Getting Started…..

Background
Petro-SIM is a rigorous process simulator. It allows you to model specific units
or entire plants, including complete pertrochemical complexes and complex
refineries. Through the completely interactive Petro-SIM interface, you can
easily manipulate process variables and unit operation topology, and fully
customize your simulation.

These sample problems will give you experience in creating a Petro-SIM models,
working with its interactive environment, and understanding its features.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

Start up a new case in Petro-SIM

Add a Fluid Package
Navigate through the different environments
Install a new stream and assign an Assay to it
Look at the refinery properties

Rev 1 V4 Sept 2010

 Exercise – The Basis Environment

All cases require a Component List and a Property Package. This

combination is also called the Fluid Package

Fluid Package = Property Package + Component List

Therefore, the first step to start a new case will be adding a list of
components and associating it to a property package

1. Open Petro-SIM through the Start menu or the desktop shortcut

2. You will be placed at the Petro-SIM Welcome Screen. If you are

connected to the internet, you will see the screen below which allows
you to access Petro-SIM web features. If you are not connected, you
will see a different welcome screen.

Getting Started
Page 2
3. Create a new case using the menu option: File - New Case.

For this exercise, do not use the icon on the tool bar, but the File menu as
shown.

This opens up the Simulation Basis Manager window. We will be

selecting options on the tabs for Components and Fluid Packages, the
minimum required for a case.

Component Selection

A new case will place you on the Components tab. We will create a
component list specific to the case.

Note the Components tab shows two items on the component list: the
Master component list and the Synthesis component list. These lists
are fixed with the case and cannot be changed.

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 4. Click on the Import button and select refinery-large.cml. This will
bring into the simulation a pre-determineds set of components.

5. Use the View button to see the list of components.

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 A component can be either a pure component or a hypocomponent
(also called pseudo-component). Pure components are specific
components with fixed properties, hypocomponents have properties
that are defined by the user or the program.

In Petro-SIM, the hypocomponent properties will vary depending on

the fluid; the only property that will be retained for hypocomponents is
the boiling point.

For refinery simulations, KBC recommends using a predefined

component list that contains a mixture of pure components and
hypocomponents. The selected component list will have a boiling
point range that is large enough to cover most situations in a refinery.
In addition to that, using the predefined component list will give you
consistent results when using the reactor models.

6. Double-click on any of the components to view its specific properties.

For most refinery simulations in Petro-SIM, the Hypocomponent

properties in the basis manager are only placeholders; except for the
boiling point which is fixed, the properties will change depending upon
the fluid.

Pure component properties will always remain fixed.

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 Fluid Package Selection

The second required selection in a simulation case is the property

package to determine the vapour-liquid equilibrium and the
thermodynamic properties of the streams.

1. Close any open windows and return to the Simulation Basis Manager
window or click on the tool bar button. Click on the Fluids
Packages tab (Fluid Pkgs) and click Add.

2. Scroll through the list to select the Peng-Robinson Property Package.

Note the blue values: Basis-1 is the default name for this selction, and
the refinery-large component set is automatically attached.

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Note the selection also includes enthalpy and density methods to produce a
complete thermodynamic package. We will leave these at the default
selections, which are recommended for most hydrocarbon applications.

For oil, gas and petrochemical applications, the Peng-Robinson

Equation of State is generally the recommended property package. It
is customized to be accurate for a variety of systems over a wide range
of conditions. It rigorously solves most single phase, two phase and
three phase systems with a high degree of efficiency and reliability.

Lee-Kesler is the default enthalpy method. It models hydrocarbon

systems well, and is a good match for steam properties.

The density method is an enhanced method and is not the original

Peng-Robinson method.

Many other property packages are included in Petro-SIM to model

specific systems. For example:
• Refinery Vacuum columns are best modelled using one of the
Vapor Pressure models, most often Esso Tabular
• The AMSIM fluid package models Amines sweetening, and
requires an additional program license
• Sour water strippers are best modelled using a variant of Peng-
Robinson, PR-SOUR.
• Highly non-ideal systems are best modelled using Activity
Models.

More information on the property methods and property package

selection options is contained in the documentation and help under
Appendix A: Standard Methods.

Once you highlight a selected property package, that package is

selected for your case.

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 3. Close the Fluid Package view and return to the Simulation Basis view.

Note that Basis-1 is listed as the current fluid package. The term NC
stands for number of components, and there are 106 components in the
Refinery Large component list.

Also note that the Default fluid package and the flowsheet fluid package
are set to Basis-1. If required, multiple fluid packages can be used
within a single case.

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Moving from the Basis Environment to the Simulation Environment

To build your simulation, you must move from the basis environment, the
area where we select the fluid package and components, to the Simulation
environment, where the case is built and run.

1. Either click on the button Enter Simulation Environment button or

use the icon on the toolbar.

You will now be placed in the Simulation Environment. This has a

different look and feel. It includes more menu options, and a default view
of the Process Flow Diagram. A case hierarchy menu appears on the left,
and the object palette appears on the right.

2. Return to the Basis Environment by selecting the toolbar icon.

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 3. Close the case without saving by selecting the menu options File-
Close Case.

4. Answer No to the prompt to save the case.

You will be returned the to the Petro-SIM Welcome Screen.

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Exercise – Quick Start

1. Select the New Case Icon from the Petro-SIM toolbar.

This option will place you directly in the Simulation Environment.

The New Case icon is actually attached to a pre-built case which

contains the Peng Robinson property package and the refinery-large
component list already installed. This allows you to quickly start a new
case with the recommended default options.

2. To view the selections for Property Package and Component set, clikc
on the New Case Icon from the Petro-SIM toolbar.

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 Exercise - Importing Refinery Assays
The composition of the crude is normally unknown. The only available
information is either from laboratory analysis (e.g. distillation curves) or
from a pre-set database of existing crude assays.

Petro-SIM will allow you to enter laboratory or database information

which can be managed in a special Oil Environment. In the Oil
Environment, Petro-SIM will use extensive proprietary methods to
interpolate, extrapolate and generate sufficient information to completely
define a specific assay or other fluid; this process is called Synthesis. The
result of synthesis is a matrix of properties for the Hypothetical
components that will be used in the flowsheet to determine its properties.

Petro-SIM’s Oil Environment contains an extensive assay management

systems. There are two basic options, importing the assay from the
database and creating a new assay by hand based on laboratory data. In
the following example we will look at how to import an assay from a
database.

1. On the toolbar, click on the oil manager icon to enter the oil
environment. You will be placed on the Refinery Assay tabl. Click
Import and select Refinery Assay Files.

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2. Select the file: Sample Crude A.xml.

3. On the resulting pop-up form, make sure the options for “Include
Source Information” is checked and select the Import button.

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 4. Click the View Source button to see the information stored in the
database. Double-click on any of the plant groups to see the input
information.

Close the assay views.

In this example, wide-cut data is used to characterize the assays. The

initial and final boiling point of specific cuts are entered along with their
properties. Cuts can be continguous and overlap. Compositional data
is also input for light ends and naphtha-range properties.

Assays can be imported from a variety of sources, including other

Petro-SIM simulations. The example assays shown use XML format, a
standard text setup. Database options are also available.

Import methods from commercial databases vary; contact your KBC

Representative for details.

More details about assay properties are covered in the a separate

training module.

