process-economics-estimator

name	process-economics-estimator
description	Process economics estimation skill for capital costs, operating costs, and profitability analysis
allowed-tools	["Read","Write","Glob","Grep","Edit","Bash"]
metadata	{"specialization":"chemical-engineering","domain":"science","category":"Process Design","skill-id":"CE-SK-032"}

Process Economics Estimator Skill

Purpose

The Process Economics Estimator Skill performs economic analysis of chemical processes including capital cost estimation, operating cost calculation, and profitability metrics.

Capabilities

• Capital cost estimation (factored, equipment-based)
• Operating cost calculation
• Raw material cost analysis
• Utility cost calculation
• Labor cost estimation
• Depreciation and taxes
• Profitability metrics (NPV, IRR, payback)
• Sensitivity analysis
• Monte Carlo simulation

Usage Guidelines

When to Use

• Evaluating project economics
• Comparing process alternatives
• Supporting investment decisions
• Analyzing sensitivity

Prerequisites

• Equipment list available
• Capacity defined
• Utility requirements known
• Market prices available

Best Practices

• Use appropriate estimation method
• Document all assumptions
• Include contingency
• Perform sensitivity analysis

Process Integration

This skill integrates with:

• Equipment Sizing and Specification
• Process Flow Diagram Development
• Separation Sequence Synthesis

Configuration

process-economics-estimator:
  estimation-classes:
    - order-of-magnitude
    - study
    - preliminary
    - definitive
  profitability-metrics:
    - NPV
    - IRR
    - payback
    - ROI

Output Artifacts

• Capital cost estimates
• Operating cost analyses
• Cash flow projections
• Profitability analyses
• Sensitivity charts