PEDs should include local control systems
es or less waste in case of product changeovers, often in- autonomously running and “communicating” via infor-
herently safe design is possible, more constant product mation, material and energy streams. MEs should ena-
quality and better energy integration, as well as broader ble consistent scale-up, where lab-, pilot-, and produc-
accessible process window in terms of reactant concentra- tion-scale equipment is fitting to each other. Similarly,
tion(s), temperature and pressure. The innovation needs equipment for special process conditions such as high or
in the field of reaction technology can be divided into the low temperature, or high pressure, should be easily con-
areas new reactor geometries & designs, new materials figurable, so a direct scale-up is possible.
and manufacturing approaches for reactors, new sensors
for monitoring the reaction and modularization/standard- Fouling
ization of reactor equipment.
Fouling is the unwanted buildup of material on a surface,
New reactor geometries and designs can handle very fast for instance deposited particles or adsorbed macromole­
exothermic reactions, e.g. in nozzles, accompanied by cules. Due to increased flow, heat and mass transfer
highly viscous media, e.g. in case of a solvent free process. resistances, blockage of flow channels or corrosion,

16
3. required working areas and gaps

several industrial sectors are facing tremendous losses Solid handling

of productivity and related costs of US$ 4.4 billion annu-
ally [15]. An important step to gain knowledge about the Solid handling represents a challenging area in the small-
actual fouling behavior and to allow advanced process scale, continuous and modular production. When dosing
control is to measure the progress of layer formation and powder, which is dosed in the laboratory either manually
growth. The current state of the art for the detection of or by means of laboratory equipment or for large-scale
fouling consists of point measurements of the thickness processes by screw conveyors, pneumatic conveying, etc.,
of the fouling layer [10] by ultrasonic-based sensors. It can there is a lack of dosage concepts that meet the typical
identify process conditions that accelerate fouling, and requirements (e.g. continuous promotions, low feed rates
help to better understand fouling mechanisms. Moreover, from 0.1 to 20 kg/h, etc.). While lab devices are often not
it can be used to identify the ideal moment to clean the re- certified for ATEX Zone 1, apparatus for large scale appli-
actor in order to minimize downtimes. The fouling sensor cation do not have a compact design. In addition there is a
is particularly beneficial for small-scale modular plants, demand on robust isolation valves (DN ≤ 20), which ensure
since it can predict the fouling behavior during scale-up reliable continuous operation. In order to realize a contin-
based on laboratory studies [16]. However, the integration uous dosing in small-scale dimensions for the continuous
of PAT in modular plants can be challenging. The equip- production, there is a need for developing strategies and
ment either has to be integrated into existing PEAs or robust equipment in cooperation with manufacturers. This
dedicated process analytical PEDs have to be constructed. is an essential requirement for the next big challenge, an
For certain processes, ATEX regulations must be fulfilled. integrated end-to-end approach along the complete value
Communication between the sensors, the control system chain of the production of APIs, for example.
and the plant must be established enabling an extensive
use of the sensor measurements. Temperature management and heat insulation

Downstream processing For planning and construction of PEAs for PEFs, the availa-
ble space has to be exploited effectively. If fluids with high
The application of ME, especially downstream units, in or low temperature are transported, the pipes, fittings and
PEFs with geometric limitations presents further develop- equipment (sensors and actuators) require additional de-
ment requirements in the modular plant design. In recent vices (double pipe, heating plates, etc.) and insulation.
public funded projects [8, 17] the upstream processing Additionally, in a compact process environment temper-
with micro- and milli-structured, intensified equipment ature control such as air conditioning could be crucial to
was successfully demonstrated. The situation differs prevent e.g. automation equipment from operation out-
when downstream processing (DSP) should be integrated side its boundaries and reducing its life time. Due to the
in a small-scale PEF. Considering a range of 0.1 to 1000 t/a fact that the application of water bath during the scale-up
(0.0125 kg/h to 250 kg/h) as a typical production capacity, from lab to production scale is improbable, new strate-
which complies with the design guidelines developed in gies for temperature control has to be developed, which
F3 Factory, it is necessary to identify suitable downstream enable the temperature control despite small installation
modules. The application of thermal separation process- space. Depending on the chosen concept of temperature
es (e.g. distillation in a column or for thermal sensitive control (electrical heat tracing, heating/cooling with liq-
products the use of falling-film evaporators) in PEFs with uid media) a practicable PED layout has to be developed
geometric limitations quickly reaches its design limit, for and functional equipment has to be identified.
example due to the required height. In general, a compact
format is desirable for modular setup. In these cases, al- Reliability
ternative strategies and ME for DSP have to be developed.
Therefore, current continuous DSP concepts (for exam- While the technical feasibility of the small-scale, modular
ple described in [18] or [19] in small-scale or [20] in larger concept has been successfully demonstrated in F3 Factory
scale) have to be evaluated and classified according to the project, it is challenging to choose suitable, robust equip-
technology readiness level (TRL). ment. During the scale-up from lab to production scale
(capacity approx. 0.1 – 1000 t/a) equipment is used, which
is more attributable to the dimensions of the laboratory.
At the same time, however, it demands the reliability
properties of a production plant (operating: 8000 h/a).

