Engineering Procedure

SAEP-72 15 February 2016

Plot Plan Development and Control for Onshore Facilities
Document Responsibility: Facilities Planning Standards Committee

Contents
1 Scope.............................................................. 2
2 Conflicts and Deviations.................................. 2
3 Applicable Documents.................................... 3
4 Acronyms and Definitions................................3
5 Requirements for Plot Plan Development....... 5
5.1 Considerations.............................................. 5
5.1.1 Safety................................................. 5
5.1.2 Cost.................................................... 5
5.1.3 Operations.......................................... 6
5.1.4 Maintenance....................................... 6
5.1.5 Construction....................................... 7
5.2 Constraints.................................................... 7
5.3 Development Cycle....................................... 8
6 Instructions for Plot Plan
Development Process............................. 9
7 Roles and Responsibilities............................ 11

Previous Issue: New Next Planned Update: 15 February 2019

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Contact: Al-Muslim, Husain Muhammad (musallhm) on +966-13-8804667

Copyright©Saudi Aramco 2016. All rights reserved.

Document Responsibility: Facilities Planning Standards Committee SAEP-72
Issue Date: 15 February 2016
Next Planned Update: 15 February 2019 Plot Plan Development and Control for Onshore Facilities

1 Scope

1.1 This document specifies instructions and requirements for plot plan
development and control for onshore facilities.

1.2 This document is applicable both for new sites as well as for modifications or
expansions of existing sites.

1.3 This document shall be used with projects using the Capital Management System
(CMS) detailed in the Front End Loading (FEL) Manual. This document is
applicable to all project types A, B, C as defined in the FEL Manual.

1.4 Use of this document shall be complemented with relevant Mandatory Saudi
Aramco Engineering Requirements that address spacing and layout of facilities.

1.5 The procedure includes:

 Plot plan development process.
 General considerations for plot plan developments.

1.6 The procedure excludes:

 General equipment arrangements.

2 Conflicts and Deviations

2.1 Any conflicts between this procedure and other applicable Saudi Aramco
Engineering Procedures, Engineering Standards (SAESs), Materials System
Specifications (SAMSSs), Standard Drawings (SASDs), or industry standards,
codes, and forms shall be resolved in writing by the Company or Buyer
Representative through the Manager, Consulting Services Department of Saudi
Aramco, Dhahran.

2.2 Direct all requests to deviate from this procedure in writing to the Company or
Buyer Representative, who shall follow internal company procedure SAEP-302
and forward such requests to the Manager, Consulting Services Department of
Saudi Aramco, Dhahran.

2.3 Exceeding the requirements of this procedure and/or deviation beyond the
Design Basis Scoping Paper (DBSP) phase shall be directed for approval by the
Manager of Facilities Planning Department.

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Document Responsibility: Facilities Planning Standards Committee SAEP-72
Issue Date: 15 February 2016
Next Planned Update: 15 February 2019 Plot Plan Development and Control for Onshore Facilities

3 Applicable Documents

The following applicable documents shall be consulted to be in compliance with this

procedure.

3.1 Saudi Aramco References

Saudi Aramco Engineering Procedures

SAEP-14 Project Proposal
SAEP-25 Estimate Preparation Guidelines
SAEP-40 Value Assurance Process
SAEP-302 Instructions for Obtaining a Waiver of a Mandatory
Saudi Aramco Engineering Requirement
SAEP-367 Value Improving Practices Requirements
SAEP-503 Assets’ Sparing Requirements and Guidelines
SAEP-1350 Design Basis Scoping Paper (DBSP) Preparation
and Revision Procedure

Saudi Aramco Engineering Standards

SAES-B-005 Spacing and Diking for Atmospheric and Low-
Pressure Tanks
SAES-B-054 Access, Egress, and Materials Handling for Plant
Facilities
SAES-B-055 Plant Layout
SAES-O-202 Security Fencing

Saudi Aramco Engineering Manual

Front End Loading (FEL) Manual

4 Acronyms and Definitions

4.1 Acronyms
DBSP Design Basis Scoping Paper
FEL Front End Loading
GK Gate Keeper
HAZOP Hazard and Operability

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Document Responsibility: Facilities Planning Standards Committee SAEP-72
Issue Date: 15 February 2016
Next Planned Update: 15 February 2019 Plot Plan Development and Control for Onshore Facilities

IPT Integrated Project Team

P&ID Piping and Instrument Diagram
PHA Preliminary Hazardous Analysis
PS Project Sponsor
RAM Reliability, Availability and Maintainability
VAR Value Assurance Review

4.2 Definitions

Block Plot Plan: Identified plot area with boundaries that does not show details.

