FUNDAMENTALS OF STEADY STATE FLOWSHEETING

1 General approach
2 Unit Operations
3 Thermodynamics
4 Control structures
 DEGREES OF FREEDOM ANALYSIS
• The degrees o f freedom analysis (DOF) allows the user to determine
the variables needed to be specified to execute a simulation.
• In steady state simulation the degrees of freedom are the number of
variables that must be assigned to solve the non-linear algebraic
system describing the operational unit.
• Here we adopt the approach called variable-minus-equations, in
which DOF is equal with the number of variables N v minus the
number of independent equations Neq :
• Streams
• Let's consider a process stream containing Are components, single-
phase or multi-phase shown in figure.
 DEGREES OF FREEDOM ANALYSIS
• Streams
• A single-phase stream without reaction is specified by (Nc+2)
variables.
• These may be the partial mass flows (molar or weight units), or the
composition for (Nc-I) components plus the total flow rate, as well as
P and T.
• The phase condition can be determined by flash computation.
• Table illustrates the analysis for a multi-phase stream of flow rate F
with Nc components split in Fj (j=l, ..., p) phases, each of composition
x 0 . By counting the variables and the equations it is found that DOF
= Nc + 2.
• The result is identical with the DOF for a mono-phase stream.
• The explanation is that the composition of each phase at equilibrium
is 'implicitly' determined by means of the K-factors, although these
are function of composition, pressure and temperature.
 DEGREES OF FREEDOM ANALYSIS
• Streams
 DEGREES OF FREEDOM ANALYSIS
Unit Operations
1. Mixer/Splitter
2. Flash operations
3. Heat exchangers
4. Reactors
5. Equilibrium-stage separation
6. One feed, two products distillation column
Flowsheet