17
 3. required working areas and gaps

Especially solid dosage, small evacuation systems, com- lab development over pilot to production scale [21]. Scale
pact DSP, control valves, etc. require further development. means length scale of equipment enabling certain volu-
metric throughput and production rate from grams to tons,
but also time scale from short experiments to long-run
Summing up, the following key activities are tests and production campaign of several months. With in-
necessary: creasing scale, fixed costs decrease compared to variable
»» ME and PEA suppliers, operating companies and costs and lead to more economical production (economy
academia develop of scale). ME consists of functional elements with stand-
– new reactor geometries & designs, new materials ardized interfaces, e.g. reactor plates with mixing chan-
and manufacturing approaches for reactors. nels and standard fluidic tube connectors. Separation col-
umns may have standard sections, which can be enlarged
– new sensors for monitoring the reaction regard-
for higher throughput. Furthermore, ME may also include
ing conversion, yield as well as selectivity and the
a batch process step within a continuous process. Scale-
plant condition regarding fouling.
up of batch processes is mainly done by increasing the
– compact equipment for downstream processes
vessel volume with heating/cooling capacity and stirring/
and for solid dosage on pilot plant scale.
mixing characteristics. An increase in vessel volume is ac-
– temperature management and heat insulation companied with a dramatic decrease in surface-to-volume
concepts for PEDs with small installation space. ratio, leading to lower heating/cooling rates, longer mix-
– small-scale, reliable equipment such as control ing time, and probably lower reaction performance with
valves, small evacuation and solid dosage systems, side products or instability of exothermic reactions.
etc.
Development of a continuous chemical process starts in
the lab and aims to design a production plant on the relevant
3.4 Scale-up size scale with desired throughput. When starting from a
target molecule, process step or known batch protocol, a
A PED embracing a unit step of a chemical process with a feasibility study is the first step to prove suitability of the
database of design and process information starts from chemical and physical system [22]. A toolbox of existing

Table 3: Scale-up parameters for modular equipment, a guideline

unit operation constant for scale-up CTQ important parameter observed parameter CPP
mixing mixing time energy dissipation rate pressure loss [26]
heat transfer volumetric heat transfer specific surface, flow rate, outlet temperature,
coefficient pressure loss temperature maximum
conversion residence time flow rate and internal outlet concentration of starting
volume material
selectivity heat transfer; residence time Reynolds number, outlet concentration of
distribution Peclét number impurities of side product
separation:
distillation area for vapor flow
absorption area for gas flow
extraction separation efficiency energy dissipation rate outlet concentration [27]
adsorption
membrane  area to volume flow rate
crystallization crystal characteristics, purity temperature/concentration temperature, concentration,
product quality [28]
solids handling: formulation quality speed of solids handling; process specific
numbering-up

18
3. required working areas and gaps

PEDs with vessels, pumps, reactors, and separation steps

Summing up, the following key activities are
assists the rapid development by replicating engineering
necessary for successful scale-up of ME:
knowledge [23]. A pump or a reactor ME, for example, ex-
ists on all scale-up levels, also called platform levels, i.e. »» Operating companies together with academia and
lab, pilot, and production scale: Production scale exists on ME and PEA suppliers develop PEDs for a safe and
various levels with target scale of 0.1 to 1000 t/a of liquid reliable scale-up. They
or solid product. A pump type may change, when step- – model and handle exothermic reactions in a relia-
ping to a larger scale, but the main characteristics must ble way in relation with safety concerns.
be compatible between the levels. On a certain platform – model multiphase reactions including catalytic
level a PED with main equipment should offer a certain steps consistent on all length scales with domi-
range of throughput, also called volume flexibility. Dif- nant mass transfer.
ferent flexibility of PEDs may exist for temperature, pres- – develop downstream separation and purifica-
sure, and chemical environment (mild for polymers and tion processes to be available on laboratory and
steel, aggressive for stainless steel, highly aggressive small- scale production scale for complete pro-
for special alloys or ceramics). Regulatory aspects may cesses.
be important, such as ATEX or GMP requirements. Each
– develop reliable solids handling in various pro-
aspect may become important, when considering higher
cess steps on all scale-up levels.
throughput level with different environment. Prior scale-
up, testing for the next larger platform level gives valua-
ble information for critical parameters (e.g. mixing, heat Confidence in lab scale modules gives the opportunity of
transfer, residence time distribution, or separation perfor- skipping pilot plants and direct telescoping to production
mance). Testing is prepared and accompanied by process scale. Furthermore, novel business models may appear in-
simulation with module analogues to evaluate operation cluding rental equipment or special maintenance services,
windows and determine critical process parameters. Sim- see Chapter 3.8.
ulation with PED assists rapid process development and
preparation of scale-up to the next platform level. Hence,
PED also includes simulation models matching on differ- 3.5 Automation
ent platform levels with different other ME. Scale-down of
known equipment and process steps for lab suitability can The high process flexibility, as major benefit in modular
be one option (lab analogues). plant design, requires a similar level of flexibility in pro-
cess control systems as well as automation concepts to
Table 3 presents a rough overview about scale-up condi- make use of the potential of Industry 4.0. The automation
tions for important unit operations along with relevant pa- concept is critical to the aspired fast process adaption
rameters. For example, scale-up of micromixers concerns with low changeover times and reduced effort for plant
similar mixing characteristics, often observed with similar operators. In addition to the control systems, data histori-
energy dissipation rate and measured by the pressure loss ans allow a remote access in order to perform data mining
in the mixing device [14]. Heat transfer depends on the spe- for process optimization and performance monitoring.
cific surface area (surface-to-volume ratio) and the flow rate,
when keeping the logarithmic temperature difference Modular Automation Concept
constant. Further relations are given for chemical reactors
with conversion and selectivity [24], separation units, and Already today, batch automation concepts allow hardware
only sparsely for solids handling. Beside these scale-up and control changes on a plant specific level by plant op-
guideline, parallelization of equipment as well as inter- erators without (or with minimized) additional involve-
nal channel elements can serve for increase of volumetric ment of automation competencies, e.g. through repro-
throughput, also called numbering-up. The combination gramming of process control system. Module intelligence
of scale-up by increasing equipment size and number has paired with manufacturer independent diagnosis stand-
been shown as a very efficient measure for volatile market ards (e.g. NAMUR recommendation NE107) ensure effec-
development [25]. tive lifecycle and service concepts via staggered remote
diagnostics concepts. Staggered in this case implies re-
duced information for the operator and detailed informa-
tion for maintenance. Modular automation with design of

19
 3. required working areas and gaps

process units of high degree of intelligence and integrated and digital description of PEDs, based on e.g. module type
control systems (black box module) with a super-ordinat- package (NAMUR-MTP).
ed orchestration is therefore the present key enabler for
flexible plant operation. Summing up, the following key activities are
necessary:
Vertical and Horizontal Data Integration »» Automation and process control suppliers as well
as operating companies
Such autonomous, flexible control systems, which can al-
– apply super-ordinated orchestration of intelligent
ready include model predictive control concepts based on
modules with manufacturer independent diagno-
physical or purely data driven models, are rarely realized
sis standards to ensure flexibility in process con-
at present. However, the vertical and horizontal data in-
trol and module lifecycle concepts.
tegration allows asset and process order management as
well as process optimization. – enable platform and hardware independent glob-
al access to process data decoupled from control
The utilization of process data globally requires a decou- area for remote diagnostics, process optimization
pling from the process control area (e.g. via Unified Archi- and performance monitoring.
tecture, OPC-UA, as a gatekeeper), platform and hardware – further develop novel sensor concepts to foster
independent. This can be realized by data historian sys- e.g. data mining activities and soft sensing.
tems, which allow visualization of trends and the data ex-
port to other collaborative software systems.
3.6 Logistics and Supply Chain
Enabler for Tolerant Plant Operation Management
and Performance Control
Modular production concepts must be supported by mod-
The process data is then available for analysis and can be ular logistics equipment and appropriate planning meth-
combined with other information, e.g. from an ERP, PIM ods so that flexible production can leverage its potentials
or MES system, to result in meaningful models which in practice. The planning of internal logistics, material
predict optimal performance and detect deviations. This flow and the layout or its reconfiguration on site should
type of performance control can be used to identify tran- not take months or years of time, otherwise rapid devel-
sient changes in the process itself, like fouling or catalyst opment and reconfiguration of the production technology
aging, which lead to new target optima for control, en- cannot be realized. A technical standardization of logis-
suring tolerant plant operation. The data can be used in tics equipment and the interfaces is also necessary for a
combination with information from the engineering of the quick start of production. Furthermore, it is important to
plant (see chapter 3.7) to detect improvement potentials make logistics equipment mobile and scalable, exactly in
for plant design in the modular plant life cycle, e.g. de- the same frame as specified by production. These require-
bottlenecking. From these data mining activities, also an ments cannot be met by over-sized, fixed equipment. This
indication of missing sensors or the development of soft leads to a variety of challenges for intralogistic issues. All
sensors for process control can be derived. However, the include the common goal of creating reconfigurable, read-
goal is to guarantee an automated and global access in ily available plants, planning methods, and control sys-
cloud based server systems to realize vertical integration tems for rapid implementation [8, 29].
for plant management and horizontal integration for value
chain optimization. A key element is the ensured safety Intralogistics
in data transfer and authentication as well as know-how
protection, where the support from IT (with Operational Modular production results in new challenges for the
Technology “OT” expertise) is essential. logistics processes of supply and disposal, in particular
for the technical design and planning. Solutions are need-
The mentioned examples emphasize the importance of ed that define the logistics processes in autonomous func-
manufacturer independent solutions as first step towards tional units (e.g., storage, outgoing goods) and combine
unified concepts within all hard- and software providers. them to ensure their internal and external mobility and
Future exchange with NAMUR and ZVEI is necessary to to be capable of reacting to the dynamics of production
evaluate standard interfaces in the area of automation and market. To this end, logistical systems existing in in-