Mechanical General Arrangement: Spatial arrangement of equipment within

unit boundaries.

Overall Plot Plan: Spatial arrangement of all onsite units, off-site units,
buildings, roads, fences and gates.

Plant: Collection of units that make an operating entity.

Plant Buildings: Permanent buildings inside an industrial facility or service

buildings which directly support plant operations, such as control rooms,
communications facilities, centralized computer facilities, and electrical substations.

Unit: Several pieces of equipment that can operate independently.

Unit Plot Plan: Spatial arrangement of individual units within the plant boundary.

Definitions of FEL Terms

Front End Loading (FEL): A process that organizes the project life cycle into
phases, each with defined activities, deliverables and specific objectives. FEL is
applicable for all projects that apply Capital Management System (CMS).
For more details, refer to Front End Loading Manual.

Gatekeeper (GK): A member of planning management who verifies the level of

development of the project’s deliverables and their readiness at the end of each
project phase. The gatekeeper is the Secretary of the Decision Making Committee
(Refer to FEL Manual for definition).

Integrated Project Team (IPT): IPT is a temporary project team, formed from
needed functional Departments under a unified leadership (Project Leader),
sharing same objectives and steered by the Project Sponsor. The IPT members
represent the various functions of the Company and work within the team
coherently and responsively.

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Document Responsibility: Facilities Planning Standards Committee SAEP-72
Issue Date: 15 February 2016
Next Planned Update: 15 February 2019 Plot Plan Development and Control for Onshore Facilities

Project Sponsor (PS): A member of the project proponent management, who

is accountable for meeting project objectives and steering the IPT towards
maximizing investment value. The Project Sponsor provides a single point of
accountability throughout the lifecycle of a project, and drives trade-offs
between operability, cost and schedule.

RAPID®: (Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input, Decide) is a methodology that

clarifies roles and responsibilities in the work process related to the development of
the deliverable.

Value Assurance Review (VAR): An independent review, performed by a

team of specialists examining all aspects of a project which aims to ensure that
the project maintains or improves its value, identifying projects weaknesses and
providing mitigation plans as appropriate as per SAEP-40.

5 Requirements for Plot Plan Development

The development of the plot plans shall involve multi-disciplinary teams from both
Saudi Aramco and the engineering contractor, and requires close co-ordination between
the various disciplines involved in the design under the leadership of the IPT.

5.1 Considerations

The overall plot plan and unit plot plans shall be developed to provide the most
cost-effective layout without compromising safety, environment, and security,
and in compliance with process, maintenance, operation, and construction
requirements. The following should be particularly considered:

5.1.1 Safety

Minimum spacing for initial plot plans shall be as per SAES-B-005

and SAES-B-055.

Plant and equipment layout shall ensure safe means of access and egress
as per SAES-B-054.

5.1.2 Cost
 Spacing exceeding the minimum spacing requirements shall only be
provided based on the results of relevant FEL deliverables.
 The facility shall be set-up such that the product flow is logical with
respect to process flow and pipe lengths are kept to the minimum.
The product storage area should be optimally located to allow flow
of products to and from storage tanks with optimum pipe lengths.

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Document Responsibility: Facilities Planning Standards Committee SAEP-72
Issue Date: 15 February 2016
Next Planned Update: 15 February 2019 Plot Plan Development and Control for Onshore Facilities

 For licensed units, a typical plot plan by the licensor for similar units
shall be delivered to Saudi Aramco. The recommended licensor plot
plan shall be incorporated in the overall plot plan without major
changes unless necessary.
 Pipe routing shall be optimized, and the length of interconnecting
piping and the number of supporting structures shall be minimized.
 Plot plans shall be measured as project phases progress and compared
to the plot plans developed in the earlier phases. At a minimum, the
following shall be measured:

Measure Measurement Phases Baseline Phase

Overall plot plan area DBSP, Project Proposal Study
Unit plot plan areas DBSP, Project Proposal Study
Length of main pipe
Project Proposal DBSP
racks or pipe sleepers
Length of roads Project Proposal DBSP

5.1.3 Operations
 The arrangement of equipment, instruments and controls (in terms of
location, orientation, spacing and clearances) shall support safe,
effective and efficient human intervention on operations tasks.
Specific requirements for Access, Egress, and Materials Handling for
Plant Facilities are given in SAES-B-054.
 Operation considerations that lead to major changes in plot plans
shall be presented explicitly in the plot plan deliverable for the VAR
Team review no later than the FEL2/DBSP phase. Changes shall
only be approved by the PS.