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5. Click the Import button and import Crude B, using the same steps as
for Crude A.

6. Click the Quick Plot option to view the assay results. Use the pull-
down option to have both A and B and compare assays.

7. Close the views and select the Simulation Environment icon.

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 Petro-SIM Environments: Summary
There are three main environments in Petro-SIM:

Basis Environment

This allows you to set thermodynamic properties such as the desired fluid
package and the component list. Petro-SIM allows you to handle several
property packages and different component lists within the same case.
The handling of Fluid Packages is done in the Basis Environment.

Oil Environment

The oil environment manages assay data and allows you to enter
laboratory data.

Simulation Environment

This opens up the PFD simulation window. The PFD is the graphical
interface where we add streams, unit operations, look at the results, etc.

The next portion of the exercise concerns working in the Simulation

Environment.

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Exercise - Adding new streams and units.
In order to familiarise you with the basic functions to create PFD’s, this
exercise will focus on the construction of streams and unit connections,
importation of assays, and specification of stream properties.

We will be mixing a stream containing Crude A with a water stream at

the conditions given in the tables below.

Note the conditions given are in two common unit sets.

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 Selecting a Unit Set

You can work in a variety of units of measure, and change at any

time.

For this exercise, start by selecting a unit set. The set is a convenient
grouping of units of measure.

1. Click on the units icon on the toolbar.

2. You will be presented with a pull-down list of basic options.

The unit set options are:

• SI
• Field
• EuroSI
• RefineryMetric
• RefineryField

The option for Unit Preferences let you create your own unit set or
use one previously created.

3. For this exercise, select either RefineryMetric or RefineryField

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 Adding streams and unit operations using the palette.

If it is not shown, open the object pallet with function Key F4 or

palette icon .

Hovering the mouse pointer over each object on the palette shows the
name of the object.

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 Entering Stream Information

1. Take a blue arrow from the palette and drag it onto the PFD. It
will automatically be named 1.

2. Double-click the stream to open it. On the Conditions page, change

the Stream Name to ‘Crude A’, and enter the Temperature, Pressure
and the Std Ideal Liq Vol Flow.

3. On the Compositions page, select the Assay folder ,.

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4. Choose the option to load Sample A from the Oil Manager

Note the full composition and associated properties will be created

and the status of the stream will be shown in green with “OK.” This
means it is fully solved.

5. Go to the Conditions page and view the basic properties of the

stream.

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 6. Go to the Properties page and view the stream properties.

The property list is a subset of all of the stream properties. It inc

thermodynamic properties as well as those specific to the particular assay
as sulfur content.

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7. Select another blue arrow from the pallet. Double-click on this
stream. On the Conditions page, change the Stream Name to Water,
and enter the Temperature, Pressure and the Mass Flow.

8. On the Compositions page, scrolldown until you see H2O and enter a
1 by the fraction. This opens up a second window. Select OK to
accept the composition. The water stream is now fully solved.

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 Adding a Unit Operation

1. Select a mixer from the object pallet and place it on the flow
sheet.

There are two general methods you can use to connect streams to your
unit operation: the graphical method and the drop-down method. You
may use either method to build your flowsheet.

We recommend you solve each unit operation before adding the next one.

Method 1: Drop-Down Method.

1. Double-click on the Mixer. Use the drop-down arrows and select

streams Crude A and Water as the feed streams. Type in the outlet
stream, Feed.

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Method 2: Graphical Method

1. Go into Attach mode in one of two ways.

2. Either click on the Attach Mode icon on the tool bar.

Alternatively, you can hold donw the Ctrl Key.

3. Move the mouse and hover over the stream arrow until a white box
appears. Click and drag it over to the mixer until the white box
appears at its inlet. Release the mouse button for the connection.

4. Repeat the same procedure for a second inlet stream.

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Page 25
 5. Create an outlet by graphically dragging from the end of the mixer
out in space.

6. Click on the Attach mode icon or release the Ctrl key to exit Attach
mode.

7. Double-click on the outlet stream and rename it to Feed.

Double click on the operation to enter or view information about it or change

its name.

To change the name of a stream, double-click on the stream and rename it.

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Examining Results

For either method, note that all of the streams are now dark blue,
indicating they are completely solved. Also, the Mixer is filled in.

1. Double-click on the Mixer. Note the status indicator is green and the
OK indicates the unit operation is fully solved.

2. Go to the Worksheet tab to view all the attached steams.

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 3. Save your case as : Simplified Preheat Train Setup.

The default location for Petro-SIM cases will be in

MyDocuments/Petro-SIM.

You may wish to add a subfolder called “Training” to maintain all of your c
exercises.

Note that the case title will appear at the top of the flowsheet:

Getting Started
Page 28
Exercise : Copying Streams
1. Create a new stream by selecting a blue arrow from the palette

2. Double-click on the stream and click on ‘Define from other stream’

3. Select stream Feed

You have now created a copy of stream Feed as though you typed in the
information.

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 The command Define From Other Stream is a one-time copy. There is
no logical link between the stream Feed and stream 1; a change in one
will not affect the other.

Degrees of Freedom
In the next series of exercises, we will use stream 1 as a starting
point to examine how Petro-SIM controls the degrees of freedom.

Heater

1. Add a heater from the pallet. Connect stream 1 as the inlet and
connect an outlet stream 2. Note the outlet stream is light blue, not
fully solved. Also note the Heat Exchanger is red.

2. Double click on the heater. Note that the status is red and a message
states that it requires an energy stream.

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3. Enter the name Q1 to the energy stream.

The duty of the exchanger is stored in a special type of stream

called an energy stream. It does not contain any material, only
energy. Energy streams can be linked to unit operations to transfer
energy between units.

Note the unit operation icon and status are yellow.

4. Go to the Worksheet tab of the heater. Note the flow and

composition has been passed through the unit but other values are
empty.

While the material balance is solved, the energy balance is not. We

will solve the energy balance in two ways.

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 Designating outlet conditions

1. Specify desired outlet temperature and pressure of stream 2 as:

65 C and 12 bar _g (150 F and 167 psig)

Note that all the values solve and the streams are dark blue. View the
workbook page to see all the streams. Note the energy stream value,
which represents the duty.

Forward calculation

1. Remove the temperature and pressure of the outlet stream.

2. Double click on the heater.

3. Click on the design tab on the parameters page, and specify a

pressure drop and a duty: 0.5 bar and 1.2e7 kcal/hr (7 psi and 4.7e7
Btu/hr) (If required, select the appropriate units after entering the
number.)

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 Note the energy balance is satisfied with either method

(Heat Flow = Enthalpy*Flowrate)

Heat Flow 1 – Heat Flow 2 = Duty

Pressure 1 – Pressure 2 = Pressure Drop

Note that the PFD shows the material streams in blue and energy strea
red. Energy streams are required in many unit operations to mainta
energy balance.

Valve

1. Take the outlet stream from the previous exercise.

2. Connect the stream to a valve and add an outlet stream.

A valve is an isenthalpic unit operation so the following

properties will be transferred:
a. Flow rate
b. Composition and assay
c. Enthalpy

4. Enter enough outlet information to fully define the outlet stream.

Question: How many variables of state do you need to fully solve this system

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

5. Add enough information to the outlet stream to fully solve the

outlet stream.

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 Flash separator

1. Add a 2-phase separator unit operation. Use the valve outlet

stream as a feed.

