Getting Started

Getting Started

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01 Getting Started

Getting Started

Workshop
In the Getting Started module you will build the flowsheet around which most of the rest of this course is based. The process is a Turbo Expander plant. LPG Product is obtained from a Feed Natural Gas stream by cooling, expanding, separating and distillation. The remaining gas is then re-compressed for export.

Learning Objectives
Once you have completed this section you should have revised your basic HYSYS knowledge. You will also be able to: Use the HYSYS LNG Exchanger to simulate multi-pass exchangers Add Columns using the Input Experts Add extra specifications to columns Customize the Workbook and PFD Use stream property correlations

Prerequisites
This course is aimed at people who have had some experience of using HYSYS before. Hence the instructions are deliberately brief in places where previous HYSYS users are likely to already know what to do. If you have problems at any stage you can ask the course instructor.

Process Overview

Column Overview

Getting Started

Building the Simulation

Some stream and operation names can be obtained by referring to the PFD at the start of this section.

Defining the Simulation Basis

1. 2. 3. Start a new case using the Peng Robinson Equation of State. Use the following components: Nitrogen, CO2, Methane, Ethane, Propane, i-Butane, n-Butane, i-Pentane, n-Pentane and Hexane. Enter the Main Simulation Environment.

Add the Feed Gas Stream

4. The Feed Gas stream has the following conditions and composition:
Feed Gas 30C (86C) 5000 kPa (725.19psia) 2988 kgmole/h (6587.3 lbmole/hr) Mole Fraction 0.0149 0.002 0.9122 0.0496 0.0148 0.0026 0.002 0.001 0.0006 0.0003 Name Temperature Pressure Flow rate Component Nitrogen CO2 Methane Ethane Propane i-Butane n-Butane i-Pentane n-Pentane n-Hexane

Getting Started

Add the Multi-pass Exchanger

Multi-pass exchangers are known as LNG Exchangers in HYSYS. The LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) exchanger model solves heat and material balances for multi-stream heat exchangers and heat exchanger networks. The solution method can handle a wide variety of specified and unknown variables.
The LNG allows for multiple streams, while the HEAT EXCHANGER allows only one hot side stream and one cold side stream.
LNG icon

The Tube Side and Shell Side streams can come from different Flowsheets. This is one way of using different fluid packages on each side of the exchanger

For the LNG exchanger, you can specify various parameters, including heat leak/heat loss, UA or temperature approaches. Two solution methods are employed; in the case of a single unknown, the solution is calculated directly from an energy balance. In the case of multiple unknowns, an iterative approach is used which attempts to determine the solution that satisfies not only the energy balance, but also any constraints, such as temperature approach or UA. 5. 6. Add a LNG operation. Select the Connections page on the Design tab and enter the following information:
Figure 1

Any number of Sides may be added simply by selecting the Add Side Button. To remove a side, select the Delete Side button after positioning the cursor in the appropriate row.

Getting Started

If you prefer you can add the other streams to the flowsheet manually. Alternatively typing the name of a new stream into the Sides box will create it. For each exchanger side: An inlet stream and outlet stream are required. A Pressure Drop is required. The Hot/Cold designation can be specified. This will be used as an estimate for calculations and will also be used for drawing the PFD. If a designated hot pass is actually cold (or vice versa), the operation will still solve properly. The actual Hot/Cold designation (as determined by the LNG) can be found on the Performance tab in the Results page. Switch to the Parameters (SS) page. These values will be left unchanged.
Figure 2

7.

The Weighted method is required for exchangers with more than two sides.

The Exchanger Design (Weighted) method is used to split the heating curves into intervals. (Rather than simply considering the end points) The number of intervals is set in the Exchange Details table. The Step Type parameter sets whether HYSYS splits the curves by temperature, enthalpy or automatically to minimise the errors. By ticking the Dew/Bub pt. checkboxes HYSYS will include points on the heating curves for any phase changes that occur. The Press. Profile options set how HYSYS decides the pressure profile while iterating.

