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Jump Start: Aspen Utilities Planner V8
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Interface Layout and Flowsheet Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Variable Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Running a Flowsheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Optimization of Utilities Schedule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Specify Database Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Specify Demand, Availability, Cost Constraints, and Utility Contracts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...9
Executing Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Microsoft Excel Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Additional Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
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Jump Start: Aspen Utilities Planner V8
Introduction
In the process industry, utilities are supremely important to the functionality of a plant. Utilities provide the heating and
cooling, electricity, fuel, etc. used by machinery to ensure continued generation of a process desired product.
Plants have a variety of options available in terms of acquiring utilities. Oftentimes, utility commodities are able to be
purchased and imported from an outside source, while some plants may choose to implement methods of producing their
own utilities, depending on cost. With many utility options available, choosing a schedule that has the correct blend
between purchasing and producing utilities to minimize cost becomes exceedingly challenging.
Aspen Utilities Planner is a tool that can be used to solve this coordination problem. Users can model the required utilities
system for a process, as well as specify the quantity and timeframe of when utilities are needed. From a designated utility
purchasing contract, Aspen Utilities Planner will optimize around utility need to find the cheapest method of acquirement,
whether it be through in-plant production, outside purchase, or a combination of the two.
This is not meant to be used as a stand-alone reference document. We recommend that a range of other resources be
called upon to give the new user a comprehensive view of how to use Aspen Utilities Planner. These may include:
AspenTech support website (support.aspentech.com)
AspenTech courseware available on-line and in-person
AspenTech business consultants
This document covers operation of Aspen Utilities Planner V8. It assumes that the user has Aspen Utilities Planner V8 or
higher installed on a computer.
Figure 1: Location of Process Flowsheet Window, Model Palette, and Simulation Explorer
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Utility models can be placed in the flowsheet window by selecting the appropriate option from the model palette,
according to a users specific utility requirement, then scrolling up to the flowsheet and clicking. Included in the model
palette are blocks labeled Feeds and Demands. If a utility supply is being brought into the plant externally, a feed block
should be placed in the flowsheet. Similarly, a demand block represents an output of a utility needed for use in a plant.
Once the model blocks have been placed, all appropriate streams must be connected. On the left-hand side of the model
palette are the stream options that include fuel, steam, power, air, connection, and control. Shown in Figure 2 is a sample
flowsheet showing an example utilities set up for a plant.
It is important to connect the appropriate stream type with its corresponding port on a block. Placing an incorrect stream
between two blocks will result in a simulation error when attempting to run a model. For this reason, the user must only
use fuel, power, steam, and air streams when constructing a flowsheet in Aspen Utilities Planner.
When connecting streams to certain blocks, the user will be prompted to select from a menu of possible port options. For
example, for a steam stream exiting a boiler, the user is asked to distinguish the connection as being a blowdown port or
steam outlet port. This menu of options is shown in Figure 3. It is important to choose the appropriate option in order to
have a correct simulation.
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Another example of having to choose between port types occurs when connecting a steam stream to the outlet port of a
steam header block. The exit stream can be connected as either a water outlet port, blowdown port, or steam outlet,
shown in Figure 4.
Ensure that all streams and ports are properly placed and definedthen continue to input simulation variables.
Variable Input
In an Aspen Utilities Planner simulation, the user has the option to set variables as Fixed or Free. By fixing a variable, the
user provides a specific value to which a variable must adhere. The free variables are adjusted in a simulation such that the
fixed variables are met, if feasible.
To adjust the variables in a simulation, click on a block to open its corresponding summary table. Figure 5 displays the
summary table for the steam feed block. While Aspen Utilities Planner does allow the user to modify variables in a stream
summary table, it is advised to only make value adjustments in block summary tables.
Values in the summary tables can be adjusted by clicking and highlighting the existing value, and then typing in the new
desired quantity. To adjust a variable as free or fixed, click the appropriate box under the Spec heading and a scroll menu
appears. Select either Free or Fixed as it pertains to the simulation being modeled. Note that the Initial option is only
intended for a dynamic simulation and thus should not be selected in a steady state simulation.