20
3. required working areas and gaps

dustry and research are first analyzed for their scalability the allocation of customers to places of production take
and their ability to be combined with reconfigurable pro- place depending on the customer locations, the required
duction facilities and their mobility. This results in a need amounts and the capacity of individual plants. Due to fluc-
for development not only in means of modularization but tuations in demand, both in time and space, all following
also intelligent equipment which can be implemented in states have to be planned dynamically. Adaptions in the
a plug and produce manner within Industry 4.0 environ- network can take place, e.g. by relocation of plants, real-
ments [30]. location of customers to different sites or an increase or
reduction of the number of PEFs at the site. High system
In addition to the technical transfer into modular logistic dynamics and decision-making for the development of a
systems, planning times must be shortened. Quick deci- variety of planning tools result in this complexity [31].
sions to changes in the layout and for reconfiguring the
site for an optimal material flow are necessary. New situ-
Summing up, the following key activities are
ations arise in a reconfigurable production whenever new
necessary:
plant modules are added or removed. An optimum mate-
rial flow, from the view of flexible production and logistics »» Suppliers and academia develop modular, “intel-
modules, must be automated and fast. Therefore, pow- ligent“ equipment for material flow, storage and
erful assistant systems for (re)configuration of logistics handling to support reconfigurable production
setup on site have to be developed. Placement and layout equipment.
problems do not only exist site-specific, but also in the »» Operating companies establish new logistic process-
configuration of the production network with the newly es which allow for a fast (re)configuration of pro-
gained degrees of freedom in terms of mobility and de- duction and logistics.
centralization of a modular production [8].
»» Operating companies, service providers and aca-
demia develop assistant systems for the (re)config-
Supply chain management and
uration of the logistics setup on the sites.
production network planning
»» Operating companies and academia create tools for
Modular, decentralized production concepts open up new a dynamic production network design.
opportunities and possibilities with respect to supply
chain management, choice of location and network struc-
ture. Mobility offers new degrees of freedom, especially 3.7 Regulations
with regard to customer orientation. A production located
directly at the customer, production only on demand, a Regulatory requirements
significant reduction in inventory, just-in-time production,
and high delivery frequencies are only a few keywords in Focus of this section is put on applications within the Eu-
this regard. Also, a production on the site of the raw ma- ropean Union. Nevertheless, some points and conclusions
terial providers and exploitation of local sources of raw do not refer to any particular law field and others might be
materials offer attractiveness and potential savings, de- transferrable to other fields.
pending on the application scenario. Locally situated raw
materials do not have to travel long distances to reach the In European Union Law, any manufacturer has to declare
production site, only to send back the subsequent product that his product conforms to all legislative requirements.
in return or further on. In the case of modular plants, the body (PEF) who is fi-
nally interconnecting PEAs and thus forming a new plant
Challenges in the production network mainly arise in the should declare the conformity. If the owner of the plants
optimal site planning and production network design [31]. changes the configuration of its plant, i.e. change the se-
The design of an economically optimal network with re- quence or combination of single PEAs, he should declare
mote mobile assets in contrast to production network the conformity of the new configuration or assembling, re-
planning in a conventional, large-scale, central production spectively. As the freedom of creating new configurations
concept is much more complex and is further complicat- is most likely one driving idea of modular plants, all own-
ed by the fact that new market situations make dynam- ers should develop a procedure for ensuring and declaring
ic adjustments to the network structure necessary. The the conformity. The “Blue Guide” on the implementation
selection of sites, the number of equipment used and of EU product rules defines several different procedures

21
 3. required working areas and gaps

for conformity assessments. Some of them would poten- GMP ability

tially allow simple assessment processes for modular
plants if each single PEA were certified by the respec- Operating modular plants in a GMP environment will face
tive module supplier. In the opposite case, a conformity requirements which have to be defined prior to the design
assessment would result in an excessive process, as the of the PEAs.
manufacturing part of the PEA would have been assessed
retrospectively, e.g. by single unit tests. Requirements regarding conformity of materials such as
steel and especially sealings are easy to fulfill, due to
Another challenge is to comply with national emission the fact that these compounds are already available on
standards and environmental acts. The national rules the market. Standard equipment such as pumps, valves,
might require a more or less detailed description of the process sensors, etc. can also be purchased with an FDA
plant, e.g. by providing P&IDs. Hence, if changes of the approval. A qualification of the hardware built in one PEA
plant configuration go along with changes of the plant following the FDA guidelines can be adopted from a stand-
description or risk assessment, a new authority approval ard batch equipment qualification.
for operating the plant might be mandatory. For avoiding
long lasting authority management processes, a sustaina- The qualification of the PEA, which is running inde-
ble approval strategy should be developed before the first pendently (state-based control), should be well prepared
set up of a modular plant, e.g. in cooperation with the lo- regarding the definition of parameters the PEA has to ful-
cal authorities. This strategy should provide a maximum fill to ensure a process that can be validated. The quali-
of flexibility regarding configuration changes. A feasible fication framework would be the PEA itself. The benefits
strategy might be to develop a framework of possible would be an easy requalification when a PEA has to be
configurations which are linked to particular (exemplary) changed for maintenance. An independent qualification of
processes. the PEA has to be the strategy to be prepared for a modu-
lar multi-purpose plant concept.
Safety related functions would always be part of safety
assessments. The idea of using only “intrinsically safe” Validation of a process is focusing on the chemistry and
PEAs will not always sufficiently meet all safety require- interaction of the qualified PEAs. The strategy for a vali-
ments. Risk assessments should always refer to the pro- dation of a process in a modular multi-purpose plant is to
cess and the necessity of realizing intermodular safety validate the overall process including all PEAs needed to
circuits will generally arise. Hence, the supplier of PEAs end up with a product which can be well characterized. All
should be able to react on different safety strategies, e.g. CPPs that define the CQAs have to be known and may be
providing an interface to digital safety protocols or termi- adopted from the conventional batch process if possible.
nal connections to analogue standard signals. It should
be part of any safety strategy, to install only instruments Introducing the modular plant concept for API production
of higher safety levels. On the other hand, the operator of leads to special design of the piping and connection due
modular plants should define his own general strategy of to the important issue of cross contamination using the
realizing safety related functions. The entire fleet of mod- equipment as a multi-purpose plant. The new EU GMP
ules should comply with this strategy. guideline is discussing this issue and brings in examples
on how to deal with limits of residues for a high potency
International regulations are not yet harmonized. The pro- modular production. Cleaning concepts will be a key topic
cedure to apply for permissions in the different law fields for the design of PEDs. A vision of a small-scale continu-
are varying between different countries. As one example ous HPAPI (highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredi-
there are regional standards for pressure vessels existing ent) production in small isolated containment can be pos-
(Europe, USA, China, etc.). Currently it is not possible to sible with this flexible production concept.
transfer these vessels and therefore complete PEFs to an-
other country without considering the different standards. An important step during the production of an API is the
definition of a batch. Three strategies are thinkable to be
followed: process time, product amount and amount of
raw material. The quality by design initiative of the FDA
compared with the concept of a modular plant fits to the
strategy of the future pharma production.

