start.docx

This course is a series of one lecture and 3 tutorials with an assignment which is set at the end of the course.

Lecture in Room BIO-E102  Uni week 7 (Term Week 2 ) Tuesday 6th Oct, 2-3pm

Tutorial available on WebCT, week before tutorial

Tutorial 1. Computer cluster ChE 217A   Uni week 8 (Term Week 3) - Monday 12th Oct  2-4pm
Basics of Pro/II:- how to draw a flowsheet and specify models for physical properties

Tutorial 2. Computer cluster ChE 217A    Uni Week 9 (Term Week 4) -  Monday 19th Oct 2-4pm
Flowsheeting on a block diagram - reactor with recycle.

Tutorial 3. Computer cluster ChE 217A  Uni Week 11 (Term  Week 6) -  Monday 2nd Nov  2-4pm
Correct way to define physical property models
Help Pro/II to find the correct answer

Tutorial 4 & 5. Computer Cluster ChE 217A Uni Weeks 12 & 13 ( Term Weeks 7 & 8) Monday 9th Nov & 16th Nov, 2-4pm)
For assignment work - unmanned – PCs kept free until 2.10pm then available for anyone to use

To be announced after tutorial 3 on WebCT
Coursework hand-in time is  15:00 (3pm) Thursday 19th Nov to Reception
Pro/II file with required assignment name and run-files left in folder ProIIcw in students U: drive

Course deliverer:- Mr Roberts; a.b.roberts@bham.ac.uk

Notes from lectures

Flowsheeting Package:- A Process Simulation (Modelling) program that provides steady state mass and energy balances over units and processes.

Flowsheeting packages have databanks of component, thermodynamic data generators and process unit mathematical models.

1.      Component library of >1000 compounds e.g chemical formula, critical pressure, critical temperature, free energy of formation, normal boiling point, molecular weight, viscosity (liquid and vapour) thermal conductivity (liquid and vapour)

2.      Data generators of Thermodynamic data: e.g. of phase equilibria K-values; liquid and vapour enthalpies, liquid and vapour entropies, liquid and vapour densities, free energies

3.      Process units : e.g. distillation columns, reactors, heat exchangers, pumps

Generally run under a Microsoft Windows GUI

Ruuning Pro/II.
Create a subfolder on your U: drive (less than 9 alphanumeric characters with no spaces/symbols) for your Pro/II files.
Filenames of Pro/II files should be less than 9 alphanumeric characters with no spaces/symbols.

Pro/II Assignment

1.      To be announced after tutorial 3 at 17:00 on WebCT

2.      Report Coursework hand-in time to Reception – 15:00 (3pm) Thursday 19th November (term Week 8)

3.      Pro/II file with required assignment name left in required ProIIcw folder in students U: drive at 15:00

4.      Intermediate runs left in required folder in U: drive

Scenario: Your manager will ask you to investigate an existing or proposed part of a chemical plant or unit using Pro/II. He will give you 3 to 6 statements/requirements concerning the working of the process/unit. Your job is to provide a single optimum solution and prove or disprove the statements/requirements. You may find that from Pro/II or a mass balance that requirements oppose each other or can’t be achieved anyway

1.      Pro/II can use different set of units:- SI, metric or English (Imperial) Be aware it does allow units to be mixed together. Always check the units of your data entry.

2.      Check the results - Do they make sense? Have some idea of the magnitude and units of the required answers Pro/II sometimes only provides estimated answers. Check the .OUT file – question if no flowrates in stream.

3.      Read instructions carefully, check Webct – you may be given a starter file or instructions how to build the unit/plant

4.      Expect to produce 100 runs or more from Pro/II. See CaseStudy in Tutorial 2 to use a range of values

5.      Each run should be uniquely named – don’t use same file

6.      See Assignment Section 6 when it is released for further requirements.

Assingment report

Further Requirements will appear in the Assignment Section No 6 at the end of Tutorial 3

In preparation for assignment report,  Find out how to:-

1/ Copying Flowsheets
     How to copy Flowsheet diagram without tables from Pro/II and paste into Microsoft Word
     Hint:-  Look at command 'Export' under 'File' Menu

2/ Excel - Charts
    i) What is the difference between ‘Line’ and ‘X/Y Scatter' charts
    ii) How to remove grey background from a plot
    iii) How to modify labelled Axes  (don’t leave labelled just as x-axis, y-axis)
    iv) How to change chart plots to different lines and markers for mono printing.
    v) How to adding extra x/y plot to existing x/y plot.
          In the sequence of commands, in 'Paste Special' window, choose 'Categories (X Values) in First Column'
    vi) How to change name for a plot in the legend

Use question below to 'find out' about charting points above.
Here are outflow tests on two tanks that have the same specification. Plot the tests on one chart - plot one chart and add the second's results to it. Are the characteristics of the tanks the same?

Tank 1
Time, mins        Flowrate, kg/min
5.1                   54.1
12.5                34.1
20.8                45
31.5                78
40                   130
48.3                185.2

Tank 2
Time, mins        Flowrate, kg/min
3                       60
14.5                  35.6
23                     52
34                     88
43.9                  141.5
47                     164

How to draw a flowsheet and specify models for physical properties

Instructions in Word format are below at 2.1

The Pro/II file picnic.prz at 2.2 is only required at the point in the instructions where your own Pro/II file does not function as it should. Don't start the tutorial with this file else you will not learn how to use Pro/II. The file is zipped. Download the picnic.zip file to your U: drive. In computer find the picnic.zip, right click on it and chose 'extract'. Load Pro/II and 'Open' it from within Pro/II.

Tutorial 2. Computer cluster ChE 217A (Monday 22nd Oct 2-4pm)
Flowsheeting on a block diagram - reactor with recycle.
Advanced topic: Adding a case study

Instructions in Word format are below at 3.1
The Pro/II file ammonia.prz at 3.2 is only required at the point in the instructions where your own Pro/II file does not function as it should. Don't start the tutorial with this file else you will not learn how to use Pro/II.
The file ammonia.prz will definitely be needed for the Advanced topic 'Case study' as it contains a case study already set up. The file is zipped. Download the ammonia.zip file to your U: drive. In computer find the ammonia.zip, right click on it and chose 'extract'. Load Pro/II and 'Open' it from within Pro/II.

Please read the article (pdf file) below by Rob Best, ‘Computers: are they always right?’, from The Chemical Engineer (‘tce’), May 2003, pp.40–41

Tutorial 3. Computer cluster ChE 217A (Monday 5th Nov 2-4pm)
Correct way to define physical property models
Help Pro/II to find the correct answer
Advanced topic: Covergence parameters

Instructions in Word format are below at 5.1
The required Pro/II file ammonia-tut3.prz is at 5.2
The required Pro/II file ethanol.prz is at 5.3
Case study: the required Pro/II file flashloop.prz is at 5.4
The Pro/II files are zipped. Download the zipped file to your U: drive. In computer find the zipped file, right click on it and chose 'extract'. Load Pro/II and 'Open' it from within Pro/II.

The following files are only needed if students encounter trouble creating the files
5.5 distill.prz and 5.6 physical_property_methods.prz

The student's report must be handed into Chem-Eng Reception by 15:00 Thursday 19th November. Work individually - the same report submitted by more than one person will receive ZERO marks for all.

The students's optimised Pro/II .prz and Output .out files must be called ProII-eth855percent and must be stored in a folder called ProIIcw  under the top level of their networked U: drive (i.e. the pathname should be U:\ProIIcw\ProII-eth855percent.prz ) by 15:00 Thursday 19th November.
...