(707a) How Much Does My Pilot Plant Cost?

Completion of a pilot plant project is a critical step in the process of scaling up and commercializing new technologies, trouble shooting problems in existing operations, and testing newer more efficient configurations. Most senior managers understand the importance of the pilot and demonstration steps, so the necessity for this essential research and development work is rarely challenged. However, after the need to build a pilot plant has been identified, project managers and engineers are given the task of developing a budget for the project before important details have been understood. This is an important step in the overall progression of the project, since a hastily designed budget will lead to financial strain that sets the stage for poor decisions in the future. Managers can become overwhelmed with many too many factors to consider in sufficient depth within the available time assigned. Zeton will address this issue by discussing the key factors that should be taken into account while setting an early budget with limited time and information.