MOST
USEFUL SOFTWARE IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
The chemical engineering field is constantly changing, and so are
available calculation tools and software packages. In short everyday life, it
is a considerable challenge for a chemical engineer to know which tool can
serve best for solving a particular problem. Nevertheless, the different
packages can solve typical issues in mass and energy balance, fluid mechanics,
heat and mass transfer, unit operations, reactor engineering, and process and
equipment design and control.
MS Excel
Microsoft Office Excel is a spreadsheet application that includes
calculations, graphics tools, tables, and a macro programming language - Visual
Basic. The main advantage of Excel is that it is available and used in industry
and academia. Thus, it is a perfect tool or interfaces to perform calculations
and connect different software so that the end user can interact with Excel.
Behind the scenes, other software, such as CHEMCAD, MATLAB, etc., is running
and reporting the results back to Excel.
·
Built-in
functions and formulas
– A large number of built-in functions are defined, such as statistical (MEAN,
AVERAGE, t-test), algebraic (SUM, ROUND, LOG, LOG10), logical (IF, FALSE,
etc.), references, database, and information. These are easily used in different
types of formulas.
- Column
and row operations – It is easy to find and sort data and use it
in replicated formulas etc.
- Solver is the tool used within Excel to solve a set of equations and
problem optimisation, including data collection to a given linear and
nonlinear equation numerically. Solver is an add-in that requires
activation.
- Building
functions in Visual Basic for Applications - Excel has built-in capability to generate customised parts
using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). This powerful tool can save
time for you without becoming an expert in programming as it opens the
possibility to run loops and conditionals in the background. This
capability also allows the user to build relatively large equations in
several areas of the worksheet (e.g., polynomials for estimating specific
components' heat). Finally, it enables the user to read the calculations
easily when looking at the formulas in the cells.
Excel has become a standard package, so several other specialised
software use it as a source of information to report data since it is more
user-friendly. So we can use the information in
Excel to load it into MATLAB, HYSYS or CHEMCAD or send it back to Excel.
MATLAB: What is it?
Matlab is a software package that analyses and solves mathematical and
engineering problems, including numerical computation, advanced graphics,
visualisation, and a high-level programming language. It was developed by the
mathematical computing software industry Mathworks in 1984. MATLAB treats all
variables as matrices. The Matrix-based MATLAB language is the world's natural
way to express computational mathematics.
MATLAB- MATrix LABoratory
Features of Matlab:
Matlab toolboxes are used for a variety of applications in various
domains:
1. Statistics and Machine Learning: Handy for programmers, algorithms
can also be used for big data applications.
2. Curve fitting: Helps to analyse the pattern of occurrence of data
after a particular future trend. One can also do Integration, derivation, and
interpolation.
3. Electric Vehicle Designing: Modelling and Designing of Electric
Vehicle are done, and speed comparison of a motor can also be made using these
tools.
4. Deep learning: These tools can also be used in applications like
speech recognition, financial fraud reduction, and medical image analysis.
5. Image processing: Barcode Scanner, Image Enhancement, and digital
Image processing applications can be made using this tool.
6. Financial Analysis: Elements such as profitability, solvency,
liquidity, and stability can be identified and can evaluate business and cost
of capital.
7. Signal Processing: Transforms such as Laplace, Fourier and
Z-transform can be done on any signal, and any theorems can be evaluated.
Why use Matlab?
In chemical engineering, one can obtain the solution to every unsteady
problem from differential equations with appropriate boundary conditions. Heat,
mass, and momentum balance are in a differential equation. MATLAB can be used
as a tool for solving differential equations. It is used in designing
industrial equipment and structure with 3-dimensional visuals. It is used to
generate various graphs in 2d and 3d. In any chemical industry, modelling and
simulation play a significant role in designing any process or equipment.
MATLAB is useful, from designing the reactor to modelling a method for reaching
its desired output. MATLAB can do different types of modelling and simulations.
Modelling means representing your system or process in a mathematical format.
Simulation means executing your model for an assumed operating condition
starting from initial values repeatedly until you achieve your desired output
value. You can find the appropriate functional state for your desired output
through this.
Industries using Matlab
It is helpful for the research and development process in:
- aerospace
- electronics
- automotive
- communications
- Industrial
automation industries
- Oil
and gas
CHEMCAD
CHEMCAD: What it is?
CHEMCAD is an integrated software suite to simulate a precise chemical
process that affects the flow of chemical engineering work and is highly costly
for engineer efficiency. But, perhaps most importantly, it continues to evolve
to meet the ever-increasing needs of chemical engineers.
Why use CHEMCAD?
CHEMCAD is built to empower the role of chemical engineers across the
industry. Improve their design, analysis, and testing skills to drive
productivity across their organisations. With flexible pricing options, we have
a solution to balance all needs.
CHEMCAD allows you to meet the ever-increasing demands of chemical
engineering work, reflecting our simulation software's in-depth and flexible
design.
And our outstanding technical support engineers make your CHEMCAD
knowledge seamless. They are committed to helping you maximise the benefits of
software simulation for large and small projects.
Features of CHEMCAD
- Workplace
to create and work with Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs).
- A
message window is showing diagnostics as you work through simulation.
- CHEMCAD
Explorer window that simplifies navigation simulation.
- Pallet
window for easy access to drop and drop on unit function and symbols.
- It
consists of a toolbar that provides easy access to standard parts.
