Jump Start Modeling Convective Dryers Aspen Plus

Jump Start: Modeling Convective Dryers
in Aspen Plus ® V8.0

A Brief Tutorial (and supplement to training and online documentation)
Julie Levine, Product Marketing, Aspen Technology, Inc.
Ajay Lakshmanan, Product Management, Aspen Technology, Inc.
Zachary Peers, Product Management, Aspen Technology, Inc.
© 2013 Aspen Technology, Inc. AspenTech®, aspenONE®, the Aspen leaf logo, the aspenONE logo, and OPTIMIZE are trademarks of Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. 11-2596-0113
Jump Start: Modeling Convective Dryers in Aspen Plus ® V8.0
Table of Contents
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Set Up Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Specify Solid Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Specify Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Specify Stream Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Select Moisture Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Create a Particle Size Distribution Mesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Build the Flow Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Select the Dryer Unit Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Define Streams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Define the Dryer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Define the Drying Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Analyze Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Additional Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1
Introduction
Solids process modeling with Aspen Plus provides an integrated solution for simulating processes containing solid phase
components. With the tools provided, it is easy to characterize and model these components and obtain reliable results
based on the world’s most comprehensive property database and proven simulation technology.
In this guide, we will talk about getting started with modeling convective dryers. Drying is often vital to the preservation of
the product or improvement of product quality. In addition, it is often one of the most heavily energy consuming steps in
processes involving solids. By rigorously modeling drying units, it is possible to cut energy use between 25-30%, thereby
substantially lowering plant operating costs.
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 solids modeling in Aspen Plus. These may include:
• AspenTech support website (support.aspentech.com)

• AspenTech courseware available in on-line and in-person versions
• AspenTech business consultants
This document covers convective dryer modeling in Aspen Plus. It assumes that the user has Aspen Plus V8.0 or higher
installed on her or his computer and some experience building process models.
Set Up Properties
All Aspen Plus simulations start in the properties environment, where you must properly select your components, units of
measure, and property sets. This guide will only discuss select steps that are relevant to this process. If you required a
more detailed tutorial, see Jump Start: Solids Modeling in Aspen Plus V8.0 (additional resources).
Specify Solid Components

When you specify a component, its default type is Conventional. However, in order to model solid components you must
change this to Solid (Figure 1).
2
Figure 1: Specify component as a solid
Specify Properties
It may be necessary to manually manage the properties of your solid components if they are different than those for
conventional processes. In the Navigation Pane, open the Methods form and select the base method. Under the
“Methods” folder, go to the “Parameters” folder and open the Pure Components form. Click “New…” (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Generate new property specification
Next, select what type of component parameters you want to specify: scalar, temperature-dependent, or nonconventional.
We will consider adding scalar components (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Build a scalar pure component parameter
Finally, fill in the resulting matrix of parameters as desired. Hover over items in
the dropdown list to see what the variables stand for (Figure 4).
3
Figure 4: Specify properties for desired compounds
Specify Stream Class

Once all of the property specifications are complete, you can move on to flow sheet specifications in the Simulation
Environment. In the “Setup” folder, open the Specifications form. Here, you must select an appropriate stream class. To
determine which is best, hover over the different choices on the dropdown menu to see suggestions (Figure 5). Typically,
MIXCIPSD is a good choice when conventional solids are present with a particle size distribution.
4
Figure 5: Specify stream class
Select Moisture Components

Moisture components are conventional components which can appear in solid substreams. In order to model a dryer, it is
necessary to specify the moisture components of the simulation. In the “Setup” folder, open the “Solids” form. On the
Solid Characterization tab find the section labeled “Moisture components.” Use the arrows to select from available
components (Figure 6).
Figure 6: Select moisture components
Create a Particle Size Distribution Mesh

In Aspen Plus, you can characterize solid streams using particle size distributions (PSD). PSD’s can be expressed as either
a list of values or a mathematical function. To perform PSD analysis, you must first create a mesh to characterize each
particular PSD.
On the PSD Mesh tab of the Solids form, either open the default PSD or select “New...” to generate additional meshes
(Figure 7). You can generate as many meshes as necessary to describe your different solid streams.
5
Figure 7: Edit a PSD mesh
There are four PSD mesh types (equidistant, geometric, logarithmic, and user) which use different methods to specify the
size of the mesh intervals (Figure 8). Later, you will have to define the actual PSD for each solid stream by filling in the
weight fractions of particles in each interval (either manually or by distribution function). Once you select a mesh type, fill
in the required inputs and click “Create PSD Mesh.”
Figure 8: Select PSD mesh type
6
Build the Flow Sheet

Select the Dryer Unit Operation
Now that you have set up all of the necessary properties, it is time to build the flow sheet. The Dryer unit operation is
located on the Solids tab of the Model Palette. There are several Dryer icons to choose from (Figure 9).
Figure 9: Select the Dryer unit operation
Define Streams
Once you have instantiated a Dryer, you must connect the appropriate streams. A convective dryer takes two input and
two output streams. The Feed and Product streams are respectively your wet and dried solid. You must also connect
streams for Inlet Gas and Exhaust, which represent the dry gas used to remove moisture from the Feed (Figure 10).
Figure 10: Required streams for a convective dryer
Open the form for the wet solid stream. You must define this stream using the specifications on both the Mixed and CI
Solid tabs because the stream has both fluid and solid components. On the CI Solid tab, do not forget to fill out the PSD
mesh with the weight fractions for solid particles in each interval (Figure 11). You can do this by either manually entering
values into the matrix, or using a specified distribution function.
7
Figure 11: Define wet solid stream on both Mixed and CI Solid tabs – Don’t forget to fill out the PSD mesh
Next you must define the dry gas stream. Because this stream has no solid components, you only have to fill out the
Mixed tab.
Define the Dryer

Open the form for the Dryer block. First, you must specify that this is a convective dryer under “Dryer type.” Next, fill out
the rest of the Specifications tab by defining the dryer’s heat loss and geometry. A typical convective dryer uses the
following assumptions:
• The dryer is adiabatic

• Solids travel in plug flow
• Gases travel in cross, co-current, or counter-current flow
• The moisture content and temperature are spatially constant in every particle
• The particles are ideally mixed in lateral direction
These specifications are represented in the sample form in Figure 12.
8
Figure 12: Select dryer type
Next, you have the option to adjust mass and heat transfer properties on the Mass/Heat Transfer tab (Aspen Plus
provides default values for these). To describe mass transfer, you can specify either the Sherwood number, mass transfer
coefficient, (mass transfer coefficient)*(surface area), or NTU (number transfer units). To describe heat transfer you can
either specify the Lewis number or heat transfer coefficient (Figure 13). You also have the option to calculate particle
shrinking.
Figure 13: Specify mass and heat transfer properties
9
Define the Drying Curve

When modeling a convective dryer in Aspen Plus, you must take into account the intraparticular drying resistances by
applying a normalized, single-particle drying curve. Drying curves describe the characteristics for a substance at specific
temperature, velocity, humidity, and pressure conditions. Navigate to the Drying Curve tab in the Dryer form and fill out
the required inputs. You have the option of generating your normalized drying curve model using either a function or user-
inputted data (Figure 14).
Figure 14: Define a normalized drying curve
The convective dryer specifications are now complete. If the rest of your simulation is ready, you can run it now.
Analyze Results
Once your model has run and converged, you can generate a number of different plots to visually analyze your results. To
do so, open the form for the dryer, navigate to the Plot group on the Home tab on the ribbon, and select the type of plot
you wish to create (Figure 15). The available plots for a Dryer include:
• PSD
• Solid Temperature
• Solid Moisture
• Total Evaporation
• Drying Curve
• Evaporation Rate
Figure 15: Select a plot type
10
Note: Available plot types are contextual, so in order to see these options you must be
on the Dryer form.
Figures 16 and 17 show samples of a solid moisture plot and a temperature profile for a typical convective dryer.
Figure 16: Solid moisture profile
Figure 17: Solid temperature profile
11
Additional Resources
For further information on Activated Analysis please consult:
Public Website:
www.aspentech.com/products/aspen-plus
www.aspentech.com/products/solids
Online Training:
www.aspentech.com/products/aspen-online-training
Jump Start Tutorials Series

Jump Start: Solids Process Modeling in Aspen Plus V8:
www.aspentech.com/SolidsJumpStart/
Jump Start: Solids Process Modeling for Experienced Aspen Plus Users:
www.aspentech.com/SolidsModeling-ExperiencedUsers/
12
About AspenTech
AspenTech is a leading supplier of software that optimizes process manufacturing—for energy, chemicals,
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 world’s leading process manufacturers rely on AspenTech to
achieve their operational excellence goals, visit www.aspentech.com.
Worldwide Headquarters
Aspen Technology, Inc.
200 Wheeler Road
Burlington, MA 01803
United States
phone: +1–781–221–6400
fax: +1–781–221–6410
info@aspentech.com
Regional Headquarters
Houston, TX | USA
phone: +1–281–584–1000
São Paulo | Brazil
phone: +55–11–3443–6261
Reading | United Kingdom
phone: +44–(0)–1189–226400
Singapore | Republic of Singapore
phone: +65–6395–3900
Manama | Bahrain
phone: +973–17–50–3000
© 2013 Aspen Technology, Inc. AspenTech®, aspenONE®, the Aspen leaf logo, the aspenONE logo, and OPTIMIZE are trademarks of Aspen For a complete list of offices, please visit
Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. 11-2596-0113 www.aspentech.com/locations

Jump Start Modeling Convective Dryers Aspen Plus

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Jump Start Modeling Convective Dryers Aspen Plus

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Jump Start: Modeling Convective Dryers

in Aspen Plus ® V8.0

• AspenTech support website (support.aspentech.com)

Specify Solid Components

Figure 1: Specify component as a solid

Figure 2: Generate new property specification

Figure 3: Build a scalar pure component parameter

Figure 4: Specify properties for desired compounds

Specify Stream Class

Figure 5: Specify stream class

Select Moisture Components

Figure 6: Select moisture components

Create a Particle Size Distribution Mesh

Figure 7: Edit a PSD mesh

Figure 8: Select PSD mesh type

Build the Flow Sheet

Figure 9: Select the Dryer unit operation

Figure 10: Required streams for a convective dryer

Define the Dryer

• The dryer is adiabatic

Figure 12: Select dryer type

Figure 13: Specify mass and heat transfer properties

Define the Drying Curve

Figure 14: Define a normalized drying curve

Figure 15: Select a plot type

Figure 16: Solid moisture profile

Figure 17: Solid temperature profile

Jump Start Tutorials Series

You might also like