Note that the outlet streams are dark blue. The default parameters of a
separator split the feed into liquid and vapour only streams.

If you specify the feed stream, the outlets are automatically calculated
and the properties are propagated through.

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Customizing Units
The unit preferences icon , Unit Preferences option allows you to
customise the units in your case. This option allows you to set your
preferred units of measurement. This view can also be accessed from the
Tools menu and selecting the Preferences option. The units of measure
are on the Variables tab.

You can select a built-in unit sets (SI, Field, EuroSI, RefineryField, and
RefineryMetric) or create your own. To create your own, select a unit set
closest to the values you want and click the Clone button. It will give a
default name to your set, New User, which you can change. It also
produces a drop down menu on each unit. Click on the desired
measurement to change it. You can add your own unit set by clicking on
the Add button and supplying the units name and conversion factor to
the internal SI-based unit used within Petro-SIM.

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 You can also change a unit of measure directly from a view by right-
clicking on the value and selecting “Display <unit> in”

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Building a Simple
Flowhsheet
Background
The purpose of this chapter is to build on the basic operations learnt in the
previous section and familiarize you with adding specifications to unit
operations, as well as constructing simple flow sheets on Petro-SIM.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

Build a simple flowsheet

Learn how to use the Feed model
Learn how to make changes to an existing Petro-SIM case
Learn about the Ignore option
Understand how to control Petro-SIM’s Solver
Understand how to debug common error messages
Understand the Set unit operation

V4 Oct 2010 Rev2

Simplified Preheat Train

Building a Simple Flowsheet

Page 2
Exercise - Building the Flowsheet

In Petro SIM, calculating as you build the flow sheet lets you see how
Petro-SIM works and prevents errors.

In order to see this more clearly, we recommend that you enter all the required
specifications for each unit as you introduce them to the PFD.

1. Open Petro-SIM and open up the sample file: Simplified

Preheat Train Setup or use the one created in the previous
exercise

In this case, we will feed a mixture of two crudes to create the

hydrocarbon feed. We will modify the current case to do this.

2. Open the Stream Crude A and rename it Crude Mix.

Building a Simple Flowsheet

Page 3
 3. Go to the Composition page for stream crude and delete the
attached assay by clicking on the remove assay button .

4. From the palette, select the Feed model.

5. Double-click on the Feed model. Select Crude A and Crude B from
the pull-downs under the Oil Manager selection, and select Crude
Mix as the product stream.

Building a Simple Flowsheet

Page 4
6. Go to the Assay Source page. Select the Liquid Volume Fraction
option and enter 0.2 (20 vol%) for Crude A.

This will produce a crude blend made up of 20% A and 80% B.

An unlimited number of assays can be blended using this unit operation.

7. Go to the Plots page and view the relative assay curves in the blend.

Building a Simple Flowsheet

Page 5
 Close the view.

8. Select a heater from the palette and place on the PFD

9. Double click on the heater. On the Design tab, select the

Connections page, and type in the stream names: Feed for the inlet,
To Desalter for the outlet and Q1 for the energy stream. Rename
the unit operation Preheat 1.

Building a Simple Flowsheet

Page 6
10. Go to the Parameters tab and enter a pressure drop of 3.4 bar (50
psi.)

11. Go to the Worksheet tab, and note the information available in the
outlet stream To Desalter. Enter an outlet stream temperature of
125 C (257 F.)

12. Close the heater window. The simulation should be completely

solved.

Building a Simple Flowsheet

Page 7
 13. Select a three phase separator form the palette. .

14. Rename the unit operation Desalter. Attach the feed and product
streams and name them as shown.

View the Workbook page of the Desalter and verify that all outlet
streams are filled in.

15. Select another heater from the palette . Connect it to the HC

Liquid. Rename the unit operation Preheat 2. Add an outlet stream
To Furnace and an energy stream Q2. Enter outlet stream
conditions of 230 C (446 F) and 5 bar_g (74 psig.)

Building a Simple Flowsheet

Page 8
16. Select another heater from the palette . Connect it to stream
To Furnace and enter an outlet stream Furnace Out. Enter an
energy stream Q3. Enter the outlet stream conditions of 343 C (650
F) and 3.4 bar_g (49 psig.)

17. Save your case as Distillation Setup.ksc.

Building a Simple Flowsheet

Page 9
 Inspecting the Model
1. Try to specify a mass-based flow for the water stream.

When the degrees of freedom are satisfied, you cannot enter the
value.

2. Note down the current value of the volume-based flow for the
water stream.

_________________________________________________

3. Remove this value. Note what information remains and what is

missing.

4. Change to a mass-based flow and note what recalculates.

5. Remove the mass-based flow and return to the original volume

flow.

6. Note down the current temperature of the water stream.

_________________________________________________

7. Remove the temperature value for the stream. Note what

information remains and what is missing.

8. Specify the vapor fraction of the stream and note what calculates.

Specifying a vapor fraction of 0 indicates bubble point 1 for dew point

9. Remove the vapor fraction value.

10. Re-enter the initial temperature value of the water stream.

Building a Simple Flowsheet

Page 10
 Making a single changes

1. Double click on the stream or unit operation.

2. If the value is blue in colour, then you can make a change. If the
value is not blue, you must remove another variable to allow a
degree of freedom.

On the preheat model, raise the oil feed temperature from 10oC (20oF). Try
to change the temperature of the oil/water mixture. What do you notice?

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

Making multiple changes

1. Turn off the solver by selecting the red light on the toolbar .
Notice that Petro SIM says “Holding…” in the lower left hand-corner

2. Make several changes to the values in the flowsheet.

3. Select the green light from the toolbar to reactivate the solver

Often making multiple changes is best done by controlling the actions of

the solver. The solver is the function which Petro-SIM uses to perform
calculations on streams and units. It can be activated or disabled using the
solver icons which are located on the simulation environment tool bar.

When the green icon is on the solver is activated, any information

entered into a stream or unit is automatically calculated by Petro SIM. If not
enough variables are supplied for calculation, the stream/unit remains
unsolved, and it appears light blue in colour

The red solver icon stops this automatic calculation. If it is switched on,
it allows you to make changes, or input values for certain parameters on
streams and units without affecting others.

Building a Simple Flowsheet

Page 11
 This is particularly useful if you have a large flowsheet and you want to
change more than one parameter in a stream/unit before the flowsheet
calculations are solved.

Change the oil feed and the water temperature on the Preheat model. Use
the traffic lights. What do you notice?
_______________________________________________________

Deactivating the solver turns off the checks for degrees of freedom, which
introduces the risk of you over specifying, or imputing contradictory
information into the simulation environment. If this occurs, when the
solver is reactivated, a ‘Consistency Error Message’ appears.

It shows you which specified variable is inconsistent (Name of

Inconsistent Variable), on which stream/unit (Name of Object), and by
what value (Old and New Calculation). You can then make the changes
as required.

Any changes made to the flowsheet using the above methods are
propagated through out the flowsheet. It is possible to prevent the effects
of parameter alteration on both the downstream and the upstream part of
a flowsheet.

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Page 12
Making changes to the flowsheet without affecting downstream units

1. Open the Desalter unit operation.

2. Check the ignore box on the unit operation

3. Perform the changes as desired

4. To reactivate the downstream portion, uncheck the ignore box on

the unit operation.