Industries Using CHEMCAD
CHEMCAD is an affordable solution that supports many applications - from
research and development to design, implementation and education. CHEMCAD has
established itself as an essential tool for understanding and production in
many industries like:
- Bioprocessing
- Oil
and gas
- Medicine
- Sustainability
- Education
- Manufacturing
equipment
Aspen HYSYS
Aspen HYSYS is an industry-leading simulation software developed by
AspenTech and used to model mathematical processes, from unit operations to
complete chemical plants and cleaning facilities. It is capable of performing
many basic chemical engineering calculations, including those related to high
balance, energy balance, fluid vapour balance, heat transfer, mass transfer,
chemical kinetics, separation, and pressure reduction. It is widely used in
industry and the studies of stable and flexible simulation, process design,
performance modelling, and efficiency.
- Easy
to Operate: The Aspen tool provides the advantage or power to enable PFDs
better to understand plant performance concepts of the plant design
process or personal processes is a great user interaction software.
- Thermodynamics
Activity: Aspen provides a high standard of practice for related concepts.
Aspen provides good computation in calculating the material and the
Transport Phenomena of liquid and gas (regarding their region in terms of
processing conditions and operating parameters).
- Concepts
of unit operation: Aspen Provides calculations that cover almost the
entire unit operation process, such as partitions, heat dissipation,
transport (separator, temperature changer), and surrounding materials.
- Provide
the option of the Heat Switch Size: complied with an alternative such as
the Heat Switch Measurement based on their types.
- Aspen
integrates the links with the TASC shell with a heat transfer tube design.
- It
links with MUSE for multilateral exchange design.
- ACOL
air cooling connectors.
Industries using Aspen HYSYS:
Aspen HYSYS is the energy industry's leading process simulation software
that's used for process optimisation in design and operations by:
- Bulk
chemicals
- Specifically
chemical
- Pharmaceuticals
- Polymers
- Food
and beverages
- Transportation
- Oil and gas
DWISM
DWSIM is an open-source CAPE-OPEN compliant component of the chemical
processor simulator for Windows, Linux, and macOS. DWSIM is built on Microsoft
.NET and Mono Platforms and includes Graphical User Interface (GUI), advanced
thermodynamics statistics, response support, and petroleum simulation /
hypothetical component production tools.
DWSIM can simulate steady-state, vapour-liquid, vapour-liquid-liquid,
solid-liquid, and aqueous electrolyte balance processes with the Thermodynamic
Models and Unit Operations. It provides unit measurement equipment involved in
operations such as separators, temperature switches, rotating equipment -
pumps.
DWSIM is very simple to use and has an excellent flow chart in which we
can add material and energy flows and various unit operations. Adding
properties to the input streams then allows DWSIM to calculate the property
values of the output streams. It's no exaggeration to say that a chemical
engineer can start using DWSIM within a few hours, but it may take several
weeks to reach a certain level of expertise.
DWSIM also has compatible graph editing capabilities. DWSIM allows you
to import the information of other companies instead of its website. This
software gives the same result when compared to other commercial simulation
packages.
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is the computer simulation of fluid
flow behaviour in and around complex geometries, usually involving heat and
mass transfer reaction phenomena. The simulation predicts flow fields and
stress profiles in the region of interest, which is very useful in designing
and optimising processes and equipment.
Basic subjects for CFD Modelling: Mathematics, Physics of flows, computer
Science, and Experimental data for evaluation.
In general, CFD analysis involves three main phases:
· Pre-processing
· Solving
· Post-processing
Why use CFD?
An increase in the complexity of the product; there is also an increase
in the number of physics, which means that you need to consider some additional
physics that requires other analyses than just structural modelling. One that
is growing in importance is CFD or Computational Fluid Dynamics.
"Computational fluid dynamics is the rapidly developing science of
numerically solving the equations of fluid motion to make quantitative
predictions and analyses of fluid flow phenomena. When appropriately used, CFD
is often ideal for parametric studies or flow physics investigations that would
otherwise be impractical or impossible through purely theoretical or
experimental efforts. In addition, it can help you avoid some of the most
common problems during product development that lead to failure.
Advantages of CFD analysis
·
The cost of analysis is low compared
to experiments.
·
Provide detailed information.
·
CFD analysis requires less time to
obtain results than experimental for most complex cases. Therefore, wind
tunnels are getting replaced by CFD simulations in many universities and
industries.
·
CFD analysis is an effective method
for design optimisation in many automotive, aerospace and chemical industries.
·
Conducting a wind tunnel test is
expensive and requires much time for the experimental setup.
·
We cannot fix probes or sensors to measure
velocity and pressure at all locations for experimental measurements.
Industries using CFD
CFD solution/modelling is used in different industries for different
analytical capabilities. Some of the main sectors where CFD simulations are used
are:
· Aerospace / Aeronautics
· Automotive or Automobile
· Building HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning)
· Chemical / Petrochemicals
· Energy / Power Generation
· Manufacturing / Process Engineering
· Oil and gas industry
· Product Design and Optimisation
· Turbo Machinery
The best CFD analysis software for advanced product
development:
1. Autodesk CFD
2. SimScale
3. Ansys
4. OpenFOAM
5. CFD Module
6. Simcenter
7. Flowsquare
8. ParaView
9. Altair
10. SOLIDWORKS
Various
software is available in the market for chemical engineers in Academia and
commercial purposes. The prominent segregation of software is based on subject
& application, i.e., Process simulator, flow simulator, Mathematical
Simulation tool, CAD, plant & Equipment design, etc. One should first look
to the area of interest and firm hold on the subject and accordingly choose the
software they want to proceed with. Software is like a black box one can get
maximum output of the software only when one has a good hold on Subject
fundamentals.
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