Instructor

Dr. Peter Parker 
A221 CEAS 
Phone: 276-3519
e-mail: peter.parker@wmich.edu 

Web Info

homepages.wmich.edu/~parkerp 

Laboratory

Monday 2:30 – 5:20   Rm. C 229 
or Wednesday  2:30-5:20   Rm. C227

Office Hours

Tuesday     1:00 – 2:00
Friday        2:00 – 3:00
or by appointment 
(Subject to change --- see my web page for up-to-date information.)

Catalog Description

A laboratory course covering usage and application of process simulation packages; module setup, data inputting and constraint matching techniques.

Objectives:

1. Learn to use AspenPlus or ChemCad for modeling steady state chemical processes.
2. Be able to take a process flow diagram and convert it to a simulation flowsheet, including specification of physical properties, required inputs, and tear streams.
3. Be able to develop a full material and energy balance for the simulated process, perform sensitivity analyses on various operating parameters, and interpret the results.
4. Explore the use of simulation for modeling unsteady state processes.

Topics

1. Flowsheet simulation principles
2. Physical property estimation
3. Documentation of simulation work
4. Recycle flows, tear streams and convergence
5. Convergence methods
6. Simulation of transient processes

Text

There is no text for the course. I will draw heavily on the simulator documentation.   The text "Process Design Principles" by W. D. Seader, J. D. Seider, and D. R. Lewin ( John Wiley, 1999.) has an excellent CD ROM that may be borrowed. I only have two copies of the CD, so borrowing may be limited. 

Course Administration

Most laboratory exercises will require submission of a valid and documented simulator simulation file (in *.bkp format for Aspen and  *.cc6 format for ChemCad) AND a short memo with a summary of the results and answers to questions given in the exercise description.

Evaluation

Completed simulations –        50%
Reports                        –          50%

Note: All written material will be graded for both technical content and "form", which includes style, spelling, and grammar. 

Grading Scale
(tentative)

A     92 –100 %      AB   88 – 91       B  80 – 87
BC   76 – 79           C     69 – 75        CD 65 – 68
D 55 – 64                E     < 55

 Learning Outcomes

Students will demonstrate skills in the use of process simulation by modeling several process flowsheets and interpreting the results.

Students will demonstrate an ability to read a word description of a process and determine the appropriate components and physical property relationships to be used in the simulation
Students will demonstrate an ability to take a process flow diagram and determine inputs,  tear streams and necessary operating parameters.
Students will demonstrate skills in constraint matching by specifying appropriate design constraints and implementing these in the simulaltion.
Students will demonstrate a basic knowledge of dynamic processes by being able to convert a simple steady state process into an appropriate transient model.

Written reports will be grammatically correct and in an appropriate form. Clarity of expression will be paramount.

Work Ethic

Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated. All students are expected to comply with the WMU code of ethics as defined in the undergraduate catalog [http://catalog.wmich.edu/content.php?catoid=7&page=09_students_rights_and_responsibilties.html]. Failure to follow these rules is cheating. Anyone found cheating will be given a failing grade in the course as well as being subject to Departmental and University actions.

A note on flow sheet documentation

It is tempting to just submit flow sheets and tabular data when describing a simulation problem.  However, it is necessary that you also include parameters used in the various process models and, importantly, what physical property package you used.  In more advanced simulation work, you would also need to document any changes to the physical property package.  
That is, documentation of a simulation result must include sufficient information that someone else could rebuild your simulation and obtain your results.

Review syllabus
Introduce process simulation
Introduce simulator GUI
Introduce simple units (mixer, flash, etc.)
Setup and run simple methanol / water flash tank

2nd Week
Sept .16 & 21

Introduce physical properties
Setup and run simple steam flash tank
Generation of Txy diagrams
Simple reactor model

3rd Week
Sept. 23 & 28

More physical properties
Plotting of physical properties
Distillation Columns

4th Week
Sept.  39; Oct. 5

Reports
Process Specification / Design Constraints
                Accessing variables
                Writing specifications

5th Week
Oct. 7 & 12

Develop / execute the cumene flowsheet
Sensitivity Studies

6th Week
Oct. 14 &19

The theory of process simulation
                Recycle
                Tear streams
Convergence algorithms

7th Week
Oct. 21 & 26

Problem 3.7 pg. 108 Seider,  Seader & Lewin

8th Week
Oct. 28 & Nov. 2

Problem 3.9 pg. 108 Seider ,  Seader & Lewin

9th Week
 Nov. 4 & 9

Distillation

10th Week
Nov. 11 & 16

Advanced Reactor Models

11th Week
Nov. 18 & 23

Advanced Distillation

12th Week
Nov. 25

No Class – Thanksgiving break

13th Week
Dec. 7 & 9

Unsteady State Simulation