Introduction to SuperPro
Designer for Batch
Processing Modelling
Session outline
Getting started
 SuperPro Designer (SPD) interface
 Flowsheet drawing and editing
 Unit procedures initialisation
 Simulation execution & result checking

Getting started
Process Operation Mode
Process operation
mode :
BATCH
vs
CONTINUOUS
Default annual
operating time
SuperPro Designer
Interface
Maximise the
flowsheet
SuperPro Designer
Interface
Horizontal drawing
size : 2 pages
Some common icons
Solve-Run the
simulation
Cut / Copy
/ Paste
Open an existing
worksheet
Select mode
Connect mode-stream
connection
Start a new
worksheet
Toolbar for
drawing
Main unit procedure in SPD
 Vessel Procedure
 Filtration
Distillation
 Reactor
 Microfiltration
 Flash
 Seed Reactor
 Ultrafiltration
 Batch
 Fermentor
 RO
 Continuous
 Seed Fermentor
 Diafiltration
 Extraction Distillation
 Air-lift Fermentor
 Baghouse
 Mixer-Settler
 Continuous Reaction
(Stoichiometric, kinetic,
equilibrium)
 Air Filtration
 Differential
 Plate & Frame
 Centrifugal
 Rotary vacuum
Absorption
 CSTR
Homogenization
 PFR
 High pressure
 Fermentor
 Bead milling
 Seed Fermentor
 Nano milling
 Environmental (aerobic,
Sedimentation
anaerobic, UV radiation)
 Decanting
 Clarification
 Thickening
 Oil Separation
 Flotation
Unit Procedure in SPD
Biochemical case study
Component registration
 View component properties

Biochemical Case Study
Case Study 1






A batch reactor is utilised to produce component C
from reactant A and B:
A+B
C
Component C is later separated from A and B by a
batch plate &frame filter
Solvent used : Heptane (soluble for A and B but
insoluble for C)
Task to be performed :
Mass and energy balances
Process Scheduling
Component registration
Component
Database
Nitrogen, N2
Oxygen, O2
Water, H2O
Heptane, C7H16
A
B
C
Default
Default
Default
Designer
New (user define)
New (user define)
New (used define)
Component registration
Databanks
in SuperPro
Default
component
Component registration
Newly added
Reference
component
View component
properties
Editing component
properties
Component
A
B
C
MW
Price
150
25
175
Purchase
Purchase
Selling
Let’s do changes before we proceed
Value ($/kg)
10
15
200
Time to save your work
Reminder…
Always remember to save your
work!
Flowsheet drawing and
editing
 Locating the unit procedures
 Stream connection
 Editing the flowsheet
Unit Procedures
Looking for help (F1)
Unit Procedures
Adding a process stream
Select mode
Connect-mode
Stream connection
Single click
(tip: Press ESC button to terminate the stream drawing)
Deleting a stream
Make sure the cursor is in
“Select Mode” (ESC button)
Single left click on the stream/unit (turn
into read) & press DELETE (on keyboard)
Completing the flowsheet
Double click
Single click
Single click
Let’s draw our flowsheet
before we proceed further……
Editing a stream elbow
Make sure the
cursor is in
“Select Mode”
(Esc button)
Stream
elbow
Make sure the cursor is in
“Select Mode” (ESC button)
Editing tag name of the stream
Changing the Stream ID
Stream ID
Change ID to
S-101
S-102
S-103
S-104
S-105
S-106
S-107
S-108
S-109
Heptane
A
B
Emission
Rxt out
Wash in
C
B+ Heptane
Wash out
Let’s do changes before we proceed
Editing the style of a
stream
Change Stream thickness: 2pt
Change stream colour: brown
Changing the stream title
and style
Stream
Heptane
A
B
Emission
Rxt out
Wash in
C
B + Heptane
Wash out
Colour Thickness
Brown
Brown
Brown
Green
Brown
Blue
Brown
Brown
Blue
2 points
2 points
2 points
1 points
2 points
1 points
2 points
2 ponts
1 points
Same
style
(Q: is there
a faster way
to do so?)
Pickup style from
“Heptane”
Apply style to another stream
Press Ctrl button to select multiple streams
Complete the style editing for
the rest of the streams…
Editing the style of the icon
Apply the same pick-up & apply to
change the style of the filter
Icon colour : blue
Description tag text;
Font 10, bold, maroon
Adding a title to the case
study
This is too small
Change your
font here
Text mode
Save your work
Save file (s)
Initialising a Unit Procedure
What a Unit Procedure?
 Initialising an Operation