Getting Started

Heat Losses will not be considered. All streams on the same side with the Equilibrate checkbox checked are considered to be in equilibrium before entering the exchanger calculations. Thus the driving force will be reduced.
These options are discussed in more detail in the HYSYS Operations Guide. This is a good time to learn how to access/search the Acrobat PDF documentation.

8.

Go to the Specs (SS) page.

Two extra specifications (in addition to the Heat Balance spec - i.e., conservation of energy) will be added. Just after the streams have been added the Degrees of Freedom display shows 6 (i.e., 7 unknown variables, 1 constraint so far). By adding two new specs this is reduced to 4. Later on when more of the flowsheet is built, these 4 degrees of freedom will be used up and the exchanger will have enough information to solve.
Figure 3

The two specs that will be added are: Cold Stream Outlet temperatures are the same (0C or 32F) Minimum approach temperature in the exchanger (10C or 50F)

Getting Started

9.

Add these two specs as follows:

Figure 4

LNG exchangers, like normal HYSYS Heat Exchangers and Columns, allow the user to enter as many specifications as required. Only the active specifications are used to solve the operation. If the Est. checkbox is checked then HYSYS will use the spec value as an initial estimate in its iterative solution. Hence specifications can be used for more than just being an active spec. They can: Provide an initial estimate only (Uncheck Active, Check Est.) Be used to monitor how important variables change as the operation iterates (Uncheck Active and Est.)

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Add a Cooler
10. Add a Cooler to stream 1A. This should have the following parameters:
Name Cooler Outlet Pressure Drop Outlet Temperature Energy Note that in a later module the Cooler operation will be linked to a HYSYS subflowsheet that represents an ethane/propane refrigeration loop. E-100 Stream 2 20 kPa (2.9psia) -62C (-79.6F) Q-100

The Cooler outlet Stream 2 should now be fully defined.

Add a Separator
11. The Cooler product Stream 2 should be sent to a Separator vessel. 12. The liquid product is Stream 4 and the vapour product is Stream 3.

Add an Expander
13. The Separator vapour is then expanded to 2800 kPa. 14. The outlet is Stream 5. 15. The Expander should have the following properties:
Name Outlet Pressure Adiabatic Efficiency Energy K-100 2800 kPa (406 psia) 75% (This is the default) QK-100

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Add a Separator
16. Add another Separator to the Expander outlet. 17. The feed is the outlet from the Expander. 18. The vapour product is Stream 7 which has already been added and linked to the LNG exchanger. 19. The liquid product is Stream 6.

Add a Valve and Set

20. The liquid from the first Separator is flashed down to the same pressure as the Expander outlet. Add a HYSYS Valve operation to do this. 21. The valve outlet is Stream 8. When the simulation is manipulated later the Turbo Expander outlet pressure is one of the process parameters that will be changed, hence it makes sense to link these parameters within HYSYS rather than manually changing both. This is done using a HYSYS Set operation. This relates two HYSYS parameters. It can be used to make them identical or to force a fixed Multiplier and Offset between them. 22. Install a Set with the following parameters:
Name Set icon Target Variable Source Multiplier Offset SET-1 Stream 8 Pressure Stream 5 1 0 kPa (0 psia)

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Figure 5

LPG Recovery Column

This will be simulated using the HYSYS Distillation Column operation. This column has 5 stages, a Condenser and a Reboiler. Stream 8 is fed to the top tray and stream 6 is fed to the Condenser. Rather than defining the column pressures within the column operation, as would be normal practice, HYSYS Set operations will be used to relate the column top and bottom pressures to the Turbo Expander outlet stream. The purpose of this is to allow the flowsheet to be manipulated later by changing several key process parameters (including the Turbo Expander outlet pressure).

Set the Column Pressures

23. First add the bottoms liquid product stream to the PFD. (Stream 10). 24. Install a Set operation to Set the pressure of Stream 10, so that it is the same as Stream 5. 25. Install another Set to make Stream 9s pressure 5 psi less than Stream 5s.