For fuel feeds, Aspen Utilities Planner is capable of calculating fuel properties given a provided fuel composition. To initiate
this, open the summary table for a fuel feed block, and select yes under the value box next to the
CalculatePropsFromComp listing, shown below. Once yes is selected, the summary table expands to include the mass
fractions of various fuel components. Once the fuel composition is specified, the mass and mole flowrates, the Cv , and
molecular weight values for the fuel will be updated upon running the simulation.
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Aspen Utilities Planner model is built on an equation oriented system. As a result, the number of free variables must be
equal to the number of equations specified by the model, commonly referred to as a square system. Some model
variables must be specified in order to keep the model square. In order to know how many fixed variables must be set to
run a simulation, Aspen Utilities Planner displays an indicator at the bottom of the program, below the models palette. A
green square, shown in Figure 7, represents a sufficient number of fixed variables being set.
If too few variables are fixed, a downward pointing red arrow is displayed. Similarly, if too many variables are fixed, an
upward pointing red arrow is displayed. These situations are shown in the following figures.
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Running a Flowsheet
Once all variables are specified as fixed or free, click the run button circled below. By running the flowsheet, the free
variables are calculated based on the model equations and the values input for the fixed variables. Results of a run can be
viewed by clicking on individual blocks or streams, which brings up the respective summary table for the item selected.
To begin optimization, select the Optimization option from the Aspen Utilities Planner dropdown menu, and the click
Editors. This will bring up the data editors window in which optimization constraints can be set.
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In this window, the demand and availability profiles are viewed by selecting the appropriate option under the Profile
section, shown below.
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After the database locations have been properly specified, click OK to accept the changes. Then, click Yes when
prompted to save data before changing databases. After importing databases, a demand and availability profile will
appear, allowing you to edit.
To start a new blank flowsheet, a new set of blank databases should be used. They can be downloaded from Aspen
Utilities Online Training Page or downloaded directly from the AspenTech support website using solution ID: 135845. The
blank database templates location in the Online Training Page is shown in Figure 15.
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The user is then prompted to choose whether to edit the demand profile, availability profile, or the cost profile for a utility.
Use the demand profile to define fixed utility demand such as steam, fuel and power consumption, utility creation from a
production process, or any utility stream variable that cannot be varied in the optimization, such as ambient temperature
used to correct the gas turbine performance.
The availability profile is used to model capacity constraints on utilities equipment, such as steam production from a
boiler, power generation from a gas turbine, etc., or the availability of a piece of equipment (i.e. a boiler must be in service
for a safety reason, a steam turbine is out of service for a period due to the maintenance schedule, etc.).
The cost profile must be defined in order to connect the utility contracts to a particular port and block in the flowsheet. The
following figures show constraints to optimize the cost of operating the boiler and producing high pressure steam in the process
from Figure 2, with set production limits of high pressure steam and restricted availability of power to the boiler.
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After adding constraints, tariff contracts should be constructed by clicking the Tariff icon in the Data Editors window.
Figure 20 shows a sample tariff contract in two tiers where natural gas is purchased for consumption. Tier 1 of the contract
specifies that the natural gas cost is 5 cost units for a rate of up to 100 tonnes per hour, while in tier 2, the natural gas
price rises to 10 cost units for any rate over 100 tonnes per hour.
When finished setting up the demand, availability, cost profiles, and the tariff schedule, save the profile by clicking the
Save option and then click the Commit option followed by Apply to continue optimization of the utilities schedule.
Executing Optimization
When finished setting up and saving optimization constraints, execute the optimization by selecting the Optimization
option from the Aspen Utilities Planner dropdown menu, and then click Optimize Flowhsheet, as shown below. The
results of the optimization can then be seen by double clicking a stream or block in the flowsheet and viewing updated
summary tables, introduced in the Variable Input section of this guide.