Ignored operations are flagged on the unit operation

worksheet and on the Main Properties / Calc Levels view
available from the Simulation Menu.

Building a Simple Flowsheet

Page 13
 The Set Unit Operation

Note that the water stream has an input flow rate. If the crude
rate changes, you would have to manually change the water rate
to keep the same proportion of water.

Instead of having a water rate, we will input a SET unit operation

so that the proportion of water to crude is always the same, in this
case 3 vol%

1. Go to the steam Water and remove the flow rate.

2. On the flowsheet toolbar, click on the palette icon to

open the object palette.

Building a Simple Flowsheet

Page 14
 3. Double click on the Set icon to open the Set Property
window.

The Set operation lets you set a relationship for a property between two
different streams. The relationship is of the form:
y=mx+b

4. Select the stream Water and property Std Ideal Liq Vol Flow.

Building a Simple Flowsheet

Page 15
 5. For the Source, select stream Crude Mix.

6. Go to the Parameters tab, and enter the values to make the

water stream 3%, or 0.03 on a fraction basis, of the Crude Mix
stream. The offset is zero.

7. Change the Crude stream slightly and note the resulting

change in the water flow rate.

Building a Simple Flowsheet

Page 16
Recycles
Background
It is common, and often necessary to recycle material from one part of the plant to
another. Large plants often have many recycle streams.

In Petro-SIM, recycling of material is managed by a unit operation called the

Recycle. Recycle unit operations are one of several Logical unit operations, that
perform like a unit operation but do not represent a physical piece of equipment.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to

Understand when and why a Recycle unit operation is required.

Install a Recycle from the section of the palette that includes
Logical Unit Operations
Converge a PFD with a recycle stream

V4 Sept 2010 Rev1

 Exercise - Adding the Recycle Block

1. Use the menu icon that accesses the Sample Cases. Select the case
Compressor Loop Setup.ksc.

In this compressor surge look, we want to recycle the vapor from V-100 to
the compressor suction.

2. Connect stream 1 to MIX-100.

Recycles
Page 2
 You can see that the streams become un-converged (light blue). If you
double click on any of the streams, you will see that they are missing
essential stream parameters like temperature, pressure etc.

As was mentioned in the background, this occurs because connecting

stream 1 to the mixer is the equivalent of introducing new parameters to the
mixer.

As part of the calculation process, Petro-SIM initially resets all the

associated streams, and calculates their parameters using these empty
values.

However, because the associated streams are in a loop, the empty

values are propagated through all the associated streams, so that the
input value entering the mixer in the second stage of the calculations
has empty values as well, and so the loop ‘runs’ empty.

3. Break the connection between stream 1 and the Mixer.

4. Add a new stream from the Object Palette; the default name will be 9.
Use the Define from Other Stream button to copy the information from
stream 1.

5. Feed this stream into Mix-100.

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Page 3
 6. From the Object Palette, select a Recycle unit operation. Place it
between stream 1 and 9.

7. Connect Stream 1 to the recycle block as its inlet, and connect the outlet
to stream 9.

Note that the Recycle stream, unlike other unit operations, connects the inlet
streams on the right side and outlet streams on the left. Be sure to have the correct
inlet and outlet connections.

The recycle outlet stream will copy over the inlet stream, until the outlet
stream is identical to the inlet stream within the defined tolerances.

Recycles
Page 4
 By adding an outlet stream to the recycle, the information in the recycle inlet
stream is duplicated, so that when it is connected to the mixer, and Petro-SIM
begins the first stage of calculations , the ‘empty’ values are propagated
only up till the recycle inlet. Hence in the second stage of calculations the
values in the recycle outlet stream are still present, and are used as the
initial values for the second stage of calculations.

Go to the Worksheet page of the Recycle to compare the inlet and outlet
streams.

Note that the outlet stream maintains the blue values indicating inputs; the
Recycle unit operations will overwrite the initial values until the inlet and
outlet are within tolerances.

Recycles
Page 5
 The Parameters tab, Tolerance page shows the tolerances. Note the results
are often tighter than the tolerances show, but to maintain a tight tolerance
the values can be lowered to insure tighter tolerances.

Further controls on the Recycle unit operation are available on the

Numerical page. If you have recycles that require additional iterations, you
can increase the maximum here. Also, if you have multiple Recycles that
interact, you can select the Simultaneous option.

Recycles
Page 6
Spreadsheet

Background
The Spreadsheet applies the functionality of a spreadsheet program to process
simulation modeling. With essentially complete access to all process variables
and a wide variety of functions, the spreadsheet is a powerful tool in Petro-SIM
and can be used for many applications. Because it is a unit operation,
calculations are performed automatically; Spreadsheet cells are updated when
flowsheet variables change.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

Import variables from the flowsheet into the spreadsheet

Perform calculations within the spreadsheet and export the
result to a process variable
Define the type of a specific variable in the spreadsheet
Know the various methods of transferring values to and from
Spreadsheets
Send multiple items to a Spreadsheet
Add and delete Spreadsheet rows and columns
Copy Spreadsheet formulas

V4 Oct 2010 Rev2

 Spreadsheet

Using the toolbar shortcut to the Sample files , open the sample case H2
Plant.ksc.

This is a Hydrogen production plant. In this flowsheet we would like to control

two variables using a spreadsheet:

1. Steam to Carbon target: Steam is fed to a Reformer reactor. In the sample

problem, the steam has a set flow rate. However, it is preferable to operate at a
fixed ratio of moles of steam to moles of Carbon. A spreadsheet will calculate the
total moles of Carbon in the feed, multiple by the desired steam to carbon ratio,
and the resulting steam rate will be exported to the steam stream. In equation
form:

Steam molar flow = S/C ratio x Carbon Molar Flow

2. Excess oxygen in the furnace: The air flow in the heater should be regulated at
such level to provide 10% excess of oxygen. The Spreadsheet will be used to
calculate the required air flow rate for complete combustion, and 10% will be
added to that value for 10% excess air. This resulting value will be exported to
the Air stream.

Spreadsheet
Page 2
Steam to Carbon target

1. From the palette, add a Spreadsheet unit operation. Open

the spreadsheet and rename it “Steam to Carbon”.

2. On the Spreadsheet, type in as labels “C1” in cell A2, “C2” in cell

A3, and “Flow” in cell B1.

Spreadsheet
Page 3
 3. Right click on cell B2 and select Import Variable(s)

4. Click to expand the “Material Streams” option and select

Reformer Feed from the material streams list. Select Comp Molar
Flow from the next column. A third column will then appear;
select all the hydrocarbon components and click on Add Variable
button.

Then click on the Accept button.

Spreadsheet
Page 4
 The hydrocarbon components molar flows are now shown in cells
B2 and B3.

If you need to disconnect any spreadsheet object, select the cell or

group of cells, right-click, and select the option “Disconnect Import(s)
Export(s).”

5. Enter a title in cell C1 “Carbon atoms per molecule” In cells C2

and C3, enter the Carbon number per molecule which
corresponds to the individual components: 1 for methane and 2
for ethane.

Spreadsheet
Page 5
 6. In column D you will multiply the two numbers. In cell D1 write
“Carbon molar flow”

In cells D2 enter a formula to calculate the product of cells:

=B2*C2

Note that the calculated result will be in red. The equation will be shown
above the grid when the cell is highlighted.