22
3. required working areas and gaps

modularization is to continue producing and selling the

Summing up, the following key activities are
same products. Modular plants offer a way to cheaper or
necessary:
quicker realization of investment projects and to invest
»» Authorities and operating companies stepwise over the years parallel to sales volume growth
– develop international standards, as they do not to maximize long term net present value (delayed invest-
yet exist. The “Blue Guide” on the implementa- ment) and to reduce the investment risk as each individual
tion of EU product rules would potentially allow step then requires only minor or medium budget. This way
simple assessment processes for modular plants, the business model incorporates modular technologies to
but a conformity assessment would turn out to an improve existing “conventional” businesses.
excessive process when it is done retrospectively.
– adopt these regulations to easily comply with Another business model is local or decentralized produc-
national emission standards and environmental tion very close to the customer or even directly on cus-
acts in the field of modular plants. tomer’s production sites. The benefit of such models can
»» develop guidelines and workflows for the GMP abil- be reduction of logistics costs. Another driver could be the
ity of modular plants especially for special require- possibility to produce tailor-made products, which need
ments such as cleaning, batch definition and valida- to be adapted frequently to the applications of the cus-
tion. tomer. PEFs could also be completely integrated into the
customer’s production getting raw material from the cus-
tomers, doing synthesis or physical modification inside
the PEF and transferring the new/modified material back
3.8 New Business and Service Models to customer’s production process.

For the successful implementation of modular plant and In this regard, additional potential can also be expected
production concepts, aside from the technical solutions, by using remote control technologies. This way, experts
the development of appropriate business models will (e.g. in R&D) can assist in optimizing and trouble-shoot-
also be crucial. The business models will be different for ing modules or implementing new recipes in a remote
the individual market parties and depend strongly on the production site. To materialize such business models
industry (e.g. chemical specialties, pharma etc.) and on completely new methods of integration the internal work
the role of different parties within the market (e.g. chem- streams with the customers are necessary.
ical company producing and selling chemical products or
equipment / PEA supplier etc.). For engineering companies and equipment suppliers it
could be a business model to provide ready to use PEDs
The main parties on the market are and PEAs to chemical and pharmaceutical producers,
»» Operating companies (chemical and pharmaceutical which reduce their own engineering effort and can exe-
producers) cute investment projects quicker and easier by just de-
fining requirements for the modules. These PEAs are then
»» Engineering companies
designed and constructed in parallel by different engi-
»» Equipment suppliers neering partners. Additionally the engineering companies
»» Automation / process control suppliers can reduce their internal planning effort due to standardi-
zation and reuse of PEDs.
This is a simplified differentiation because the market
parties can be different companies, but they can also Another possibility of new business models could be
partly or completely overlap (e.g. internal engineering for suppliers to also become a “producer”, e.g. by leas-
departments in chemical companies vs. external engi- ing a PEA to the chemical/pharmaceutical producer and
neering partners, internal workshops for construction of then providing services. The services can range from just
equipment and PEAs vs. external partners, but also many a technical support to maintenance or even taking over
different combinations of external and internal competen- the full operational responsibility for the PEA and selling
cies in investment projects). product or a utility instead of selling process equipment
or part of a chemical plant. Business models comprising
For operating companies (chemical and pharmaceutical elements of the ideas listed here do already exist, e.g.
producers), a simple business model to gain profit with Linde provides plants for technical gases to their cus-

23
 3. required working areas and gaps

tomers, but offers individualized service from technical

support to full operation, too. For chemical production,
however, comprising synthesis steps would be new, while
many questions still need an answer. For automation and
process control suppliers there are many new business
opportunities associated with modularization, which are
strongly related to Industry 4.0.

So far, business models are characterized as transaction

orientated. This is due to change when modular produc-
tion concepts emerge on the market, resulting in PEA
manufacturers joining the market. If the chemical and
pharmaceutical producers decide to use modular produc-
tion concepts, the company will be confronted with new
business models. A shift towards providers’ (engineering
companies and equipment suppliers as well as automa-
tion and process control suppliers) responsibilities and
risk taking can be identified in this relationship. This is
due to the modular production concept requiring different
services in order to be attractive for chemical and phar-
maceutical producers. The PEA manufacturer takes care
of the plant over the entire life-cycle. Services such as
remote control, apparatuses substitution or moving PEAs
to different locations will emerge and will be necessary in
order to gain the full potential of modular plants [32].

