Process simulation forum?

[DickRussell]

I see very few posts here regarding process simulation. Is there a forum that addresses these? If not, should there be? Is there sufficient interest?

Dick Russell

 

[JOM]

I used to very interested in simulation of process control. Developed some really good software that made commissioning and program changes a breeze. Only interested in simulating the logic of the control scheme, not the dynamics of the processes themselves.

Very easy to simulate process control logic on a PC, whether the real system is PLC or proprietary language.

Cheers,
John.

 

[Mondolfi]

I think it would be very usefull for all. Some times we have little questions and will be nice to discuse them in a forum.

Particularly I use Process Simulator as HYSYS and ASPEN, and some times, PIPESYS, FLARENET and INPLANT

 

[MortenA]

There alreeady exists such group (they were not very active the last time i checked).

Up in the left corner click on "Forum list" and scroll way down to "Things, engineering computer programs" and here you will find: Aspen Technology products, Chempute Software products, Hyprotech products, SIMSCI products and WinSim Inc. products. Groups that should cover most of these programs.

Best regards

Morten

 

[mirchee]

Hi, Dick:

Glad you're active in eng-tips. I think the other forum mentioned by Morten relates to specific products, rather than generic issues in process simulation. I am sure you would be the best qualified moderator for such a forum, given your experience and proven track record. Your PD+ simulator remains an amazing accomplishment in these days of bloatware.

 

[MortenA]

well mirchee
Maybe you got a point: Drop the vendor specific forums and make one for process simulation?

best regards

Morten

 

[mirchee]

To: MortenA

Yes, sir. I believe that 95+ % of the work required to be done by most chemical/petroleum engineers can be accomplished in any one of the major commercial simulators. However, some of the major issues confronting the average user are:

(1) Robustness, reliability, and execution speed of the products, e.g., for complex fractionation problems
(2) Ability to handle and converge large recycle dominated systems, especially when one has very many components in the flowsheet. Good examples are gas plants, petrochemical plants (ethylene crackers, styrene, etc.)
(3) Ability to handle non-ideal mixture thermodynamics, which is vital for complex chemical systems
(4) New developments in simulation technology and algorithms
(5) Ability to write tailor-made reports (including post-simulation calculations) and tables from within the simulator. This capability is most valuable for importing data into other packages (e.g., for process equipment design) and other software (e.g., Excel for other types of analyses)
(6) Ease of setup and use, quality of diagnostics, restart capabilities, etc.

I'm sure others will have many additional criteria to add to this list. The situation that faces the typical beginner is that the claims and counter-claims for each major commercial product are very confusing and often contradictory. Also, their relative performance can be remarkably different on a given class of problems. Since productivity is the key issue in all commercial enterprise, a united forum to encourage such discussions would be helpful.

I say this because a real need exists for such open discussions, in my opinion. For example, a major recent and excellent textbook discusses numerous process simulation issues, providing example solutions using three major products. However, it provides little or no guidance on the kinds of issues outlined above.

 

[MortenA]

also - even though somebody might ask how to solve a problem for a specific product - the solution might be common for all product. Anyway the activity is so low in the individual group - and this might boost the total activity.

How do you forward this request to the owners/operators of this site?

Best regards

Morten

 

[Mondolfi]

MortenA and Mirchee, I think it's a good idea. Keep up the good work.

Regards,

 

[joerd]

FYI, I have dropped the forums manager a line:

<quote>
Dear Sir,

There is a discussion going on in thread135-68831, which focuses on the creation of a new forum: Process Simulation. This forum should be ranked in my opinion under the Chemical Engineers section.

You could consider dropping some of the existing forums in Engineering Computer Programs:
Aspen Technology products, Chempute Software products, Hyprotech products, SIMSCI products and WinSim Inc. products

Kind regards
Joerd

<unquote>


Cheers,
Joerd

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