What is a Unit Procedure?
In the batch modeling mode, a Unit
Procedure may consists of various
Operations:
 Reactor procedure: feed charge, reaction,
product withdraw, etc
 Filtration procedure: filtration, cake wash,
CIP, etc
 In continuous modeling mode, a Unit
Procedure= Unit Operation

Hierarchy in batch modeling
Entire plant
Procedure(s) level
Operation(s) level
The same for
continuous
process
modeling
Function of each unit procedure
Vessel Procedure (P-1):
Acts as a batch reactor to
carry out reaction:
A +
B
C
Heptane is used to dissolve
components A & B,
to aid separation in P-2
Plate and Frame Filtration (P-2):
Component C is not dissolved in heptane, hence is filtered out
by the filter cloth
Heptane is used to wash out the trapped heptane ( and also the
dissolved A & B) from the filter cake
Stream specification
Heptane flow =
800 kg/batch
Ingredient flow
T, P = default
Click to insert
Heptane here
Set spec for Stream A & B
Stream ID
Component
Heptane
A
B
Heptane
A
B
Amount
(kg/batch)
800
50
40
Temperature
Pressure
Default
Working session
Do not forget to save your work !!!
A question to ponder…
Q: Why do we only specify the inlet stream?
Sequential modular approach
Individual equipment blocks may require
iterative solution algorithms
Overall process solution is sequential & not iterative
(Turton et al., 1998)
Adding operations to P-1
3 Charge operation (to
charge A, B and
heptane respectively)
1 React (Stoichiometric)
operation (for reaction
to be carried out)
1 Transfer Out
operation (to deliver
product to next unit)
Adding operations to P-1
Add new operation
before the currently
selected operation
Add new operation
at the end of the list
Initialising operations in P-1
Initialising CHARGE-1
Emission calculation
(next slide…)
800 kg heptane
Vol. flowrate
=100 L/min
Setup time =
5 min
Emission calculation
Click to perform
emission calculation
OK, next operation
(CHARGE-2)
OK, previous
Operation (none)
Go to selected
operation
Previous operation
(same tab –none)
Next operation
(same tab)
Initialising CHARGE operation
Operation
Operating condition
CHARGE-1
Charge
CHARGE-2
Charge
CHARGE-3
800kg/batch of heptane
stream “Heptane”
Setup time= 5 min
Process time : 100L/min
Emission
using
50 kg/batch of A (limiting
component) using Stream “A”
Setup time = 5min
Process time: calculated based on 20
kg/min
Charge
40/kg batch of B using Stream “B”
(B is in excess)
Setup time = 5 min
Process time : calculated based on 20
kg/min
Please complete the initialisation of CHARGE-2 & CHARGE-3
Perform
heptane
emission on this
stream
Nil
Initialising REACT-1 &
TRANSFER-OUT-1
Operation
Operating condition
Volumes
Reaction
REACT-1
temp = 50 °C
Heat transfer agent:
steam
Process time = 6 hour
Leave other values as
defaults
Max
Allowable
working/
vessel
volume: 80 %
Extent of reaction
= 95 %
Reaction
stoichiometry
A + B
C
TRANSFEROUT-1
Using stream “Rxt out”
Duration: same as Cloth
Filtration in P-2 (using
Master-Slave
Relationship)
Final
Nil
Initilising REACT-1 in P-1
Final temp = 50 °C
Max allowable volume
= 80 %
Steam
Process time
=6h
Initialising REACT-1 in P-1
Edit reaction
stoichiometry
Rename reaction
Reaction
extent = 95 %
OK, next operation
(Transfer-out)
Add reaction(s)
Delete
stoichiometry
(when needed)
Molar
stoichiometry
Initialising Transfer Out
Transfer
out stream
Click here to select
Master-and-Slave to
calculate duration
To quit Vessel
Procedure
Select the Master
Procedure
Select the Master
Operation in
Master Procedure
Master-Slave Relationship
Slave
Master
Master operation – processing step that control the duration of
another operation (slave)
When simulation is executed, duration calculation for the slave
operation will be bypassed (note: M&E balances affected), until
the master operation is met
Both master and slave operation may exist in the same procedure
or in another procedure
Working session
Let’s try before we proceed further…
Initialising operation for P-2
Cloth Filtration
operation (by default,
to filter product C)
 Cake Wash operation
(to wash out left over
trapped A & B in filter
cake)
 Transfer Out
operation (to deliver
product)