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If psi is not the pressure unit HYSYS is currently using you can enter a psi value by using the unit drop-down to the right for the number entry field.
Figure 6

Add the Column

26. Add a Distillation Column operation. By default HYSYS includes an Input Expert to guide the user through setting up the column. The Input Expert has four pages, you must enter all the required information on each page, before the Next > button will become active. 27. Double-click the Column PFD icon to start the Input Expert. 28. Enter the following information on the Connections page:
Connections Column Name Distillation Column icon No. of Stages Feed Stream / Stage Condenser Type Overhead Vapour Product Bottom Product Condenser Energy Stream Reboiler Energy Stream LPG Recovery 5 8 / at stage 1 Full Reflux 9 10 Q-102 Q-103 The Input Experts provide the new user with step-bystep instruction for defining a column. They can be switched off in the HYSYS Preferences.

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Getting Started

29. Since the product stream pressures have already been set (with the Set operations), the Pressure Profile page automatically picks these up. Go to the Optional Estimates page by clicking the Next > button. Temperature estimates are used to help the column come to a solution. If you already have an idea of the conditions in the column (e.g. if you are modeling an existing plant) then you can enter the information. In this case the temperatures are not known, so these estimates will be left blank. 30. Click the Next > button to move to the final page. The final page of the Column Input Expert always has some typical specifications for the particular type of column. In this case, different specifications will be used. These must be added after the Input Expert has been completed. 31. Click the Done button to complete the Input Expert. The Column Property View will now appear.
Figure 7

Once the Input Expert has been completed it cannot be accessed again unless the column is deleted and added back. However all the information that was entered can be changed using the column property view.

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Before the column is ready to run, some more information must be entered: Additional Feed Stream New Specifications 32. Connect Stream 6 up in the Inlet Streams box. Stream 6 should enter the Condenser. 33. Go to the Monitor page on the Design tab. The existing column specs are visible.
Figure 8

Since no values were entered for the Specs in the Input Expert, no values are present here. Note that since the column has fully defined feeds, the pressures are known, and 2 specs are activated the Degrees of Freedom display is showing 0. This column will actually be solved to two different specifications. Condenser Duty of zero. Stream 6, the cold expanded liquid stream, enters the condenser so provides the necessary cooling effect. LPG product RVP (Reid Vapour Pressure) specification.

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34. Add these two specs as follows:

First Spec Type RVP (Reid Vapour Pressure) is a volatility measure commonly used in the Refining industry. It is the pressure at which the vapour and liquid have a 4:1 volume ratio at 100F. Name Energy Stream Spec Value Second Spec Type Name Stage Type Phase Spec Value Column Vapour Pressure Spec Btms RVP Reboiler Reid Vapour Pressure Liquid 200 psia Column Duty Ovhd Duty Q-102 @ Col1 0.001 kJ/h

An estimate of the column overhead vapour rate will also be provided. One of the specs already added by HYSYS will be used. 35. Modify the existing Ovhd Vap Rate spec as follows:
Existing Vent Rate Spec Name Draw Flow Basis Spec Value Ovhd Vap Rate 9 @ Col1 Molar 1600 lbmole/hr

36. Ensure the Ovhd Duty and Btms RVP specs are set to be Active and Estimates, and that the Ovhd Vap Rate spec is set as an Estimate. The other unused specs can be deleted by going to the Specs (SS) page on the Design tab and pressing the Delete button, or by double-clicking the spec on the Monitor page on the Design tab and clicking Delete.

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37. If the column hasn't run automatically, click the Run button. You should see some messages in the Trace Window (bottom right white pane) as the column solves. When the column has solved, the LNG should then be solved as now both Streams 7 and 9 are fully defined.
What is the flow rate of the Overhead vapour stream?

Was the Vent Rate estimate a good one?

Completing the Simulation

The simulation is now almost complete. The two product gas streams from the LNG must be mixed and re-compressed for export. 38. Mix Stream 7A and 9A using a Mixer operation. The outlet is Stream 11. 39. Add a Compressor, keep the standard Adiabatic Efficiency of 75%. The outlet is Stream 12 and the energy is QK-101. 40. Install another Set to link the heat flow of the compressor energy stream (QK-101) to the Expander energy stream (QK-100). 41. Add another Cooler to cool the mixed compressed gases to 30C. The Cooler has a 0.2 bar pressure drop. 42. Finally, install an Export Gas Compressor to take the product gas to 70 bar. The compressor has an Adiabatic Efficiency of 75%.