Summing up, the following key activities are

necessary:
»» All parties involved (operating companies, engineer-
ing companies, equipment suppliers and automa-
tion/process control suppliers as well as service
providers) develop new business models, in which
all main parties on the market can expect potential
benefits in terms of revenue, costs and service.
»» The mentioned parties clarify warranty, liability and
conformity of production equipment.
»» Suppliers develop module-lifecycle concepts includ-
ing concepts for maintenance, repair and overhaul of
production equipment.
»» So far there is no market for modular plants and
respective business models. Therefore, all parties
create the willingness to support the modular ap-
proach.

24
4. Summary and Further Activities

Recent public funded projects successfully revealed the sectors such as specialties, fine chemicals, and pharma-
technical and economic potential of small to medium ceuticals manufacturing. Quick wins can be faster devel-
scale (0,1 – 1000 t/a) continuous production and demon- opment times and resulting earlier time to market, sav-
strated its technical feasibility in modular plants. Small ings in planning, engineering and purchasing effort, risk
scale continuous production addresses various business reduction and faster customer response times depending

Area Key action points and fields of development Key parties involved
Standardization »» specification sheets for »» Operating companies
and interfaces – common process and service PEDs »» Engineering companies
– definition of interfaces »» ME and PEA suppliers
Automation »» super-ordinated orchestration of intelligent modules with »» Automation and process
manufacturer independent diagnosis control suppliers
»» platform and hardware independent global access »» Operating companies
»» novel sensor concepts
Regulations »» international standards »» Authorities
»» adopting regulations to easily comply with national emission »» Operating companies
standards and environmental acts
»» guidelines and workflows for the GMP ability
Apparatus »» new reactor geometries and designs, new materials and »» ME and PEA suppliers
development manufacturing approaches for reactors »» Operating companies
»» new sensors for monitoring the reaction »» Academia
»» compact equipment for downstream processes and for solid dosage
»» temperature management and heat insulation concepts
»» small scale, reliable equipment
Scale-up »» reliable modelling & handling exothermic reactions »» Operating companies
»» modelling multiphase reactions including catalytic steps on all scales »» Academia
»» downstream separation and purification processes on laboratory and »» ME and PEA suppliers
small scale production scale
»» reliable solids handling in various process steps on all scale-up levels
Logistics and »» modular, “intelligent“ intralogistic equipment »» Logistic equipm. sup-
supply chain »» new logistics processes pliers
management »» assistant systems for (re)configuration on sites »» Operating companies
»» tools for a dynamic production network design »» Academia
»» Service providers
Planning »» decision making in module based planning and design »» Academia
process »» prototypes of simulation decision support tools »» Operating companies
»» new, robust design approaches »» Engineering software
»» framework to implement the decision support tools vendors
New business »» new business models with benefits for all parties »» All parties mentioned
and service »» warranty, liability and conformity
models »» module-lifecycle concepts
»» willingness to support modular approach

25
 4. summary and further activitiess

on the business case. However, further demand for devel- have to start as soon as possible but they will include
opment was found in the course of industrial demonstra- different time frames: Standardization and interfaces in
tion. Required working areas and gaps in technology and the next three years (2017-2020), automation in the next
planning methods exist in the areas of standardization and five years (2017-2022) and regulations in the next ten
interfaces, automation, regulations, apparatus develop- years (2017-2027). The areas of apparatus development,
ment, scale-up, logistics and supply chain management, scale-up and logistics and supply chain management are
planning process and new business and service models. ongoing activities supporting the modular approach and
These result in the following key action points and fields therefore second priority. Planning processes and new
of development with the specified key parties involved. business and service models depend on first or second
priority results and are therefore subsequent to these and
In the view of the ProcessNet working group on modular third priority. All key activities are initially mainly driven by
plants these key action points and fields of development the operating company but do depend on the interaction
have the following priorities. Priorities have been set on with the other mentioned respective key players.
basis of importance, field of resource investment and fo-
cus for the next 3-5 years. Thus, the first of future activities of the ProcessNet work-
ing group are an interaction with the NAMUR on automa-
tion of modular plants, workshops with equipment sup-
Priority 1 essential precondition
pliers and workshops with authorities. Aside from this,
ongoing activities to support further activities include a prestage to a VDI guideline
Priority 2
modular approach based on this white paper and an application of modular,
subsequent to priority 1 and/or continuous production to pharma and API production. The
Priority 3
priority 2 results guideline activities will include further completions and
details. The key action points are going to be tackled in
public funded research projects like the ENPRO-initiative.
The areas of standardization and interfaces, automation Further joint research and development activities between
as well as regulations are an essential precondition for industry and academia are necessary.
modularization and therefore first priority. All of them

