Chapter 3 Getting Started Tutorial

In this chapter, we will walk you through the basic steps required to simulate process flow sheets within Dynsim.

What You'll Learn In This Tutorial

We will show you how to accomplish these tasks as described below: 1. Starting Dynsim. 2. Creating a New Simulation. 3. Setting up a Simulation. 4. Executing the Simulation. 5. Interpret the results generated during this simulation.

Starting Dynsim
After you install the program, a Dynsim starter icon is displayed on your desktop. You may use this icon to start the program or follow the steps given below: 1. Start Dynsim by clicking on Start/ Programs/SIMSCI and selecting the Dynsim icon.

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2. This brings up the Dynsim splash screen. Youll be prompted for a Username and Password. Use simsci for both the username and password and launch the application by clicking on Login.

Dynsim Login Screen

Creating a New Simulation

Once the user has logged into the Dynsim session, you now need to create a new simulation. The steps are as follows: 1. Under the File menu select New and Simulation. The New Simulation dialog box will appear and prompt the user for a simulation name.

New Simulation Dialog Box 2. Use ReverseFlow as the simulation name and Click OK.

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The simulation name must not contain spaces or symbols 3. The simulation will be created in a default user directory (C:\Documents and Settings\<User Name> \My Documents\SIM4ME40\ Reverse Flow.s4m).

Data Input Conventions

The Dynsim Graphical User Interface distinguishes the input data as follows: Required The user must enter data in order to run the simulation. Without a valid entry, the input for the simulation is incomplete and an error message will be displayed if the simulation is executed. The default color for this type is red. The default value is usually a good estimate and a value that is commonly used for that parameter. The value may be overridden if desired. The default color for this type is green. Indicates a value that is not realistic and might produce erroneous results. The default color for this type is yellow. Data, which is not explicitly required by Dynsim for its execution. A Colorless cell is used for this type of data. A Colorless cell also means that the required or default data has been modified.

Default

Caution

Optional

Tab Status Indication

Any data in the data fields of the DEW of an individual object is validated and the status is indicated for the individual tabs. The DEW uses the following to indicate the status of input data, as follows: Valid Data Entry of valid data in all the data fields of an individual tab of a DEW. Any default data (green data field) or optional data
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(colorless data field) are also considered as valid and the status is indicated by . Invalid Data Any required data (red data field) or data, which is not realistic (yellow data field) in any of the cells of a DEW, is considered invalid and the status is indicated by .

Setting up a Simulation
The Dynsim interface has been designed to incorporate many of the features that are built in the PRO/II GUI. Hence, similar to a PRO/II simulation, the user can follow a series of steps to setup a simulation. They are detailed as below: 1. Define the Units of Measure (UOM). 2. Select components and define component slates. 3. Specify a thermodynamic method. 4. Configure the flow sheet objects. 5. Connect the objects through relevant streams. Once the above steps are accomplished the user will run the simulation and monitor the dynamic behavior of the process under study; specifically on how to model reverse flow through a valve. This simple example illustrates the fact the Dynsim is well equipped with a state of the art pressure-flow solver, critical for modeling more complex unit operations such a distillation columns with precision. The steps to fix up the parameters are enumerated below.

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Step 1: Define the Units of Measure (UOM)

1. Click on the UOM icon box as indicated below. , which will display the Units of Measure dialog

UOM Dialog Box 2. The user has the option to either chose from the predefined UOM list. 3. Alternatively, you have also got the flexibility to define a custom UOM by clicking on the New Slate button. Hence, for any specific class the user can define a custom unit of measure or utilize the default unit available. For this particular example we will be using the SI UOM list. Click OK once the option has been selected.

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Step 2: Select Components and define Component Slates

In this step you will be defining the specific components to be used in the simulation. There is a significant change in approach employed in SIMSCIEsscors related products like PRO/II and ROMeo. In PRO/II, the user selects the components and in doing so defines a single component slate that is used for all of the process units and streams in the simulation. In ROMeo, the user has the ability to create multiple component slates to be used by individual process units as applicable. In contrast, Dynsim employs the more flexible approach to ensure that the computational problem is defined as efficiently as possible. 1. Bring up the Dynsim thermodynamic GUI by clicking on the in the toolbar. Notice that both components and Component icon thermodynamics are displayed in this window. 2. The first tab is titled Library and allows the user to add any of the pure or library components. The user can enter a component by typing the technical name, alias or the chemical formula in the Add Library Component cell and clicking on Add. 3. The user can selectively display components based on the Component Full Name, Alias Name or Formula by clicking on the appropriate sort column and entering characters in the Filter box at the lower right.