Save your case!

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Compressor Degrees of Freedom

In this HYSYS case there are two compressors specified differently: K-101 has a fully specified inlet stream and a specified duty. K-102 has a fully specified inlet stream and a specified outlet pressure.

HYSYS can also solve for a flow rate given an otherwise fully specified feed stream, a duty and an outlet pressure. Additionally HYSYS compressors can be supplied with head and efficiency curves. This is covered in a later module.

Advanced Modeling
The Column is a special type of sub-flowsheet in HYSYS. Sub-flowsheets contain equipment and streams, and exchange information with the parent flowsheet through the connected streams. From the main environment, the Column appears as a single, multi-feed multi-product operation. In many cases, you can treat the Column in exactly that manner. The Column Sub-flowsheet provides a number of advantages:
The presence of the green Up Arrow icon in the Button Bar and the Environment: Name (COL1) indicates that you are in the Column Subflowsheet. The Object Palette is different in the Column Subflowsheet.

Isolation of the Column Solver - The Column Build Environment allows you to make changes and focus on the Column without the re-calculation of the entire flowsheet. Optional use of different Fluid Packages - HYSYS allows you to specify a unique (different from the Main Environment) fluid package for the Column Sub-flowsheet. This may be useful in instances when a different fluid package is better suited to the Column (Gas Plant using PR may contain an Amine Contactor that needs to use the Amines Property Package), or the Column does not use all of the components used in the Main Flowsheet and so by decreasing the number of components in the column you may speed up column convergence. Construction of custom templates - In addition to the default column configurations, which are available as templates, you may define column set-ups with varying degrees of complexity. Complex custom columns and multiple columns may be simulated within a single sub-flowsheet using various combinations of SubFlowsheet equipment. Custom column

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Enter Parent Simulation Environment icon

examples include, replacement of the standard condenser with a heat exchanger, or the standard kettle reboiler with a thermosyphon reboiler. Ability to solve multiple towers simultaneously - The Column Sub-flowsheet uses a simultaneous solver whereby all operations within the sub-flowsheet are solved simultaneously. The simultaneous solver permits the user to install multiple interconnected columns within the sub-flowsheet without the need for Recycle blocks.

You can enter the Column Sub-flowsheet by clicking the Column Environment button on the Column Property View. Once inside the Column Environment you can return to the Parent Environment by clicking either the Parent Environment button on the Column Runner view or the Enter Parent Simulation Environment button in the Button Bar.

Customizing the Workbook and PFD

HYSYS allows the user to customize the Workbook and PFD.

Customizing the Workbook

43. Show the workbook by pressing the Workbook button on the toolbar (or by using the Workbook option on the Tools menu).
Workbook button

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44. From the Workbook menu, select Setup. The Setup view appears as shown below:
Figure 9

The left side of this section allows you to add new tabs to the Workbook. The right side allows you to configure the properties that appear on each tab. 45. Add a new Workbook tab. Choose the object type to be StreamMaterial Stream on the window that appears. 46. Change the tab Name to Other Props. 47. Change the tab to show the following variables: Molecular Weight, Mass Heat Capacity and vapour phase Cp/Cv. By using the Order/Hide/Reveal Objects option on the Workbook menu it is possible to customize which objects appear on each tab. 48. Change the Other Props tab so that it displays only the terminal streams (Feed Gas, Export Gas and 10).

Phase specific properties all start with 'Phase' in the alphabetical variable list.

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Customizing the PFD

For each flowsheet, HYSYS allows multiple PFD views to be configured. These PFDs are just different views on the same set of objects, so deleting a stream from one PFD will mean it is deleted from all the PFDs. Using multiple PFDs allows various possibilities: Creation of a 'Presentation' PFD that has some streams/ operations hidden to produce a PFD ready for output. Define a number of views on the same flowsheet (e.g. a zoomed out view and a number of views zoomed in to particular areas of the process).

