Process Development Aspects

In large chemical companies, a wide variety of process simulation activities are carried out. In this article we are going to talk about two of different aspects of process modeling. First we are going to describe the development of Operator Training Software (OTS) at Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies (PMT) chemical plant and its utilization in training operators. Honeywell’s PMT plant did not have any operator training system and the operators were given basic guidance to handle instabilities in the plant. This prompted the development of OTS for the plant. It started with existing steady state models and thermo packages developed by Honeywell PMT engineers and scientists which were well validated against plant data. Honeywell Process Solution engineers teamed up with PMT engineers to develop dynamic models in UNISIM software. These dynamic models were then utilized to develop the OTS for the plant. It was validated against upsets which were seen in the plant and finally implemented in the plant for operator training. This helped the operators to handle upsets much better and resulted in improved plant operation.

In another Honeywell PMT activity, process modeling for a chemical plant operation is required to facilitate the global know-how transfer via reliable model package. Process models are desired to be capable of describing the overall material and heat balance, recording component distributions and tracking complete stream information throughout all plant areas. The process modeling is also aiming at the plant operation optimization, with better understanding of the process areas. Taking consideration of the complexity of the operation process and the depth of this modeling project, three phases have been adopted to control the time frame and available resources. A bridge to connect the daily plant operation with the virtual training module, the established real-time simulation shall bring model-based operation analysis and decision support to non-expert engineers and plant operators. End users utilize the user-friendly front end with built-in button/links to run process model for each area, and the process model predictions are able to mimic the real-time plant data.