Spreadsheet
Page 6
7. Make sure the option “Copy Formulas” is checked, then copy-
paste the formula from D2 to cell D3.

8. Go to cell D5. Calculate the sum of cells D2 and D3:

=D2+D3

Enter a label in cell C5: “Total Carbon”

Spreadsheet
Page 7
 To attach a unit set, use the drop-down option at the top of the
view and select Mole Flow Component as the right Variable
Type while highlighting cell D5.

9. The desired ratio for steam to carbon is 3.5. Enter a label “S/C
Ratio” in cell C7, and enter a value of 3.5 in cell D7.

10. In Cell D9, calculate the desired steam rate by multiplying cells D5
and D7 Add a label in cell C9: “Steam Flow”.

Spreadsheet
Page 8
 Now that we have completed the calculations, we will replace the
fixed steam flow rate with the calculated one.

11. In the flowsheet, double click on stream “Reformer Steam” and

delete the value from its molar flow cell.

12. Open again the “Steam to Carbon Ratio” Spreadsheet and right
click on cell B14 and select Export Formula Result and then pick
“Steam to Reformer” from the Objects list. Then select Molar
Flow as a Variable

13. Click the OK button.

The calculated steam molar flow is now exported to “Reformer

Steam.”
Spreadsheet
Page 9
 As you make changes to the flowsheet or the S/C ratio in the
Spreadsheet, the value of the steam flow will change
appropriately.

If you change the units set of the flowsheet, the spreadsheet will keep its
original unit set to maintain the integrity of any calculations in the
spreadsheet, since the unit choices can affect the results of these
calculations.

Excess Oxygen in the Furnace

We will perform similar spreadsheet calculations to determine the

excess Oxygen for the furnace. In this example we will highlight
the other methods of linking process variables to the spreadsheet.

1. Install a new Spreadsheet unit operation and change the

Spreadsheet name to “Excess O2”.

2. Double-click on stream “Combustion Fuel.” Go to the

Composition view and use the Basis button to select Molar Flow.

Spreadsheet
Page 10
 3. Highlight all of the values and right-click with your mouse. Select
the option Send to… Spreadsheet Excess O2:

4. The values should all be imported into Column A.

The Send to… option will automatically add extra rows if needed to
export the selected values.

If you only see one value in your spreadsheet, you may not have
highlighted all the values before the Send to… command.

Spreadsheet
Page 11
 5. To add labels, right-click column A, select “Insert Column”

6. Enter the component name for each row.

Spreadsheet
Page 12
7. In column C, fill in the O2 stoichiometric coefficients for
combustion reactions according to the values of next Table. If
desired, right-click on Row 1 and add a new row to the top. Add
the labels “Molar flow”and “Stoich Coeff.”

O2
stoichiometric
Component coefficient
H2 0.5
CO 0.5
C1 2
C2 3.5

8. In column D, multiply each component molar flow by the

corresponding stoichiometric coefficient (=A1*C1, =A2*C2 etc)

9. In cell D11 calculate stoichiometric O2 by adding cells D1 up to

D11:

=Sum(D2:D9).

Click on cell D9 and select Flow as Variable Type.

Spreadsheet
Page 13
 10. Add more rows by going to the Parameters tab and increasing the
number of rows to 20.

Spreadsheet
Page 14
11. Return to the Spreadsheet tab. Enter the required excess O2
(10%) to cell D11 and then select this cell and set it Variable Type
as Percent. Add a label to cell C11.

12. To calculate the final O2 molar flow write the following formula
in cell D15:

= (100 + D13) / 100 x D11

Assign the Variable type as Flow, and add a label “O2 with
Excess” in cell C15.

Spreadsheet
Page 15
 13. Double-click on stream Hot Combustion Air. Delete the flow rate.

14. Go to the Composition page. Position your views so that you

have the composition page open as well as the Spreadsheet cell
D17 in view.

Spreadsheet
Page 16
15. Click on the Mole Fraction of O2, right-click, and drag the value
over to cell D17. Enter a label in cell C17, “O2 Mole frac.”

Note that the cursor icon will change as you drag the value to the
spreadsheet. These icons indicate where it is permissible to drop the
value.

Spreadsheet
Page 17
 16. Write the following formula in cell D19

= D15 / D17

This is the molar flow rate of air; designate this cell as type flow.
Add a label in cell C19: “Desired Air Flow”

17. On the Air stream, go to the Conditions view.

18. Drag the resulting value from cell D19 to the air flow cell. This
will result in a calculated air flow in the stream.

Spreadsheet
Page 18
Assay Synthesis
Background
Crude and vacuum unit models use crude assays as their feed. The crude assay
information can be accessed from a database or input directly into Petro-SIM.

The first step in simulating a refinery process is to define an Assay. From the
input information for one or several cuts, Petro-SIM creates a matrix of
properties that are distributed among the components in the case. Assays can be
accessed from a database or created from entering plant data, either straight TBP-
cut data or from products produced from the stream of interest.

The properties used to define an Assay are generally yield information and
physical characteristics based on a single stream or several product streams from
the main assay stream.

Once Petro-SIM has the minimum information required to synthesize an assay,

it can calculate other properties that may not have been supplied. Entering in
more than the minimum properties also increases the accuracy of the Assay.

All Refinery reactor models and refinery unit operations require feed streams to
be assay streams. Reactors that require supplemental feed streams, such as a
hydrotreater or alkylation unit, require that all their feeds be initialized with an
assay even if the stream is pure library components.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this exercise, you will be able to:

Create an Assay Stream
Synthesise an Assay Stream
Create Back Blended streams for Distop Calibration

V4 June 2010 Rev1

 Assay input data is entered and managed in the Oil Manager. The oil
manager can accept multiple cuts or groups of cuts, and each cut
contains specific properties. There are over 30 properties that can be
used to synthesize the Assay. They include Specific Gravity or API,
Aromatics, Naphthenes, Olefins, Iso-paraffins, Octanes, (RON, MON)
Viscosity, Sulfur, Pour, Cloud, Freeze, Acidity, Aniline Point, Vapor
Pressure, RI, Total N2, Conradson Carbon, Nickel, Vanadum, Copper,
Iron Sodium, C to H ratio. A detailed chemical composition can be
defined for light ends through C14.

Cut Type

There are five types of cut types that can be used to define a cut.
ƒ Contiguous (default) – synthesis assumes that the set of
contiguous cuts make up the original material. They can slightly
overlap with other contiguous cuts.
ƒ Overlapping – an overlapping cut is a type of overlaid data. The
boiling range for this type of cut overlaps the contiguous set
completely and provides supplementary information.
ƒ Minus – this cut should be subtracted from the set of contiguous
data. Often used in synthesizing column feeds where you wish
to subtract the effect of secondary feeds such as gas streams
and wild naphtha feeds.
ƒ Naphtha Components – a naphtha cut is a type of overlaid data
and requires distillate data to be complete. The cut contains
naphtha component data deriving from GC analysis. Information
will typically overlap a distillate contiguous cut.
ƒ Exclude – this cut should be excluded from synthesis.

