Using Aspen Plus in Thermodynamics Instruction

A Step-by-Step Guide

Stanley I. Sandler

• Publisher: Wiley-AIChE
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781118997000
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Thermodynamics

A step-by-step guide for students (and faculty) on the use of Aspen in teaching thermodynamics

•Easily-accessible modern computational techniques opening up new vistas in teaching thermodynamics
A range of applications of Aspen Plus in the prediction and calculation of thermodynamic properties and phase behavior using the state-of-the art methods
•Encourages students to develop engineering insight by doing repetitive calculations with changes in parameters and/or models
•Calculations and application examples in a step-by-step manner designed for out-of-classroom self-study
•Makes it possible to easily integrate Aspen Plus into thermodynamics courses without using in-class time
•Stresses the application of thermodynamics to real problems

Chapter 1
Getting Started With Aspen Plus^®

Aspen Plus^® is a process simulation program that can also be used for many types of thermodynamic calculations, or to retrieve and/or correlate thermodynamic and transport data. In this book it will largely be used for thermodynamic calculations, such as computing phase equilibria and regressing parameters in thermodynamic models, and also for some very simple process simulations, merely to introduce the concept.

To start, open the Aspen Plus V8.x, which you may have to locate depending on the setup of your computer. [It may be on your desktop or you may have to follow the path All Programs>Aspen Tech>Process Modeling V8.x>Aspen Plus>Aspen Plus V8.x. In doing this you will also see paths to the large collection of specialized Aspen Plus modules that will not be considered here.] The interface is somewhat different for Aspen Plus V8.0 and Aspen Plus V8.2 and higher. For Aspen Plus V8.0 continue here, while for Aspen V8.2 (or higher) go to Fig. 1-2a.

Figure 1-1a Aspen Plus V8.0 Start-up

Figure 1-1b Aspen Plus V8.0 Start-up

Figure 1-2a Aspen Plus V8.2 Start-up

[The screen images shown below and throughout this book were produced using Aspen Plus^®. These screen images of Aspen Plus^® are reprinted with permission of Aspen Technology, Inc. AspenTech^®, aspenONE^®, Aspen Plus^®, and the AspenTech leaf logo are trademarks of Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved.]

When you open Aspen Plus V8.0, you will briefly see the Aspen logo in Fig. 1-1a. There is then a slight delay while the program connects to the server, and then the Getting Started page shown in Fig. 1-1b appears. There you will see a list of Product News items (that changes as it updates on a regular basis). From this window you will be able to start a new Simulation or open one of your previous simulations that will appear (in the future) in the list under Recent Cases.

To proceed, click on New.., which brings up the window in Fig. 1-3.

Figure 1-2b

Figure 1-2c

Figure 1-3

When you open Aspen Plus V8.2, you will briefly see the Aspen logo in Fig. 1-2a. There is then a slight delay while the program connects to the server, and then the Exchange window shown in Fig. 1-2b appears.

This window contains flow sheets and information about a number of processes, training information, pre-prepared models for specialized unit operations, and other items. These will be ignored here as the emphasis is on thermodynamic modeling. Click on the Start Page tab as shown by the arrow in Fig. 1-2b, which will bring up the Start Page shown in Fig. 1-2c. There you will see a list of Product News items (that changes as it updates on a regular basis). From this window you will be able to start a new Simulation or open one of your previous simulations that will appear (in the future) in the list under Recent Cases.

To proceed, click on New.., which brings up the window in Fig. 1-3. Continuation for all versions of Aspen Plus V8.0 and higher.

Click on Blank Simulation and then Create. This will bring up Fig. 1-4.

Figure 1-4

On the lower-left-hand corner of this window, there are three choices. The first, which Aspen Plus opens with, is Properties; the drop-down menu under Components>Specifications is used to specify the component or components for the calculation, and the drop-down menu under Methods is used to specify the thermodynamic models and parameters that will be used in the calculation. The second general area is Simulation that will take you to a flow sheet window, to be discussed later, and the third is Energy Analysis that will not be considered here. The default is to start with Properties.

We will p...