Computer-Aided Process Design

 
Lecturer: Dr. Ing. Jörn Viell
Contact:
Lecture: 1 hrs
Tutorials: 3 hrs
Course schedule: Please get them from the Course calendar RWTH Online
Lecture notes: Available on Moodle
Semester: Summerterm
Language: English
Exam: Oral Exam

In the chemical industry, computers are widely used for the design of processes and plants. Simulation tools like Aspen Plus, ChemCAD, or gPROMS play a major role in most design projects. Simulators enable the user to build a mathematical model of a plant and simulate its behavior. These simulation experiments provide the necessary information to select and design appropriate process units and to determine process parameters such as temperatures, pressures, and flow rates.

After an introduction to the design problem, the participants practice acquiring and analyzing property data, flowsheet synthesis, parameter optimization, and heat integration. During the tutorials, the participants will design a process for the production of dimethyl ether (DME) with the help of the simulator Aspen Plus. Due to the complexity of this case study, the participating students will split up and form small teams of two to three people. Each team will examine the overall process in detail; various design alternatives will be analyzed and evaluated with respect to cost, safety, and environmental impact. The intermediate results will be presented and discussed during the tutorials. In addition, each team will document the results in a short project report and will present the results in a final colloquium.

After the course, the participants will be able to understand the simulation software and its underlying numerical methods. They will be able to apply simulation software to design chemical processes.

Previous knowledge of the simulator Aspen Plus is not required.