5.1.4 Maintenance
 The arrangement of equipment, instruments and controls (in terms of
location, orientation, spacing and clearances) shall support safe,
effective and efficient human performance on maintenance tasks.
Specific requirements for Access, Egress, and Materials Handling for
Plant Facilities are given in SAES-B-054.
 Maintenance task requirements and criticalities for all equipment
shall be defined clearly in the Design for Maintainability Report.
These requirements shall be incorporated in the overall plot plan, unit
plot plans and mechanical general arrangement.

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Document Responsibility: Facilities Planning Standards Committee SAEP-72
Issue Date: 15 February 2016
Next Planned Update: 15 February 2019 Plot Plan Development and Control for Onshore Facilities

 Maintenance scenarios that require removal of heavy equipment

while the plan is operational shall be minimized.
 Different alternatives for removal of heavy equipment such as use of
forklift, cranes, hoist monorails shall be evaluated to select the most
economical option.
 Maintenance considerations that lead to major changes in plot plans
shall be presented explicitly in the plot plan deliverable for the VAR
Team review no later than the FEL2/DBSP phase. Changes shall be
approved by the PS.

5.1.5 Construction
 Construction philosophy shall be evaluated in the FEL2/DBSP phase
of the project to select between field erection vs. shop erection
(modularized) construction. The selection and its basis shall be
documented in the constructability review report.
 The plot plans shall be designed for adequate access during
construction in line with the construction review report.
 Initial plots plans, preferably CAD/3D, shall be prepared before for
the constructability review workshop, and it shall be updated based
on the workshop results.

5.2 Constraints

The following site constraints shall be clearly established in the overall plot plan:
 Available plot area per the approved Land Use Permit (LUP)
 Obstruction on site, e.g., buried pipelines and utilities, overhead power lines
 Soil conditions
 Site level
 Feedstock supply and product route
 Environmental impact
 Site boundary and service parameters
 Main and public roads
 Nearby water ports
 Pipeline routes
 Process and construction water supplies

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Document Responsibility: Facilities Planning Standards Committee SAEP-72
Issue Date: 15 February 2016
Next Planned Update: 15 February 2019 Plot Plan Development and Control for Onshore Facilities

 Electrical power supply

o Future expansion
o Lay-down areas
o Construction areas/facilities including temporary offices/camps for Saudi
Aramco and contractors
 Distances to other facilities, e.g., industrial areas, residential areas, airports, etc.
 Security and security fencing as per SAES-O-202
 Flare radiation
 Radiation pits
 Prevailing wind direction

5.3 Development Cycle

The plot plan development activities shall be carried out during a project
development cycle in five phases: Initiation, Business Case, Study, DBSP,
Project Proposal, and Finalized as shown in Figure 1.

 Develop initial  Evaluate plot  Develop plot  Coordinate

overall plot plan options plan schedule with FEL
plan  Benchmark  Coordinate updated
 Check plot plans with FEL studies
feasibility studies  Measure cost
 Milestone: variation
Freeze overal  Milestone:
plot plan Freeze unit
plot plans

Figure 1 - Overall Plot Plan Development Process

For a summary of the roles and responsibilities of the plot plan development,
see Section 7.

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Document Responsibility: Facilities Planning Standards Committee SAEP-72
Issue Date: 15 February 2016
Next Planned Update: 15 February 2019 Plot Plan Development and Control for Onshore Facilities

6 Instructions for Plot Plan Development Process

FEL1/Business Case Phase

1. The IPT shall create the overall plot plan with unit block plot plans. The overall
plot plan shall have sufficient details to check the feasibility of the project and to
prepare a business case cost estimate. Preparation of the cost estimate shall be as
per SAEP-25.
Note: This is especially important if there are major constraints in the overall plot area,
e.g., expansion of the existing facility.

FEL2/Study Phase
2. The IPT shall develop the overall plot plan and unit plot plans so they have
sufficient details to issue the Project Scoping Paper (PSP), and to prepare a study
case cost estimate. Preparation of the cost estimate shall be as per SAEP-25.
3. The IPT shall benchmark the plot plan spatial allotments of the facilities in the
project to facilities of similar nature and size already existing in Saudi Aramco, its
joint ventures, or other major oil and gas companies.
4. The IPT shall provide a minimum of two overall plot plans with the advantages and
disadvantages of each outlined to the PS.
5. The PS shall initiate a review of the plot plans by the VAR Team and present the
results to the GK to decide on the optimal plot plan.
Note: The reviews, e.g., by layout drawings and/or 3D-CAD model reviews shall use a
structured and auditable assessment methodology, which ensures that the
requirements of other disciplines have been incorporated in the design.

FEL2/DBSP Phase
6. The IPT shall incorporate the plot plans development schedule into the project
schedule. The schedule shall specify when the overall plot plan, the unit plot plans,
and the mechanical general arrangement will be delivered during each phase of the
project development cycle. Designate milestones to freeze the overall plot plan at
the end of FEL2/DBSP and to freeze the unit plot plans at the end of FEL3.
Ensure that the schedule allows time for relevant FEL studies and workshops
such as the Building Risk Assessment, Fire Risk Assessment, Constructability
Review, Value Engineering (as per SAEP-367), Reliability, and Availability &
Maintainability (RAM) (see Figure 2).
Note: The RAM study shall validate the redundancy requirements stipulated by
SAEP-503 Assets’ Sparing Requirements and Guidelines.

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Document Responsibility: Facilities Planning Standards Committee SAEP-72
Issue Date: 15 February 2016
Next Planned Update: 15 February 2019 Plot Plan Development and Control for Onshore Facilities

Figure 2 - FEL Deliverables Relevant to Plot Plans Development

7. The IPT shall develop the plot plans as information becomes available from P&ID
developments, equipment sizing, licensor and vendor inputs, etc. The plot plans
developed at the end of the FEL2/DBSP shall have sufficient details to freeze the
overall plot plan and prepare the DBSP cost estimate. Preparation of the cost
estimate shall be as per SAEP-25.
8. The IPT shall update the plot plans after relevant FEL studies have been conducted.
9. The PS shall initiate a formal review by the VAR Team at the end of the
FEL2/DBSP and present the results to the GK in order to freeze the overall plot plan.

FEL3/Project Proposal Phase

10. The IPT shall develop the unit plot plans as information becomes available from
P&ID developments, equipment sizing, licensor and vendor inputs, etc., to be part
of the project proposal deliverables as per SAEP-14. The focus will be on the unit
plans as the overall plot plan is frozen by the end of the FEL2/DBSP phase.
The unit plot plans developed at the end of the FEL3 shall have all details to freeze
the unit plot plans and prepare the final cost estimate. Preparation of the cost
estimate shall be as per SAEP-25.

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Document Responsibility: Facilities Planning Standards Committee SAEP-72
Issue Date: 15 February 2016
Next Planned Update: 15 February 2019 Plot Plan Development and Control for Onshore Facilities

If the plot plan developed at the end of FEL3 increase as measured in accordance to
the cost considerations (5.1.2). The IPT leader shall provide a written explanation to
the PS. The PS shall initiate a specific Assurance Review of the increase in the plot
plan by the VAR Team. The PS shall include the explanation of the plot plan
changes and the outcome of the VAR Team review in the briefing to the GK.
11. The IPT shall update the unit plot plans after relevant FEL studies have been
conducted.
Commentary Note:

Most of the studies conducted in the FEL2/DBSP Phase, such as constructability,

design for maintainability, value engineering, etc., are updated in the Project
Proposal Phase as more details become available from the engineering contractor,
licensors and vendors.

12. The PS shall initiate a formal review by the VAR Team at the end of the FEL 3 and
present the results to the GK.

7 Roles and Responsibilities

Table 1 lists the responsibilities of persons and teams involved with plot plan
development in a RAPID® matrix (Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input, Decide).

Table 1 - Roles and Responsibility of Plot Plan Development

Responsibility IPT GK VAR PS
Business case phase
Develop initial overall plot plan P D
Check feasibility P D
Study phase
Evaluate plot plan options P R A/I D
Benchmark plot plans P I
DBSP phase
Develop plot plan schedule P/D I
Coordinate with FEL studies P I
Finalize overall plot plans P R A/I D
Project Proposal/Finalize FEL Phase
Coordinate with FEL updated studies P I
Measure plot plans cost variation P I
Finalize unit plot plans P R A/I D

Revision Summary
15 February 2016 New Saudi Aramco Engineering Procedure to address Strategy Council Engagement Actions
supporting Capital Efficiency Implementation Consortium.

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