Section Type Selection

Assays are typically used for crudes, but can represent reactor effluents.
Also, specific residues can be designated. The Stream Type property is
used to designate a special cut or stream type. The options are:
ƒ Residue
ƒ Vac Residue
ƒ VDU Product
ƒ FCCU Product
ƒ Hydrocracker Product
ƒ C5’s Included
A specific process unit must use its corresponding stream type. For
example, the bottoms stream from an FCCU fractionator must use a
FCCU Product stream type so that a specific SG synthesis method is
used.
Assay Synthesis
Page 2
Minimum Requirements for Synthesis

One of these properties must be defined in all Assays:

ƒ Mass, Molar, Volume, or Gas Vol Flow
ƒ Mass or Volume Percent Yield

Note: Flow rates are only used to determine the correct proportion of the
cuts; the flow rates are not transferred to the flowsheet.

Once a property listed above has been selected, the user has the choice
of combining it with either of the two following properties:
ƒ A complete component composition
ƒ Density plus Distillation or TBP Cut values. Density can be in the
form of actual density at a given temperature, specific gravity (sg)
or API Gravity. Distillation points required are the 5, 10, 30 and
50% points. If cut points are used, both initial and final cutpoints
are required, unless the stream is a residue stream, in which case
the distillation may be omitted.

The properties listed above are the minimum required to synthesize an

Assay. The more properties that are known, the more accurate the
Assay.

Note: If one cut is defined with a distillation, any other cut must also be
defined that way.

Synthesis Status

The synthesis status bar can be found on the bottom of Refinery Assay
Source menu. A green bar with the message Assay Creation
Succeeded means the assay was synthesized properly. A yellow status
bar means the user has not clicked the Synthesize button yet, while a
red bar indicates the synthesis has failed.

Once the Assay has been successfully synthesized, the calculated

values can be compared to the input values. This feature can be
activated by clicking the Show Calc Values box in the data entry pages.
Any erroneous data points can then be excluded. If the synthesis was
unsuccessful, any warnings or errors can be found on the Synthesis
Messages tab.

Assay Synthesis
Page 3
 In this exercise, we will create a crude assay from typical laboratory data. The
data consists of as-produced cuts, which include distillation and compositional
data.

Exercise – Synthesizing the Assay

1. Start a New Case; enter the ‘Basis Environment . Click on the

Components tab, highlight the refinery-default component list. On
the Fluid Pkgs tab select the Peng Robinson package.

2. Go to the Oil Environment to create an assay based on the crude

distillation products.

3. Click on the Create button and Add a new Plant Data Group.
Rename it ‘Plant Data Lights’.

4. Click on the Append Cut button, and Rename the cut Naphtha. Do
the same to create cuts for Kerosene and LGO.

Assay Synthesis
Page 4
 5. Click on the Setup Properties button and add the corresponding
properties from Table below found on the Available Properties
drop down menu. Then click OK.

Cut Name Naphtha Kerosene LGO

Mass flow 115 117.16 174.6
Specific gravity 0.7272 0.7932 0.8352
Reid vapour pressure 48 kPa 6.96 psia
C F C F C F
Flash point TBP/ABEL 52 126 96 205
Cloud point -14 7
Distillation ASTM D86_1 vol % 35 95 175 347 226 439
Distillation ASTM D86_5 vol % 61 142 179 354 242 468
Distillation ASTM D86_10 vol % 77 171 181 358 247 477
Distillation ASTM D86_20 vol % 94 201 184 363 255 491
Distillation ASTM D86_30 vol % 105 221 187 369 262 504
Distillation ASTM D86_50 vol % 120 248 194 381 275 527
Distillation ASTM D86_70 vol % 132 270 203 397 289 552
Distillation ASTM D86_80 vol % 139 282 210 410 298 568
Distillation ASTM D86_90 vol % 146 295 220 428 310 590
Distillation ASTM D86_95 vol % 152 306 227 441 318 604
Distillation ASTM D86_99 vol % 161 322 239 462 327 621

Assay Synthesis
Page 5
 6. Input the property data (by manually typing) into the grid.

7. Add a second Plant Data Group, and rename it ‘Plant Data

Heavies’. Define the group as follows. Note the distillation for
these values are D1160.

Cut Name HGO Fuel Oil Residue

Mass flow 84.1 23.7 39.94
Specific gravity 0.8821 0.9003 0.981
Kinematic Viscosity 40C 104F [cSt] 23.3
Kinematic Viscosity 100C 212F [cSt] 60.8
C F C F C F
Cloud point 17 62
Distillation ASTM D1160_1 vol % 243 469 173 343 314 597
Distillation ASTM D1160_5 vol % 323 613 292 558 376 709
Distillation ASTM D1160_10 vol % 338 640 339 642 406 763
Distillation ASTM D1160_20 vol % 354 669 386 727 449 840
Distillation ASTM D1160_30 vol % 362 684 405 761 477 891
Distillation ASTM D1160_50 vol % 374 705 429 804 541 1006
Distillation ASTM D1160_70 vol % 384 723 443 829
Distillation ASTM D1160_80 vol % 393 739 451 844
Distillation ASTM D1160_90 vol % 405 761 460 860
Distillation ASTM D1160_95 vol % 414 777 468 874
Distillation ASTM D1160_99 vol % 427 801 486 907

Assay Synthesis
Page 6
8. Add a third Plant Data Group, and Rename it ‘Gas Plant Data’.
Append the cut, and name it ‘Gas’. Select the Setup Properties as
‘Mass Flow’ and ‘Component Composition by Mole’ as follows:

Cut Name Gas

Mass flow 10.4
Component
Nitrogen Composition, mol% 0.58
Methane Composition, mol% 5.25
Ethane Composition, mol% 29.24
CO2 Composition, mol% 1.1
H2S Composition, mol% 1.83
Propane Composition, mol% 40.16
i-Butane Composition, mol% 21.84

9. Change the Refinery Assay Name to ‘Crude Back Blending’ then

click on Synthesize to synthesise the whole assay.

Assay Synthesis
Page 7
 10. To examine the synthesis results, go to the Synthesis Messages tab

11. To compare the input and output results side by side, go back to the
Input Summary tab, double-click on one of the groups and check
the box in the lower left-hand corner, ‘Show Calc Values’

Assay Synthesis
Page 8
12. To examine the resulting assay, go back to the Oil Characterization
view (by clicking on the oil environment icon) and right-click on the
assay. Select ‘View Data Matrix’.

13. Select any of the properties to view those assigned to each

pseudocomponent.

Assay Synthesis
Page 9
 14. You can view the same information in graphical form by going to
the ‘Assay Property Plots’ tab and selecting ‘Create Plot’. Check
the property of interest to see a plot.

15. Plot information can also be obtained by the ‘Quick Plot’ button on
the assay list. This option lets you compare assays and streams.

Assay Synthesis
Page 10
Exercise – Assays in the Flowsheet
1. Go to the Simulation Environment (PFD) and add a new stream.

2. Load the Crude Back Blending Assay to it, and rename the stream
‘CDU Feed’. Specify a stream at 40oC (100 F), 5bar (72 psia) and
100tonnes/h (100 bpd.) On the Composition tab, select the button
‘View Properties’. You will see the same values as the assay for
each component property.

3. To create straight-cut properties, add a Component Splitter unit

operation.

Assay Synthesis
Page 11
 4. Rename the operation as Straight Cuts. Enter the feed stream,
CDU Feed, and products Gas, Naphtha, Kero, LGO, HGO and
Residue. Add an energy stream of Q-100.

