Process Simulation (Steady and Dynamic)
Today’s diversity in the production of various commodity chemicals and continuous change in the market demand, energy source prices, and environmental regulations dictate improving and debottelnecking of existing chemical plants and revising the existing processes (licences) to meet the dynamic demand of market.
Process simulation tools are useful for synthesizing new processes and performing initial H&M balances and optimizing the design during Front End Engineering Design stage. Steady process simulation will help you to obtain reasonable information in each of these stages. They also are powerful tools for troubleshooting, debottelnecking, and optimizing the existing plants to obtain improved capacity and better product quality.
During process synthesis and optimization several steps involve: H&M balances, hydraulic and sizing calculations, testing various process scenarios, mass and heat integration. Using process simulators will reduce the cost of these stages and provide useful information to evaluate various designs.
Dynamic simulation of a process can also be implemented to find control strategies for start-up, shut-down and normal operation condition of the plant. This simulation can be used for tuning of controllers as provide powerful tools for this purpose. The dynamic process simulation in the design process can also be integrated into an Operator Training System (OTS), enabling field and DCS operators to be trained in a virtual plant environment so that they could get up to speed immediately after the commissioning of the new plant.
Aspen Plus and Aspen Hysys and other packages that accompany them, are well established and reliable tools in this regard. They usually contain normal process modules for regular processes. Programming capabilities that are embedded in their architecture enables us to extend these packages beyond what they normally provide. We use this capability to develop new processing units; especially for reactors with non-ideal flow conditions, as they actually exist in the real plant.