Great Plains ASPEN model development: Rectisol Plant. Final topical report

Technical Report · Fri Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5834002

Kirman, J J; Stern, S S

An ASPEN model has been developed of the Rectisol Plant, Section 1400. The basis for this model is the process description given in Section 6.10 of Great Plains Project Management Plan, and the Lummus Rectisol Schematic Flow Diagram, Dwg. No. SK D-7102-IE-2. Published literature and commercial brochures distributed by the Lotepro Corp. also were used. The Rectisol plant simulation is divided into two models: (1) a Main Sequence for the absorption, flash regeneration, hot regeneration, and gas scrubbing operation, and (2) a Methanol Recovery Sequence for the multiple flashing and distillation trains for the recovery of methanol from two major effluent streams from the Main Sequence. The model for the Main Sequence is rather robust. This is exemplified by several case studies wherein seven parameters were varied without changing the initial guesses, and a series of converged results were obtained for all runs. These case studies concerned: H/sub 2/S in feed gas, H/sub 2/S concentration in the off gas, H/sub 2/S concentration in the bottoms of the Hot Stripper, flow rate of the flash-regenerated intermediate methanol, temperature of the lean methanol, moisture specification for the vapor from the prewash section, and separation factors for the operations of the Methanol Recovery Section. The Methanol Recovery Sequence model is not particularly robust with respect to the distillation blocks. Care must be applied in specifying the values (reflux ratios, bottoms or distillate flow rates, recovery fractions, etc.) used in the COL-SPEC or FORTRAN control blocks to avoid conditions for which convergence is difficult or impossible. Significant amounts of methanol are left in the effluent streams; this indicates a need for optimization. Of particular note is the failure of the simulation to predict the existence of two liquid phases in the third flash that is labelled as Naphtha Extractor in the Lummus flowsheet. 64 references.

• Research Organization: Scientific Design Co., Inc., New York (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC21-82MC19163
• OSTI ID: 5834002
• Report Number(s): DOE/MC/19163-1780; ON: DE85003387
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010404* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Gasification
ALCOHOLS
CHALCOGENIDES
COAL GASIFICATION PLANTS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DIAGRAMS
FLOWSHEETS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN SULFIDES
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
METHANOL
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
RECOVERY
RECTISOL PROCESS
SIMULATION
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS