1. Introduction to SuperPro Designer for Batch Processing Modelling

2. Session outline Getting started SuperPro Designer (SPD) interface
Flowsheet drawing and editing
Unit procedures initialisation
Simulation execution & result checking

3. Getting started

4. Process Operation Mode
BATCH vs
CONTINUOUS
Default annual operating time

5. SuperPro Designer Interface
Maximise the flowsheet

6. SuperPro Designer Interface
Horizontal drawing size : 2 pages

7. Some common icons Solve-Run the simulation Cut / Copy / Paste
Select mode
Open an existing worksheet
Connect mode-stream connection
Start a new worksheet
Toolbar for drawing

8. Main unit procedure in SPD
Distillation
Flash
Batch
Continuous
Extraction Distillation
Mixer-Settler
Differential
Centrifugal
Absorption
Homogenization
High pressure
Bead milling
Nano milling
Sedimentation
Decanting
Clarification
Thickening
Oil Separation
Flotation
Filtration
Microfiltration
Ultrafiltration RO
Diafiltration
Baghouse
Air Filtration
Plate & Frame
Rotary vacuum
Vessel Procedure
Reactor
Seed Reactor
Fermentor
Seed Fermentor
Air-lift Fermentor
Continuous Reaction (Stoichiometric, kinetic, equilibrium)
CSTR
PFR
Environmental (aerobic,
anaerobic, UV radiation)

9. Unit Procedure in SPD

10. Biochemical case study
Component registration
View component properties

11. Biochemical Case Study

12. Case Study 1
A batch reactor is utilised to produce component C from reactant A and B:
Component C is later separated from A and B by a batch plate &frame filter
Solvent used : Heptane (soluble for A and B but insoluble for C)
Task to be performed :
Mass and energy balances
Process Scheduling
A + B C

13. Component registration
Component Database
Nitrogen, N2 Default
Oxygen, O2 Default
Water, H2O Default
Heptane, C7H Designer
A New (user define)
B New (user define)
C New (used define)

14. Component registration
Databanks in SuperPro
Default component

15. Component registration
Newly added
Reference
component

16. View component properties

17. Editing component properties
Component MW Price Value ($/kg)
A Purchase 10
B Purchase 15
C Selling
Let’s do changes before we proceed

18. Time to save your work

19. Always remember to save your work!
Reminder…
Always remember to save your work!

20. Flowsheet drawing and editing
Locating the unit procedures
Stream connection
Editing the flowsheet

21. Unit Procedures

22. Looking for help (F1)

23. Unit Procedures

24. Adding a process stream
Select mode
Connect-mode
Stream connection
Single click
(tip: Press ESC button to terminate the stream drawing)

25. Deleting a stream Make sure the cursor is in
“Select Mode” (ESC button)
Single left click on the stream/unit (turn
into read) & press DELETE (on keyboard)

26. Completing the flowsheet
Double click
Single click
Single click

27. Let’s draw our flowsheet before we proceed further……

28. Editing a stream elbow Make sure the cursor is in
Make sure the cursor is in “Select Mode” (Esc button)
Make sure the cursor is in
“Select Mode” (ESC button)
Stream elbow

30. Editing tag name of the stream

31. Changing the Stream ID Stream ID Change ID to S-101 Heptane S-102 A
S B
S Emission
S Rxt out
S Wash in
S C
S B+ Heptane
S Wash out
Let’s do changes before we proceed

32. Editing the style of a stream
Change Stream thickness: 2pt
Change stream colour: brown

33. Changing the stream title and style
Stream Colour Thickness
Heptane Brown 2 points
A Brown 2 points
B Brown 2 points
Emission Green 1 points
Rxt out Brown 2 points
Wash in Blue 1 points
C Brown 2 points
B + Heptane Brown 2 ponts
Wash out Blue 1 points
Same style
(Q: is there
a faster way
to do so?)

34. Pickup style from “Heptane”

35. Apply style to another stream
Press Ctrl button to select multiple streams

36. Complete the style editing for the rest of the streams…

37. Editing the style of the icon
Apply the same pick-up & apply to
change the style of the filter
Icon colour : blue
Description tag text;
Font 10, bold, maroon

38. Adding a title to the case study
Text mode
This is too small
Change your font here

39. Save your work
Save file (s)

40. Initialising a Unit Procedure
What a Unit Procedure?
Initialising an Operation

41. What is a Unit Procedure?
In the batch modeling mode, a Unit Procedure may consists of various Operations:
Reactor procedure: feed charge, reaction, product withdraw, etc
Filtration procedure: filtration, cake wash, CIP, etc
In continuous modeling mode, a Unit Procedure= Unit Operation

42. Hierarchy in batch modeling
Entire plant
Procedure(s) level
The same for
continuous
process
modeling
Operation(s) level

43. Function of each unit procedure
Vessel Procedure (P-1):
Acts as a batch reactor to
carry out reaction:
A B C
Heptane is used to dissolve
components A & B,
to aid separation in P-2
Plate and Frame Filtration (P-2):
Component C is not dissolved in heptane, hence is filtered out
by the filter cloth
Heptane is used to wash out the trapped heptane ( and also the
dissolved A & B) from the filter cake

44. Stream specification Heptane flow = 800 kg/batch Ingredient flow
T, P = default
Click to insert
Heptane here

45. Set spec for Stream A & B Stream ID Component Amount (kg/batch)
Temperature Pressure
Heptane A B
800 50 40
Default

46. Working session
Do not forget to save your work !!!

47. A question to ponder…
Q: Why do we only specify the inlet stream?

48. Sequential modular approach
Individual equipment blocks may require iterative solution algorithms
Overall process solution is sequential & not iterative
(Turton et al., 1998)

49. Adding operations to P-1
3 Charge operation (to
charge A, B and
heptane respectively)
1 React (Stoichiometric)
operation (for reaction
to be carried out)
1 Transfer Out
operation (to deliver
product to next unit)

50. Adding operations to P-1
Add new operation
before the currently
selected operation
Add new operation
at the end of the list

51. Initialising operations in P-1

52. Initialising CHARGE-1 Emission calculation (next slide…)
800 kg heptane
Vol. flowrate
=100 L/min
Setup time =
5 min

53. Emission calculation Click to perform emission calculation
Go to selected
operation
OK, next operation
(CHARGE-2)
Previous operation
(same tab –none)
Next operation
(same tab)
OK, previous
Operation (none)

54. Initialising CHARGE operation
Operating condition
Emission
CHARGE-1
Charge 800kg/batch of heptane using stream “Heptane”
Setup time= 5 min
Process time : 100L/min
Perform heptane emission on this stream
CHARGE-2
Charge 50 kg/batch of A (limiting component) using Stream “A”
Setup time = 5min
Process time: calculated based on 20 kg/min
Nil
CHARGE-3
Charge 40/kg batch of B using Stream “B” (B is in excess)
Setup time = 5 min
Process time : calculated based on 20 kg/min
Please complete the initialisation of CHARGE-2 & CHARGE-3

55. Initialising REACT-1 & TRANSFER-OUT-1
Operation
Operating condition
Volumes
Reaction
REACT-1
Final temp = 50 °C
Heat transfer agent: steam
Process time = 6 hour
Leave other values as defaults
Max Allowable working/ vessel volume: 80 %
Extent of reaction = 95 %
Reaction stoichiometry
A + B C
TRANSFER-OUT-1
Using stream “Rxt out”
Duration: same as Cloth Filtration in P-2 (using Master-Slave Relationship)
Nil

56. Initilising REACT-1 in P-1
Final temp = 50 °C
Max allowable volume
= 80 %
Steam
Process time
= 6 h

57. Initialising REACT-1 in P-1
Edit reaction
stoichiometry
Rename reaction
Reaction
extent = 95 %
Add reaction(s)
OK, next operation
(Transfer-out)
Molar
stoichiometry
Delete
stoichiometry
(when needed)

58. Initialising Transfer Out
out stream
Click here to select
Master-and-Slave to
calculate duration
Select the Master
Procedure
Select the Master
Operation in
Master Procedure
To quit Vessel
Procedure

59. Master-Slave Relationship
Master operation – processing step that control the duration of
another operation (slave)
When simulation is executed, duration calculation for the slave
operation will be bypassed (note: M&E balances affected), until
the master operation is met
Both master and slave operation may exist in the same procedure
or in another procedure

60. Working session
Let’s try before we proceed further…

61. Initialising operation for P-2
Cloth Filtration operation (by default, to filter product C)
Cake Wash operation (to wash out left over trapped A & B in filter cake)
Transfer Out operation (to deliver product)

62. Adding operations to P-2

63. Initialising operations for P-2

64. Initialising FILTER-1 Operation Operating condition Scheduling
Particulate component removal: 95% C (assuming that A & B are completely soluble in Heptane & C is virtually insoluble).
LOD (loss on drying) = 35% (this value cause a portion of heptane & any soluble component to be held in the wet cake % is insoluble C).
Filtrate stream: “B + Heptane”
By default, first operation of any batch unit procedure is scheduled to start at the beginning of the batch
Start time: relative to the START of TRANSFER-OUT-1 operation in P-1 procedure

65. Filtration will only start
Initialising FILTER-1
Scheduling
By default
C = 95%
removal
Filtration will only start
when product is
transferred out from P1
LOD = 35%
Filtrate

66. Initialising CAKE-WASH-1 & TRANSFER-OUT-1
Operation
Operation condition
CAKE-WASH-1
Wash In stream: “Wash in”
Wash Out stream: “Wash out”
Wash solvent: heptane (click on “Composition”, select “Auto-adjust”, the program will estimate a value automatically)
Wash time: 30 minutes
Wash type: slurry (Note: A “slurry” wash will essentially dilute the soluble components trapped in the cake and remove most of them in the wash stream, whereas a “displacement” wash will remove the soluble components form the cake in a plug-flow fashion.)
TRANSFER-OUT-1
Transfer out using stream “C”
Duration: calculated based on 10kg/min

67. Remember to save your file !
Working session
Remember to save your file !

68. Simulating a flowsheet
Execute the simulation
Viewing the results

69. Simulating a process:
Menu bar: Task/ Solve M&E balances
Press “Ctrl 3”
Solve icon in menu bar
Press “F9”

70. Result viewing
Calculated output variables for each oeration can be viewed by revisiting the corresponding Operation Data dialog windows
To see the calculated equipment sizes, right click on the unit procedure icon & choose the Equipment Data… option
The contents of a piece of equipment as a function of time can be viewed by right clicking on a unit procedure and selecting Equipment Contents or Operation Sequence
The calculated flowrates and compositions of intermediate & output streams can be viewed by in the Simulation Data dialog windows of each stream

71. Let’s visit the one by one…
Result viewing
5. A list of reports can be viewed in Reports:
Stream Reports (SR)
Economic Evaluation Report (EER)
Itemized Cost Report (ICR)
Cash Flow Report (CFR)
Throughput Analysis Report (THR)
Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIR)
Emission Reports (EMS)
Input Data Report (EDR)
Equipment Report (EQR)
Let’s visit the one by one…

72. Equipment operation data
Calculated heptane
emission: 0.028%

73. Equipment data
Calculated vessel
volume: 1628 L

74. Equipment content

75. Stream simulation data

76. Generating a stream report

77. Check your scheduling results
Reaction A B C MW
Initial content, miO (kg)
Initial mol, niO (kg-mol)
X= 95% (based on A)
Current mol, n (kg-mol)
Current content, m (kg)
nAO-nAOX
nBO-nBOX -
nAOX +

78. Check your scheduling result
Heptane charge =____kg/batch (stream specification)
Volumetric flowrate=___L/min (in Operation Data/CHARGE-1)
Task:
Find out the density of the heptane stream from your simulation sheet
Verify the heptane charging duration calculated by SPD heptane

79. Do not just take the computer’s word as it is, please check your results accordingly!!! Remember the GIGO principle