Adding operations to P-2
Initialising operations for P-2
Initialising FILTER-1
Operation
FILTER-1
Operating condition
Particulate
component
removal: 95% C (assuming
that A & B are completely
soluble in Heptane & C is
virtually insoluble).
LOD (loss on drying) =
35% (this value cause a
portion of heptane & any
soluble component to be
held in the wet cake 65%
is insoluble C).
Filtrate stream: “B +
Heptane”
Scheduling
By
default, first
operation of any
batch unit
procedure is
scheduled to start
at the beginning of
the batch
Start time: relative
to the START of
TRANSFER-OUT-1
operation in P-1
procedure
Initialising FILTER-1
Scheduling
By default
C = 95%
removal
LOD = 35%
Filtrate
Filtration will only start
when product is
transferred out from P1
Initialising CAKE-WASH-1 &
TRANSFER-OUT-1
Operation
Operation condition
CAKEWASH-1
Wash
TRANSFEROUT-1
Transfer
In stream: “Wash in”
Wash Out stream: “Wash out”
Wash solvent: heptane (click on “Composition”, select “Autoadjust”, the program will estimate a value automatically)
Wash time: 30 minutes
Wash type: slurry (Note: A “slurry” wash will essentially dilute
the soluble components trapped in the cake and remove most of
them in the wash stream, whereas a “displacement” wash will
remove the soluble components form the cake in a plug-flow
fashion.)
out using stream “C”
Duration: calculated based on 10kg/min
Working session
Remember to save your file !
Simulating a flowsheet
 Execute
the simulation
 Viewing the results
Simulating a process:
1. Menu bar: Task/ Solve M&E balances
2. Press “Ctrl 3”
3. Solve icon in menu bar
4. Press “F9”
Result viewing
1.
2.
3.
4.
Calculated output variables for each oeration can be
viewed by revisiting the corresponding Operation Data
dialog windows
To see the calculated equipment sizes, right click on
the unit procedure icon & choose the Equipment
Data… option
The contents of a piece of equipment as a function of
time can be viewed by right clicking on a unit
procedure and selecting Equipment Contents or
Operation Sequence
The calculated flowrates and compositions of
intermediate & output streams can be viewed by in the
Simulation Data dialog windows of each stream
Result viewing
5. A list of reports can be viewed in Reports:
 Stream Reports (SR)
 Economic Evaluation Report (EER)
 Itemized Cost Report (ICR)
 Cash Flow Report (CFR)
 Throughput Analysis Report (THR)
 Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIR)
 Emission Reports (EMS)
 Input Data Report (EDR)
 Equipment Report (EQR)
Let’s visit the one by one…
Equipment operation data
Calculated heptane
emission: 0.028%
Equipment data
Calculated vessel
volume: 1628 L
Equipment content
Stream simulation data
Generating a stream report
Check your scheduling results
Reaction
A
MW
Initial content, miO (kg)
Initial mol, niO (kg-mol)
X= 95% (based on A)
Current mol, n (kg-mol) nAO-nAOX
Current content, m (kg)
+
B
C
-
nBO-nBOX
nAOX
Check your scheduling result
Heptane charge =____kg/batch (stream
specification)
 Volumetric flowrate=___L/min (in Operation
Data/CHARGE-1)
 Task:
 Find out the density of the heptane stream
from your simulation sheet
 Verify the heptane charging duration
calculated by SPD heptane

Do not just take the
computer’s word as it
is, please check your
results accordingly!!!
Remember the GIGO principle