5. On the Parameters page, set the product pressures as equal

Assay Synthesis
Page 12
6. On the TBP Cutpoint page, enter the initial cutpoints as follows:

Gas 0K 0R
Naphtha -17.8 C 0 F
Kero 162 C 324 F
LGO 226 C 440 F
HGO 330 C 626 F
Fuel Oil 407 C 765 F
Residue 446 C 835 F

7. On the Worksheet tab, enter product temperatures of 15 C (60 F)

Assay Synthesis
Page 13
 Compare the straight-cut streams and their properties with those input and calculated
from synthesis.

Assay Synthesis
Page 14
Naphtha Stabilizer
Background
In this exercise we will create and size a simple naphtha splitter using the
standard tray-to-tray column solver. We will also look at refinery properties and
investigate ways to assign and estimate them.

Learning Objectives

Enter plant data for a stream in the flowsheet

Work with a tray-to-tray column
Learn how to tune a tray-to-tray column
Learn to perform Tray Sizing and Rating

V4 October 2010 Rev2

 Exercise – Creating Streams using the
Plant to Crude Model

We can create a stream with distillation data in the flowsheet, then feed it
to a stabilizer column.

Steps

1. Open a new case.

2. From the palette, select a material stream

3. Double click on the stream to open the properties window. Rename

the stream Naphtha Feed

4. On the Conditions view enter the temperature, pressure and flow

Temperature 38oC 100 F

Pressure 9.3 Bar 120 psig
Std Ideal Liq Vol Flow 90 m3/h 13500 BPD

Naphtha Stabilizer
Page 2
 5. Use the synthesis icon on the stream option and select Synthesize
from Plant Data

6. Select following properties:

ƒ API gravity
ƒ Distillation ASTM D86 (for 1,5,10,30,50,70,90,95, and 99)
ƒ Component composition by Volume for
propane
iso-butane
normal-butane
iso-pentane
normal pentane

V4 September 2010 Rev1 Naphtha Stabilizer

Page 3
 7. Enter 68 for the API

8. For the light ends, enter

4.5% propane
3.3% iso butane
12.5% normal butane
4% iso pentane
6% normal pentane

9. Enter the distillation values in the table below

o o
D86, vol% C F
1 -12 10
5 10 50
10 24 75
30 52 125
50 91 195
70 116 240
90 151 304
95 164 327
99 179 354

Naphtha Stabilizer
Page 4
 The stream will solve in the flowsheet. Compare the input and
output values. View the stream properties.

Why doesn’t the distillation match exactly?

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

V4 September 2010 Rev1 Naphtha Stabilizer

Page 5
 Exercise – Creating a Distillation
Column

1. Select the Distillation column icon from the palette and place in
the flowsheet double-click to bring up the column wizard.

2. Change the column name to Naphtha Stabilizer.

3. Select the option for a Total Condenser and check the box for a water
draw.

4. Enter 22 stages, with stream Naphtha feed on stage 8.

5. Enter column products: LPG, Stab Water, and Stab Naphtha. Enter
the condenser energy stream Q Cnd and reboiler energy stream Q
Reb.

A water draw is recommended for any refinery column with a

condenser. If no free water is present, the stream flow will be 0.

Naphtha Stabilizer
Page 6
 6. Select the Next button and enter the column pressures:

Bar psig
Condenser Pressure 8.7 111
Condenser Pressure Drop 0.4 6
Reboiler Pressure 9.3 120

7. Select the Next button; enter the following temperature estimates

o o
C F
Condenser Temperature 54 130
Reboiler Temperature 93 200

V4 September 2010 Rev1 Naphtha Stabilizer

Page 7
 8. Select the Next button. Enter the reflux ratio of 1 and select volume
basis. Enter a Liquid Rate of 12 m3/hr (1800 bpd).

9. Select the Done button.

10. Go to the Monitor tab of the column and select the Run button. Your
column is converged if the green “OK” appears.

11. Save your case as Naphtha Stabilizer.ksc

Naphtha Stabilizer
Page 8
 Exercise – Changing the Distillation
Column

1. On the Monitor tab, select the Add Spec button to create a purity
specification. From the list, add Column Component fraction .

2. Select Target Type as stream. Change the name of the specification to

“C4’s in bottom, vol” and enter the information as shown.

3. Return to the monitor tab. Note that the current value of the
specification will be shown.

V4 September 2010 Rev1 Naphtha Stabilizer

Page 9
 4. Add another specification, and select stream property as the type

5. Fill in the information as shown to obtain the D86 5% point of the

bottoms

Naphtha Stabilizer
Page 10
 6. View the Monitor page to see the values

7. Make changes to the reflux ratio and the overhead rate to see the
change on the bottoms properties.

8. To have the column target the C4s in the bottoms:

• enter a value of 0.01
• check the active box for the C4 spec
• uncheck the active box for the Distillate Rate

V4 September 2010 Rev1 Naphtha Stabilizer

Page 11
 9. Select the Performance tab. Note the change in liquid and vapor
flowrates above and below the feed location. Note the column top
temperature.

We will change the top temperature to reflect a lower number: 43 C (110 F.)
Because we have a total condenser, this does not take up a degree of freedom,
and therefore will not be entered as a specification, but rather as a subcooled
value.

10. Go to the Design tab and select the Subcooling sheet. Enter the
temperature. Run the column and note the new results.

Subcooling can only be used with columns that have total condensers.

Naphtha Stabilizer
Page 12
 Exercise – Tuning the Column
Tray-to-tray columns use ideal stages instead of actual trays or height of
packing. To tune a tray-to-tray column to match data, you change the
number of ideal stages. You start by assuming an overall efficiency to
enter the number of stages for a column, then delete or add stages in
each section to match a given product quality. Reflux flow and
condenser and reboiler duties will all be proportional to the number of
stages in a column if you match the product rates and qualities.

1. Change the specifications so that you are meeting a new distillate rate
of 20 m3/hr (3000 BPD) and a purity spec in the bottoms of 0.001 C4’s.

2. Click on the Add Spec button to add a new specification. For the type
of specification, select Column Duty, then select the Reboiler.

3. Fill in the reboiler duty in the table below for the current number of
stages (22):

No. of stages 22
Feed stage *from top) 8
Stages below feed stage 14
Reboiler duty

V4 September 2010 Rev1 Naphtha Stabilizer

Page 13
 4. Go to the Connections page.

5. Change the number of stages from 22 stages to 20 stages and click the
Run button to rerun the column. Go to the Monitor tab to view the
results; enter the new values in the table.

Note that when you change the number of stages your feed location often
changes proportionately.

6. Return the location to stage 8 and rerun the column. Fill in the table
with the new values.

Naphtha Stabilizer
Page 14
 Presuming your last set of values match plant data, what is the efficiency
of the column above the feed (rectifying section) if there are 10 actual
trays in that portion of the column?

_____________________________________________________

What is the efficiency of the column below the feed (stripping section) if
there are 15 actual trays in the column?

Exercise – Performing Tray Sizing

and Rating
1. On the Petro-SIM Toolbar, select Tools Æ Utilities Æ Tray Sizing Æ
Add Utility

V4 September 2010 Rev1 Naphtha Stabilizer

Page 15
Naphtha Stabilizer
Page 16
 2. Click on the Select TS… button and select Naphtha Stabilizer, Æ
Main TS Æ OK

3. Click on the Auto Section button. Maintain all the defaults, selecting
the Valve trays and the points at which to swedge the column
diameter. Select the Next button.