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After enabling macros, load the Aspen Utilities add-in by opening the File menu in Excel, and selecting Options. In the
Options screen, select Add-Ins, and click the Go... button. This brings up the Add-Ins window in which Excel add-ins
can be selected or unselected. To import the Aspen Utilities add-in, click browse, then locate the Aspen Utilities Planner
folder on the computers C: drive. Click the bin folder, and then open the Utilities270 add-in file. The Aspen Utilities
Planner add-in will now be able to be added in the Add-Ins window.
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After loading the Aspen Utilities add-in, select the Add-Ins option on the Excel taskbar. To open an Aspen Utilities
Planner simulation, click the Aspen Utilities add-in drop down menu, click Open Aspen Utilities, and select a simulation.
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After opening an Aspen Utilities Planner file, return to the Aspen Utilities drop down menu, and scroll over the
Simulation option to select Load Simulation Links. This brings up a prompt informing that the Simulation Links
spreadsheet cannot be found. Click Yes to create the Simulation Links sheet.
On the simulation links sheet, two tables appear. The left-hand side table allows the user to set simulation values in Excel
to be sent to the utilities simulation in Aspen Utilities Planner. The right-hand side table retrieves values from a simulation
to be displayed. In order to control which variables and values are shown in the tables, use the toolbar above the
spreadsheet. The left portion of the toolbar is used for the left-hand side table, and the right portion of the toolbar is used
for the right-hand side table.
First, select the appropriate model in the Model Names drop down menu and then press the corresponding Load
Variables button. This will populate the Variable Names drop down menu. Selecting a model and variable will place both
in the corresponding spreadsheet along with a value. Shown below is a layout of the simulation links sheet, along with
sample tables showing current values of variables from a simulation and new values for these variables to be sent to
Aspen Utilities Planner.
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Figure 29: Simulation Links Spreadsheet with Data Retrieved from Aspen Utilities Planner
After inputting information into the Simulation Links flowsheet, return to the Aspen Utilities drop down menu. Scroll over
the Simulation optionselecting Send Values will input the values from the Send Values to Aspen Utilities table and
runs a new simulation, while Get Latest Values will update the Retrieve latest values from Aspen Utilities table.
Scroll to the Optimization option in the Aspen Utilities drop down menu and select Editors to create the Energy Cost
Summary, Demand, and Availability sheets. Here, input information regarding the demand, availability, and cost profiles to
perform an optimization by way of Excel. Sample sheets are shown in the following figures.
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After setting up the Simulation Links and Optimization tables, the Simulate Flowsheet or Optimize Flowsheet options from
the Aspen Utilities drop down menu can be run.
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Once the simulation and optimization are executed, many users typically develop custom worksheets in Excel to display
the results by connecting the cells to the corresponding cells in the Simulation Links worksheet or optimization
worksheets (Energy Cost Summary, Demand, and Availability). A sample custom worksheet is shown below in Figure 35.
Figure 35: Example Custom Excel Worksheet Developed to Display Optimization Results
Additional Resources
Public Website:
http://www.aspentech.com/products/aspen-utilities-planner.aspx
Online Training:
http://www.aspentech.com/products/aspen-online-training
Online Brochures:
http://www.aspentech.com/brochures/Aspen_Utilities.pdf
On-Demand Webinars:
http://www.youtube.com/user/aspentechnologyinc
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About AspenTech
AspenTech is a leading supplier of software that optimizes process manufacturingfor energy, chemicals,
pharmaceuticals, engineering, and construction, and other industries that manufacture and produce
products from a chemical process. With integrated aspenONE solutions, process manufacturers can
implement best practices for optimizing their engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain operations.
As a result, AspenTech customers are better able to increase capacity, improve margins, reduce costs, and
become more energy efficient. To see how the worlds leading process manufacturers rely on AspenTech
to achieve their operational excellence goals, visit www.aspentech.com.
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