By default, only the most commonly used components are listed. Additional components can be exhibited by selecting a different Component Family (located above the filter box).

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Components & Thermodynamics Slate Dialog Box Similar to PRO/II, if you wish to define a Petro component, a minimum of two physical properties among the listed parameters below must be defined: Boiling Point Density Molecular Weight

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Defining Petro Component Properties The next stage is to define the component slates. A component slate can consist of a few select components (e.g. in the case of a cooling water stream there might only be one - water). The primary objective is that when Dynsim performs property or equilibrium calculations, for instance a drum or separator, it only needs to consider those components defined in the component slate and not all the components defined for the entire simulation. This will enable faster computational speed, especially for simulations containing a large number of components. 1. Click on the Slate tab wherein the New Component Slate box appears at the left-hand corner of the application. The screen appears as shown below.

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Fixing up a Component Slate 2. Create a new component slate by typing PROCESS in the above box and then click the Add button. 3. Drag and drop Ethane, Ethylene, isoButane and Propane from the Selected Components list to the Components in Slate list. 4. Users have the flexibility to define as many slates as per their requirements. However, you must first define a component in the Selected Components list before it can be added to any given slate.

Since the interface applications are configured in Java, it will be possible for the user to drag and drop multiple components by selecting marginally outside the icon of one of the selected components.

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Step 3: Define a Thermodynamic Method

Once the component slate is defined, the next step is to specify a suitable thermodynamic method. The sequence of operation is as follows: 1. Click on the Method tab. In the New Method Slate cell, enter SRK and click Add. 2. Now expand the Thermodynamic Data tree against SRK created by you and observe the available methods for equilibrium, enthalpy, entropy, and density calculations by right clicking with the mouse.

Selection of a Thermodynamic Method 3. Choose the appropriate equation of state method as per the simulation requirements. For this particular simulation, the components selected comprise of light hydrocarbons and hence an equation of state method
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such as Soave-Redlich-Kwong or Peng-Robinson would be suitable. Once the selection is made, click OK to save and Close the Component and Thermodynamic Data Entry Window.

Step 4: Lay Down Models

Once the above step has been completed in all aspects the user is now faced with a blank canvas. To start configuring the flow sheet, the user needs to select the appropriate models. You have the option to choose from one of two methods for adding objects to the flow sheet. . This appears 1. The first method is through selecting the Palette icon on the main toolbar and can also be accessed by clicking on the View menu and selecting it there. Upon selection, a floating Icon Palette similar to the PFD Palette found in PRO/II appears. You can now select streams, equipment models, or other configurations to lay down on the flow sheet. 2. Alternatively, the user can select the Types tree on the bottom left hand corner of the screen. The Types tree contains a complete list of the entire model Libraries in Dynsim including Primitives, Widgets, References, Connectors, Points, Base Equipment, Controls, Electrical Grid, and utilities.

The Icon Palette contains only a subset of the most common models present in Dynsim. If a particular unit operation is not listed on the icon palette the user is instructed to locate the same in the Types tree. 3. From the Icon Palette, select a Source and fix it on the Flow sheet. 4. Now Double Click on the source icon or Right click and select Data
Entry . This will exhibit a Data Entry window through which the user can configure the source.

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The default action on a double click depends on the state of the flow sheet. For example, when running a simulation, double clicking on a valve brings up a slider, which allows you to manipulate the valve position. All options are always available through the right mouse click menu.

Configuring a Flow Sheet Remember that if you select the Edit option, the Object Editor Viewer (OEV) window pops-up. This window contains a comprehensive set of all the parameters associated with this model.

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Normally it is expected that only expert users will configure models using the OEV interface. Enter the following data: Elevation: Pressure: Temperature: 6.096 m 3350 kPa 395 K

Until you select the Thermo tab and select the Process slate, the Boundary Condition tab will display all the components selected for the simulation. After you have selected the PROCESS slate and fixed SRK as the thermodynamic method, go back to the Boundary Condition tab. Enter the following data: Ethane: Ethylene: iButane: Propane: 2 3 2 4 kg-mol kg-mol kg-mol kg-mol

Now you will observe that the Process slate composition is displayed. Notice that this data is pertaining to the composition data and that you are entering values, which will be normalized to determine the stream composition. The flow is a calculated value, which is dependant on the pressure network.

