Focus onProcess Engineering Workflow |
Welcome to our fourth edition of Aspen HYSYS Insights, providing best practices and recommendations on how you can increase efficiency and productivity by improving your process engineering workflow.
In this issue, we offer suggestions on how to boost engineering productivity and create superior designs. We have collected real-world stories from companies that leverage AspenTech solutions to improve process simulation, equipment design, cost estimation, and engineering data management. As well, we are pleased to share with you exciting product updates and tips that help make engineering collaboration a reality.
Read on to learn how AspenTech can help you achieve optimum results on a global scale, from project concept to process design.
Sincerely,
Manolis Kotzabasakis, Senior Vice President, AspenTech
November 2006
Best Practices |
Expert View |
Product Update |
In the News |
Innovation WatchProcess Modeling Center of Excellence |
AspenTech has formed the Process Modeling Center of Excellence at its headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, combining the best minds and talent for process modeling technologies under one roof. Centralizing the process modeling research and development teams stimulates innovation, accelerates product integration, and drives even greater synergy with the engineering and optimization goals of AspenTech’s customer base.
“The new Center of Excellence in Cambridge combines the best minds and talent for process modeling technologies under one roof. Its creation is part of our long-term strategy to improve collaboration within R&D functions, leverage product synergies, and most importantly, deliver the greatest value to our customers.”
—Mark Fusco, President and CEO, AspenTech
User PerspectiveChiyoda Optimizes LNG Plant Design |
Chiyoda Corporation, one of the largest and most successful E&C companies in Japan, is a long-time user of AspenTech’s Engineering Suite, applying these products daily throughout their engineering workflow, from conceptual to detailed design.
The strong demand for Chiyoda’s services, particularly in the gas processing sector, makes it critical that the company’s design and engineering teams are able to maximize their productivity and consistency and collaborate effectively across the organization.
Best PracticesDynamic Simulation for Optimum Design & Operationsby Jaleel Valappil, Ph.D., Senior Simulation & Optimization Specialist, Bechtel |
There are several benefits of using dynamic simulation in various stages of a plant lifecycle. Plant operability and profitability depends on good process and control system design. Dynamic simulation, performed early in the project, helps to ensure these aspects are considered during plant design. It eliminates or reduces costly rework at a later stage. During detailed engineering, the same dynamic model with additional details can be used for rigorous design, such as to evaluate anti-surge control systems for refrigeration compressors.
Expert ViewIntegrate People, Processes & Technologies to Save Time & Moneyby Sanjeev Mullick, Director, AspenTech |
Time-to-market, design quality, and high engineering productivity are keys for companies working to maintain their competitive edge. In addition, agile and energy-efficient designs enable optimum capital utilization. To achieve these multiple objectives, it is critical that organizations streamline and accelerate the entire engineering workflow from conceptual design to detailed engineering and from plant operations to asset management.
Peer PointWorleyParsons Achieves Success with Aspen HYSYSby Amy Lee, P.E., Senior Process Engineer, WorleyParsons |
WorleyParsons recently achieved great success using Aspen HYSYS to model a topping plant for an Alaska North Slope upstream project. The objective was to determine the most economical plant upgrade schedule to accommodate a predicted increase in residual crude component in the topping plant crude feed. The Aspen HYSYS model of the plant compared well with current plant operating data.
Product UpdateAspen Zyqad Version 2006 - Efficient & Intuitive Work Process |
Process modeling is one of the critical sources of data that appear on process package deliverables. Aspen Zyqad Version 2006 streamlines the simulation data import process with a new, re-engineered Simulation Importer. It combines the legacy Simulator Interface and Object Mapper into a single tool with a work flow and user interface that has been extensively refined and simplified. Simulation results are imported to populate deliverables more efficiently, with lower risk of error, and by users who require much less training.
Summary: This article highlights the value of dynamic simulation for building and testing new control schemes prior to implementation, evaluates the practical benefits of first-principle dynamic models, and demonstrates how simple cases may be quickly configured and tested. There is even greater value for evaluating control configurations that cannot be tested in normal operation. With readily available equipment design and operating data, a detailed calibrated steady state model is easily created and helps answer many plant operations questions. With Aspen HYSYS Dynamics you can efficiently switch from steady-state to dynamic mode for further insight into process behavior.
Control engineers can make practical use of first-principles dynamic modeling technologies, which are now becoming mature enough to provide significant value for control purposes. The modeling efforts used in this case study have been analyzed from the control engineer’s perspective, including a discussion of best practices to optimize the use of internal resources.
A first-principles dynamic model of a depropanizer column is used to test and to confirm a new proposed operation and control mode that improves the steam consumption and the stability of the column. The previous column operation mode was not suitable for the planned advanced process control (APC) project in the area of this unit, so a new basic control scheme was proposed, simulated, and validated in the rigorous dynamic model. The new control scheme was tested and implemented in the plant confirming the predicted results of the model.