V4 September 2010 Rev1 Naphtha Stabilizer

Page 17
 4. On the next view, keep the default options that determine the design
methods and limitations for the tray. Select the Complete
AutoSection button.

This will produce a design for the column.

5. On the Performance tab, view the Results page to see the suggested
column dimensions.

Naphtha Stabilizer
Page 18
 The AutoSection option will produce a column with two different
diameters if required. The point at which it will change diameter are
determined by the Area Tolerance factor input to the column.

How does the column swedging relate to the column Performance page?

_____________________________________________________

Next, we will enter the dimensions of the column to produce a Rating

case. The rating case will determine the flooding and pressure drop
values for the column.

1. On the Design tab, go to the Specs page. For both sections, change
Mode from Design to Rating. For Section 1, enter 1 flow path and a
Section Diameter of 3 ft (0.9 m) to represent the section above the
feed. For Section 2, enter 2 flow paths and a Section Diameter of 7 ft
(2 m) for the bottom.

We are using the AutoDesign results as a starting point for a rating in

this example. For a complete Rating case of an existing column, each
of the inputs for the trays should be entered to represent the existing
column.

V4 September 2010 Rev1 Naphtha Stabilizer

Page 19
 2. Note this produces warning messages. View the results on the
performance page and click on the View Warnings button to see
which limits have been exceeded.

If this was the actual column diameter, what would you change in the column
specifications to reduce the flooding?

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

Naphtha Stabilizer
Page 20
Stream Properties
Overview
There are many stream properties available in Petro-SIM. Because of the large
number, not all stream properties are displayed on default views. This module
explains how to find properties, change the displayed properties, and obtain other
properties that require changes in stream temperature or pressure.

Learning Objectives

Learn about stream types and the properties associated with

different stream types
Learn how to add additional properties to a stream
Know the two methods to view distillation plots
Know how to manipulate the order of the stream property list
Learn how to view phase-specific properties of streams

6.15.10 V4
 Stream Properties and Stream Types
Double-clicking on a Petro-SIM stream also lets you access the stream
properties view by selecting the Properties page on the Worksheet tab.

The properties listed on this tab are a subset of the complete list of
properties. By default the properties depend on the stream type, an
automated selection mechanism which is based on the composition, the
boiling point, and boiling point range of the stream.

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The stream type is displayed on the Conditions page.

The stream types and default criteria are defined as follows:

ITEM  Criteria 
Light Gas  Volume Average Boiling Point < 
= ‐5 C 
Gasoline  Volume Average Boiling Point 
<= 150 C 
Kerosene  Volume Average Boiling Point 
<=250 C 
Distillate  Volume Average Boiling Point 
<=350 C   
Fuel Oil  Volume Average Boiling Point > 
350 C 
Crude Oil  1% TBP  < 0 C and 99% TBP > 
750 C  
General  No assay information and H2O 
mole fraction < 0.900 
Water  H2O mole fraction >= 0.9999 
Sour  H2O mole fraction >= 0.9000 
Water 
Unknown No criteria 

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 The stream type can be changed if you wish to view a different list of
stream properties.

Exercise – Viewing Default Stream Properties

1. Open the sample case Naphtha Stabilizer.ksc

2. Double-click on the stream LPG. Note the stream type listed on

the Conditions page.

3. Go to the Composition tab and view the components in this

stream.

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4. Go to the Properties page and view the property list.

5. Double-click on the stream Stabilized Naphtha. As done

previously, note the stream type listed on the Conditions page.

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 6. Go to the Composition tab and view the components of this
stream. Go to the Properties page and view the property list.

Note how the properties differ from the LPG stream. Properties shown
on the properties page can be controlled by the Stream Type. This is
activated by when the link button on the stream’s properties page is
depressed. Linked properties are the default in new simulations.

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Adding new properties to the Stream
The Properties view allows you to customize the list. The Append new
property icon lets you select additional properties to add to the
stream. By selecting new properties, the stream is automatically unlinked
to the stream type; the original stream properties will remain.

CAUTION: After adding new stream properties, avoid clicking the

stream link property button. Selecting this will remove the newly
added stream properties and revert to the original default list.

Exercise: Adding new properties to a streams

list
1. Return to the LPG stream.
2. Add a new property to the LPG stream by clicking on the Append
new property icon

3. On the pop-up form, go to the Distillation D86 property and

select D86 90%

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 4. Click the Apply button and close the view. Note the new
property on the LPG stream; also note that the Link button is no longer
depressed.

5. Click the Link button again; note the TBP property is removed.

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Distillation Plots
There are two basic methods of viewing the distillation graphs on a
stream. The first uses the Properties view, and the other the Boiling point
utility. The Properties view displays one stream at a time, and the utility
displays multiple curves on one plot and within one table.

Exercise: Distillation Plots

1. Go to the properties page of the Stabilized Naphtha stream.
Select the Append new properties icon, select the D86 Plot option, and
click the Apply button.

2. View the plot on the Stabilized naphtha stream using the plot
icon.

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 3. The other common method of viewing distillation plots is from
the Stream view. Go to the Attachments tab, Utilities page.

4. Click the Create button.

5. Highlight BP Curves and click the Add Utility button. Go to the

Performance tab, Plots page to view the resulting graphs.

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Properties with Qualifiers and
Options
Some properties require a qualifier, for example a viscosity may require a
temperature or designation at stream conditions. There are multiple
methods for calculating pour point. Density could be at standard
conditions or flowing conditions.

For a property to be selected or selections examined, it must be on the

master list of properties. From there, it can be selected and applied to
streams as desired. The list of properties is available from the Property
Manager view, accessed from the menu option Tools – Stream Properties.

This view shows all the available properties in Petro-SIM. Properties

with qualifiers or options can be cloned, and each clone can have its own
qualifier or option. The property name can be customized to better reflect
the property.

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 Exercise: Adding new properties to the list and
applying them to streams
1. To add more D86 points, go to the Tools menu and select Stream
properties. The following view will appear.

2. Select Distillation ASTM D86 and enter the clone button .

3. Enter 20 and 80 percent

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These properties will now appear on the selection list. Rename them so
they are consistent with the other D86 properties.

You can add this property to the streams using the Append property icon
as before or select the Stream Properties option to add this property
to all unlocked streams. Do this for both the 20% and 80% values.

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 Sorting the Stream Properties View
You can use the icons to sort the properties so they are in
alphabetical order. The other sort options are the up arrow and
down arrow to move selected properties up and down. A single
property can be deleted by clicking on the red x and all properties are
deleted with the multiple X button.

Exercise: Sorting Stream Properties

On the Stab Naphtha stream, use the Alphabetical icon to see the 20%
and 80% values in order with the other D86 values. Use the button to
move any values so they are in order.

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Stream Phase Properties
The stream property view displays the properties for the entire stream
regardless of phase. If you wish to view phase-specific properties, you
can expand the width of the stream view. The properties can be
displayed for all of the existing phases.

Exercise: Viewing Stream Phase Conditions

On the Stab Naphtha stream, place your mouse over the right-hand side
of the stream view. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the
vertical line to the right. It will reveal phase-specific information.

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Stream Properties
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