26
Glossary

2D: two-dimensional
3D-CAD: three-dimensional computer aided design
API: active pharmaceutical ingredient
ATEX: ATmosphères EXplosibles, explosive atmosphere
Big Data: High volume data management and analysis
CapEx: capital expenditure
CE: EU conformity marking
Compatibility: capacity of two or more systems for the exchange of information, materials, energy and media
CONSENS: EU-funded research project, Integrated Control and Sensing
Continuous
manufacturing: chemical manufacturing in continuous-flow plant
CoPIRIDE: EU-funded research project 2010-2013, Combining Process Intensification-driven Manufacture of
Microstructured Reactors and Process Design
CPP: critical process parameter
CQA: critical quality attribute
CTQ: critical to quality
DCS: digital control system
DN: nominal diameter
Downstream: Work-up, separation and purification steps such as chromatography, crystallization, distillation,
extraction, absorption etc.
DSP: downstream processing
EcoTrainer: container concepts as infrastructure for modular, small scale plants
Engineering phase: conceptual, basic and detailed engineering
ENPRO initiative: Energy Efficiency and Process Intensification for the Chemical Industry
ERP: enterprise resource planning
EU: European Union
EX: see ATEX
F3 Factory: EU-funded research project 2010-2013, Fast-Flexible-Future
FDA: Food and Drug Administration
Flexibility: volume flow with different flow rates, process flow with different process conditions
GMP: good manufacturing practice
HPAPI: highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredient
Industry 4.0: cyber-physical systems communicating in the Internet of things (IoT)
ISO container: International Standardization Organization shipping container
IT: Information technology
Lead time: time span between product development and the fully operational plant
ME: modular equipment
MES: manufacturing execution system
MI: modular infrastructure
Modularization: Designing with standardized units, dimensions or interfaces, which can be easily assembled,
maintained as well as flexibly arranged and operated; planning and construction with modules
Module: functional process unit with standard dimensions and interfaces as well as connected databank
with planning, construction, and operational information
MR-NMR: medium resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

27
 glossary

MTP: module type package in automation

NAMUR: User Association of Automation Technology in Process Industries
NCE: new chemical entity
NE: NAMUR recommendation
Numbering-up: scale-up by parallel arrangement of equipment
OPC-UA: open platform communication - unified architecture
OpEx: operational expenditure
PAT: process analytical technologies
PEA: process equipment assembly, similar to module
PEC: process equipment container, similar to 20-ft shipping container
PED: process equipment design, module design, fabrication and operation information
PEF: process equipment frame
PPD: process plant design
P&ID: pipe & instrumentation diagram
PIM: process information management
Plug and produce: Technology that allows an easy integration, removal or exchange of production equipment without
the need of a specialist for the reconfiguration
R&D: research and development
Scalability: characteristic of a system to expand and increase its capacity
SWOT: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
Time to market: length of time from the first product idea to the finished product and its launch
Reconfigurable adaptable, modular production concept including modularization, scalability, universality,
production: compatibility and mobility
Reconfigurability: see reconfigurable production
TRL: technology readiness level
Upstream: reaction technology, fermentation
USP: upstream processing
ZVEI: German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association

28
References

[1] F3 Factory: Flexible, Fast and Future Production Processe - Final Report.
www.f3factory.com​/​scripts/​pages/​en/​newsevents/​F3_​Factory_​final_​report_​to_​EC.pdf (accessed May 31, 2016).
[2] Fleischer, C.; Krasberg, N.; Bramsiepe, C.; Kockmann, N.; Planungsansatz für modulare Anlagen in der chemischen
Industrie, submitted to CIT, 2016. Copyright Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA. Reproduced with permission.
[3] ENPRO – Energieeffizienz und Prozessbeschleunigung für die Chemische Industrie.
http://​enpro-initiative.de​/​(accessed June 22, 2016).
[4] DEXPI – A way to improve doing business. http://​www.dexpi.org​/​(accessed June 22, 2016).
[5] DECHEMA Working Group “Single-use-technology in biopharmaceutical manufacturing”
http://dechema.de/Single_Use_Technologie-p-20055310.html (accessed October 21, 2016)
[6] Schmalz D.; Stenger F.; Brodhagen A.; Schweiger A.; Bieringer T.; Dreiser C.; Towards modularization and standard-
ization of chemical production units: status quo, development needs, and current activities, Dechema Praxisforum
Future Production Concepts in Chemical Industry. April 27-28th 2016, Frankfurt.
[7] Bramsiepe, C.; Schembecker, G. Die 50 %-Idee: Modularisierung im Planungsprozess. CIT [Online] 2012, 84 (5), 563.
[8] Lier, S.; Wörsdörfer, D.; Grünewald, M.; Transformable Production Concepts: Flexible, Mobile, Decentralized,
Modular, Fast, ChemBioEng Reviews 2016, 3 (1) 16-25.
[9] VDI/VDE-Gesellschaft Mess- und Automatisierungstechnik; Namur Automatisierungstechnik der Prozessindustrie e.V.
Thesen und Handlungsfelder: Roadmap-Prozesssensoren 4.0.
​www.vdi.de​/​fileadmin/​vdi_​de/​redakteur_​dateien/​gma_​dateien/​TW_​GMA__​Thesen_​und_​Handlungsfelder_​
Roadmap-Prozesssensoren_​4-0_​-_​Web.pdf (accessed May 31, 2016).
[10] Consens – Integrated Control and Sensing: The research leading to these results has received funding from the
European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement N° 636942.
www.consens-spire.eu (accessed June 22, 2016).
[11] F3 Factory: Flexible, Fast Future: An EU Framework 7, NMP project
www.f3factory.com/html/images/upload/WP9_Dissemination/Overview_F3_Factory_project.pdf (accessed August
18, 2016).
[12] F3 Factory: Modular and flexible continuous chemical production concept.
www.f3factory.com​/h​ tml/​images/​upload/​WP9_​Dissemination/​01_​Modular_​and_​flexible_​continuous_​production.pdf
(accessed June 17, 2016).
[13] Bernshausen, J.; Haller, A.; Holm, T.; Hoernicke, M.; Obst, M.; Ladiges, J.; NAMUR Modul Type Package – Definition.
atp edition 2016, 58 (01-02), 72–81.
[14] Krasberg, N.; Hohmann, L.; Bieringer, T.; Bramsiepe, C.; Kockmann, N. Selection of Technical Reactor Equipment for
Modular, Continuous Small-Scale Plants. Processes 2014, 2 (1), 265–292.
[15] Hassan Al-Haj Ibrahim. Fouling in Heat Exchangers, MATLAB - A Fundamental Tool for Scientific Computing and
Engineering Applications - Volume 3, Prof. Vasilios Katsikis (Ed.), InTech 2013.
[16] Mleczko, L.; Zhao, D. Technology for Continuous Production of Fine Chemicals. In Managing hazardous reactions
and compounds in process chemistry; Pesti, J. A., Abdel-Magid, A. F., Eds.; ACS Symposium Series 1181; American
Chemical Society: Washington DC, 2014; 403–440.
[17] Löb, P.; Final Report Summary - CoPIRIDE. http://​cordis.europa.eu​/​result/​rcn/​163487_​en.html (accessed June 17,
2016).
[18] Creative Energy. European Roadmap for Process Intensification - Appendix 1. PI technologies description and re-
view, 2007.
[19] Kenig, E. Y.; Su, Y.; Lautenschleger, A.; Chasanis, P.; Grünewald, M. Micro-separation of fluid systems: A state-of-
the-art review. Sep. Purif. Technol. 2013, 120, 245.
[20] Müller, S.; Lier, S.; Grünewald M. Development and characterisation of a modular absorption column for
transformable plants, Chem. Eng. Res. Des. 2015, 99, 256-264.
29
 references