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Tips & TricksAvailable for registered web support users. New members, register here. |
Equilibrium plots in Aspen HYSYS? |
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Aspen HYSYS is the tool of choice for modeling upstream and refining systems. While fluids in such systems are mainly hydrocarbons, some auxiliary processes are chemical in nature. The thermodynamic parameters you choose impacts simulation results, and a tool to compare simulated vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) data with experimental data can be extremely helpful. |
Using HYSYS generated results in Aspen Icarus Process Evaluator (IPE). |
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Aspen IPE, a powerful project scoping tool is most useful in the early phases of conceptual design to compare competing technologies and/or evaluate alternative configurations. It expands unit operations from simulator output to equipment models using proprietary mapping technology and calculates preliminary sizes for these equipment items. aspenONE Version 2006 will contain a two way link between Aspen HYSYS and IPE, where the results from IPE are displayed back in Aspen HYSYS. |
HTFS, TASC, B-JAC, Hetran, STX, TASC-mechanical, Teams - Help, what do I use for my heat exchanger design? |
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Our heat exchanger design and rating products are being rationalized to combine the best of our heritage products and avoid duplicate functionality. |
Refer to Solution ID 110055 to download an MS Excel spreadsheet that generates Txy, Pxy and Hxy binary plots from simulation data.
Download the animated tutorial in Solution ID 110929 to see how to export Aspen HYSYS simulation data to IPE.
Read Solution ID 119065 to understand how we are going forward with our shell & tube heat exchanger products.
EVENTS & TRAININGWebinars & Conferences |
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INNOVATION WATCH |
Process Modeling Center of Excellence |
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Process modeling is a central element of aspenONE, the integrated suite of solutions designed to help process companies achieve engineering and operational excellence. The aspenONE Process Engineering application builds on Aspen Engineering Suite technologies to deliver full engineering lifecycle solutions from project concept and R&D through detailed design and operations.
USER PERSPECTIVE |
Chiyoda Optimizes LNG Plant Design |
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With this objective in mind, Chiyoda has been implementing an effective toolset of AspenTech’s integrated process engineering applications to enable teams to further enhance the quality and value of the services they provide. These applications include the Aspen Zyqad™ collaborative engineering platform which helps Chiyoda streamline its engineering work processes and improve collaboration between both internal and external teams.
In process modeling, Chiyoda uses Aspen HYSYS and Aspen HYSYS Dynamics to meet customer needs and optimize asset performance. This success is illustrated by their use in several recent projects in the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) business, where dynamic simulation is playing an increasingly important role. By concurrently using Aspen HYSYS steady state and dynamic models of the entire Gas Liquefaction Plant, Chiyoda simultaneously optimizes the design for efficiency and operability, while ensuring safety, reliability, and environmental compliance. For more information, read the press release.
BEST PRACTICES |
Dynamic Simulation for Optimum Design & Operations |
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Also, dynamic simulation can be pivotal in sizing key relief valves, performing depressuring studies, and for optimum sizing of equipment. Further, the effect of external factors like ambient conditions and compositional changes on future plant operations can be analyzed to further optimize the design.
On the control system side, dynamic simulation can help to ensure the plant has sufficient design margins to handle disturbances. A dynamic simulation model of the plant may also be used for DCS system checkout prior to commissioning. You may leverage the same simulation model for startup support and for training during commissioning. In the operational phase of the lifecycle, the same model may be used to develop and test advanced process control and optimization applications. The direct and indirect benefits of these applications are many, including better plant startup, less plant downtime, and improved safety, reliability, and profitability.
Bechtel uses Aspen HYSYS Dynamics for dynamic simulation modeling in many green field projects. The Advanced Simulation and Analysis group at Bechtel is responsible for this work, including testing of advanced control schemes using the Aspen HYSYS Dynamics – DMC+ link. Read more details on this case study.
EXPERT VIEW |
Integrate People, Processes & Technologies to Save Time & Money |
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The traditional engineering workflow is a well-established process. It was a predominantly manual process until the 1980s when process simulation emerged. Today, integrated software solutions such as aspenONE Process Engineering automate the process and enable you to:
- Consider alternatives during project conception
- Optimize designs and size equipment with consistent data
- Perform accurate cost estimation and ROI analysis
- Ensure safety, reliability, and operability of the designs
- Embrace global execution and concurrent engineering
- Manage design data to generate process data packages
As a result, E&C and Owner-Operator companies are now able to deliver more cost-effective and energy-efficient designs that are customized to customer requirements, with high quality and fast execution. Benefits reported at user groups and industry events include:
- Accelerate time-to-market by 10%
- Reduce capital costs by 10-30%
- Increase engineering efficiency by up to 30%
- Improve project ROI by up to 10%
PEER POINT |
WorleyParsons Achieves Success with Aspen HYSYS |
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The Aspen HTFS option for rating exchangers within the plant simulation was particularly useful in quickly and accurately predicting exchanger performance and pressure drop with varying crude feed composition and rate. In addition, the available calculation utilities helped in evaluating product properties and crude column specifications. For example, pour point and flash point prediction helped in establishing the appropriate product assay cuts. With the results of the simulation work, an optimal upgrade staging plan was developed.
PRODUCT UPDATE |
Aspen Zyqad Version 2006 - Efficient & Intuitive Work Process |
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With Simulation Importer, equipment items and streams can be created and connected during the import process, to populate the Aspen Zyqad database and kick-start production of deliverables. Equipment items that are modeled as part of a unit operation, such as compressor intercoolers, can be given an existence in their own right, and trays can be created within a column to correspond to stages in the column model. Simulation Importer also manages the impact of changes to the simulation since last import.
To learn more about how Aspen HYSYS and Aspen Zyqad work together for a better engineering workflow and enhanced data management, please join us for a live, interactive webinar on November 14, 2006. For details and to enroll, click here.
© 2006, Aspen Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved.