Honors Theses

Date of Award

Spring 5-9-2020

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Chemical Engineering

First Advisor

Alexander Lopez

Second Advisor

Esteban Ureña-Benavides

Third Advisor

Adam Smith

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Process Engineering is all about making sure a raw material can become the desired product with as little variation as possible, while achieving the customer's specifications. Many equipment used for chemical processes cannot be physically inspected during operation at steady state, hence, the need for simulation software. The objective of this study was to compare the results of three different simulation packages to evaluate their efficacy within process design.

This study focused on the economic analysis of the production of Ethylbenzene using various models. The base case variables were inputted into each model to simulate the calculations for a fully functioning operation. This model case was then optimized to yield a discrete optimum for conversion of benzene to ethylbenzene. Results and accuracy were determined based on the intricate assumptions made by the simulation software and the highest economic value.

It was found that the Excel result from using the ideal gas equations for the chemical reactions resulted in the least accurate results. This result was mainly attributed to the inaccurate assumption that the gases were monatomic and that they exhibit no attractive forces. The PRO/II simulation yielded more accurate results because mass and energy balance calculations accounted for non-ideal gas behavior. The SimCentral results could not be gotten due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Comments

Process Engineering is all about making sure a raw material can become the desired product with as little variation as possible, while achieving the customer's specifications. Many equipment used for chemical processes cannot be physically inspected during operation at steady state, hence, the need for simulation software. \textbf{The objective of this study was to compare the results of three different simulation} packages to evaluate their efficacy within process design.
This study focused on the economic analysis of the production of Ethylbenzene using various models. The base case variables were inputted into each model to simulate the calculations for a fully functioning operation. This model case was then optimized to yield a discrete optimum for conversion of benzene to ethylbenzene. Results and accuracy were determined based on the intricate assumptions made by the simulation software and the highest economic value.
It was found that the Excel result from using the ideal gas equations for the chemical reactions resulted in the least accurate results. This result was mainly attributed to the inaccurate assumption that the gases were monatomic and that they exhibit no attractive forces. The PRO/II simulation yielded more accurate results because mass and energy balance calculations accounted for non-ideal gas behavior. The SimCentral results could not be gotten due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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