[21] Bramsiepe, C.; Krasberg, N.; Fleischer, C.; Hohmann, L.; Kockmann, N.; Schembecker, G. Information technologies
for innovative process and plant design, Chemie-Ingenieur-Technik 2014, 86 (7), 966-981.
[22] Kockmann, N.; Roberge, D.M. Scale-up concept for modular microstructured reactors based on mixing, heat transfer,
and reactor safety, Chem. Eng. Proc, 2011, 50, 1017-1026.
[23] Kockmann, N. Modular Equipment for Chemical Process Development and Small-scale Production in Multipurpose
Plants, ChemBioEng Reviews 2016, 3 (1), 5-15.
[24] Kockmann, N. From Milligrams to Kilograms – Scale-Up in Modular Flow Reactors, in V. Hessel, D. Kralisch,
N. Kockmann, Novel Process Windows, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2015.
[25] Radatz, H; Kühne, K.; Schembecker, G.; Bramsiepe, C. Comparison of Capacity Expansion Strategies for Chemical
Production Plants, Chem. Ing. Tech. 2016, 88, 1216-1217.
[26] Kockmann, N.; Gottsponer, M.; Roberge, D.M. Scale-up Concept of Single-Channel Microreactors from Process
Development to Industrial Production, Chem. Eng. J. 2011, 167, 718-726.
[27] Holbach, A.; Caliskan, E.; Lee, H.S.; Kockmann, N. Process Intensification in Small Scale Extraction Columns for
Counter-Current Operations, Chem. Eng. & Proc. – PI 2014, 80, 21–28.
[28] Hohmann, L.; Gorny, R.; Klaas, O.; Ahlert, J.; Wohlgemuth, K.; Kockmann, N. Design of a Continuous Tubular
Cooling Crystallizer for Process Development on Lab-scale, Chem. Eng. & Technol, 39(7), 1268-1280.
[29] Kessler, S.; Brüll, L. Neue Produktionskonzepte für die Prozessindustrie erfordern modularisierte Logistiklösungen,
Chem.-Ing.-Tech. 2015, 87, 1240-1245.
[30] Kaczmarek, S.; Mosblech, C.; Lier, S.; ten Hompel, M. Modularisierung und automatische Anordnungsplanung der
Intralogistik für modulare Containeranlagen in der Prozessindustrie, Chem.-Ing.-Tech. 2015, 87 (9), 1246-1257.
[31] Clausen, U.; Langkau, S.; Goedicke, I.; Lier, S. Standort- und Netzwerkplanung für modulare Containeranlagen in
der Prozessindustrie, Chemie Ingenieur Technik 2015, 87 (10), 1365-1372.
[32] Lier, S.; Wörsdörfer, D.; Gesing, J. Business models and product service systems for transformable, modular plants
in the chemical process industry. In Meier, H. (Ed.): Product-Service Integration for Sustainable Solutions, 227-238,
Springer Heidelberg 2013.

30
Authors

Dr. Thomas Bieringer Bayer AG

Dr. Christian Bramsiepe Evonik Technology & Infrastructure GmbH

Dr. Stefan Brand Clariant Produkte (Deutschland) GmbH

Dr. Andreas Brodhagen BASF SE

Dr. Christian Dreiser Clariant Produkte (Deutschland) GmbH

Christoph Fleischer-Trebes Invite GmbH

Prof. Dr. Norbert Kockmann Technische Universität Dortmund

Dr. Stefan Lier Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Dr. Dirk Schmalz Merck KGaA

Dr. Christian Schwede BASF SE

Dr. Armin Schweiger Invite GmbH

Dr. Frank Stenger Evonik Technology & Infrastructure GmbH

31
32
33
DECHEMA
Gesellschaft für Chemische Technik
und Biotechnologie e.V.
Theodor-Heuss Allee 25
60486 Frankfurt am Main
Telefon: 069 7564-0
Telefax: 069 7564-117
E-Mail: [email protected]