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Process Slate Composition 5. After clicking OK for the Source, Select a valve and sink and place them on the flow sheet. 6. To increase the canvas area, select the View menu, Click on Change Toolbars and choose Abbreviated. Notice that in addition to Abbreviated there are four other options under Change Toolbars. Each of these options refers to a specific user profile. 7. Administrator ensures that all Dynsims options are displayed. Operator, Instructor and Engineer configures the toolbar to suit a specific user profile. For example, an engineer might need to edit and modify a simulation. However, it might not be the case for an operator training on a particular Dynsim simulation. These options indicate that Dynsim is not limited to
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engineering studies alone. Apparently, its also utilized for Operator Training Applications (OTS) in which the operator, the instructor, and the engineer use a single integrated modeling environment. 8. Next enter the following information as exhibited in the screen below for the Valve model. As in the case of the Source, the Thermo method is SRK and the component slate is Process. For the Sink model, the pressure is fixed at 200 kPa.

Valve Model Configuration

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Step 5: Connect the Flow sheet Objects Using Appropriate Streams

The next step in building the simulation is to connect the flow sheet objects using the appropriate streams. For the purpose of simplicity only the process streams are considered for this example. However, there are other stream types available in Dynsim as indicated in the table below. These include: Stream Type Description Used for connecting unit operations from the base equipment library. Represents compositional streams. Used for linking utility exchangers to equipment models that can have a heat duty associated with them. E.g. Distillation Column, Separator, etc. Used to associate a motor or expander to a pump or compressor. It can also link to a motor, expander, pump, and compressor to a shaft so that all equipment operates at the same speed. Used for interconnecting objects from the electrical library. Used to connect model parameters to each other, e.g. a process variable to a controller or a controller output to a valve open command. Classification of Streams

Process Stream

Heat Stream

Mechanical Stream

Electrical Stream

Connectors

In Dynsim as in Pro/II, valid port locations are highlighted in red (required) and green (optional).

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Connec ting Flow Sheet Objects and Streams

Step 6: Executing the Simulation

Once the selected simulation is complete in all aspects the user to run the simulation can adopt the following instructions. , to initiate the simulation engine. This 1. Click the Start button, causes Dynsim to start the simulation and leave it in a frozen state. 2. To run the simulation the user should click on the Run button, .

Controlling a Simulation 3. Finally with the simulation running the user can begin to examine the dynamic behavior of the system. For example to monitor the flow rate through the valve, select a Flow Rate Indicator from the References library on the Types tree. Place this on the canvas just below the valve. When prompted for a name, enter the stream name that needs to be tracked, in this case S2. A green arrow denotes a positive flow rate in the direction specified by the stream. A red arrow denotes reverse flow.

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Dynamic Simulation Features 4. Double click on the valve flow sheet icon. The Operate Valve window will pop-up. This allows the user to adjust the valve position using a Slider. Set the position to 100% open. Notice that the Flow Rate Initiator indicates a positive flow rate in the direction of flow specified by the user (green arrow). Under ideal conditions, you would wish to have the flexibility to modify the boundary condition of the sink (i.e. its pressure) without having to edit the parameter in the tabbed dialogue window. Dynsim allows you to drop a Slider on the canvas and link it to flow sheet parameters such as a sink pressure. Hence, in this mode you have the option to easily alter the sink pressure and see how it affects the flow though the valve.

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5. Select a Slider from the Widgets library on the Types tree. Locate it on the canvas. Right click with the mouse and select Draw Attributes. For Point Name, select SNK1.PB, which is the name of the Sink followed by the parameter you opt to control. The Maximum /Minimum ranges for the slider are set to 5,000 and 500 kPa respectively, and the orientation is set to vertical.

Modification of Boundary Conditions

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6. Before varying this parameter (Sink Pressure Boundary) remotely, the user must first change its designation from static to dynamic. To do this highlight the Sink, right click on it and select, Edit . This exhibits the OEV interface, which allows the user to edit any variable associated with this model.

Static To Dynamic Condition Changeover 7. The user can now alter the pressure of the Sink by varying the pointer on the slider. To track the exact value of the pressure at the sink at a specific point of time, the user can select a Point from the References library on the Types tree. Locating the Point on the canvas next to the Sink, the user is prompted for a name. Now enter the name as SNK1.PB and observe that the sink pressure appears in blue. 8. Alternatively, try to induce reverse flow in the model. Start increasing the pressure at the sink (SNK1) by adjusting the position of the pointer on the vertical slider on the left hand side of the flow sheet. Remember you have already linked this slider to set the boundary pressure at the sink. The higher the pressure at the sink, the smaller the flow rate across the valve. Eventually, a point is reached where the pressure at the sink is high, that it results in reverse flow.

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Reverse Flow in a Valve 9. To complete the demo, select a Rectangle from the Primitives library on the Types tree. Draw a rectangle around the slider, right click, select Draw Attributes and choose a fill color. To summarize, the ultimate step illustrates the flexibility available to the users to customize the flow sheet graphics according to their requirements.

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Customization of a Flow Sheet

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