When using multiple PFDs it is a good idea to have one 'working' PFD that shows all the streams and operations. 49. Create a PFD named Presentation using the Add a PFD option from the PFD menu. Choose to Clone the existing PFD.
Figure 10

50. Hide all the Set operations on the Presentation PFD by right-clicking on their PFD icons and choosing Hide on the object inspect menu.
To unhide objects that have been hidden, right-click on the PFD background and choose Reveal Hidden Objects.

51. Add a PFD workbook table for the Other Props Workbook tab by object inspecting the PFD background and choosing the Add Workbook Table option.

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Customizing Stream Properties

The Properties page of the material stream property view can be customized.
Figure 11

The user can: Add or remove properties (these are also referred to as Property Correlations) Change the order of properties Save sets of property correlations and apply them to other streams, or to the whole case

There are two places in HYSYS that these correlations are controlled: Property Correlation Controls section on the stream Properties page Allows the correlations for an individual stream to be customized. Also allows sets of correlations to be saved. Correlation Manager on the Tools menu Allows changes to be made to the property correlations in use for the whole case.

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The property correlations displayed for a particular stream are controlled using the buttons at the bottom of the stream window on the Properties page.
Figure 12

These have the following functions:

Button Flyby Text View Correlation Set List Notes Allows the user to pick from a list of previously defined correlation sets.

Append New Correlation

Brings up a window where all correlations are displayed in a tree, and can be selected and added. Correlations are added to the bottom of the list.

Move Selected Correlation Down

Move Selected Correlation Up

Sort Ascending

Remove Selected Correlation

Remove All Correlations

Save Correlation Set to File

The Correlation Set can then be loaded with the View Correlation Set List function.

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View Selected Correlation

See settings specific to the selected correlation.

View All Correlation plots

See all correlation plots for the stream. Currently greyed out as none of the correlations have plots.

1. 2.

Open the property view of the Feed Gas stream. Click the Remove All Correlations button to clear all the correlations from the stream. Using the Append New Correlation button, add the following properties: Gas - HC Dew Point Gas - Higher Heating Value Gas - Lower Heating Value Gas - Wobbe Index Standard - Act. Volume Flow

Dont forget to click Apply to add these properties.

Figure 13

By clicking the blue stream arrow button next to the stream name, a different stream can be selected.

3.

On the Feed Gas stream Properties page, select the Higher Heating Value [Gas] row in the table.

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4.

Click the View Selected Correlation button.

Figure 14

Property correlation parameters can only be edited using the Correlation Manager. The meaning of the Status group is explained below.

A window appears giving details of the property, note that here the Reference temperature option cannot be changed (i.e., it appears in black). 5.
If the existing correlations are not first removed, then any new ones in the Correlation Set are added to the bottom of the list.

Click the Save Correlation Set to File button to save the properties in this stream as a correlation set called Gas CorrSet. Open the Properties page for the Export Gas stream. Remove all the existing correlations and add the Gas CorrSet correlation set to the stream using the View Correlation Set List button.
Figure 15

6.

All user defined correlation sets are stored, by default, in the file StreamCorrSets.xml in the \Support subdirectory of the HYSYS
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installation. The name and location of this file can be configured on the Files-Locations page of the Preferences window (Tools-Preferences menu option). This file is not created until a correlation set is added.

Customizing Properties for the Whole Case

HYSYS includes a Correlation Manager where global changes for the whole case can be made. This is accessed from the Tools-Correlation Manager menu item.
Figure 16 Details of the selected correlation

Add or Remove Correlations

Load in a previously saved Correlation Set

Streams displaying the selected correlation

The meaning of the Stream Correlation Controls (Global) buttons are similar to those for the individual stream, except any changes apply globally (i.e., to all the streams in the case). The functions of the buttons are as follows:
Button Flyby Text Scan System Correlations Notes Click this icon to manually scan the system registry and build a list of available property correlations.

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Clone Selected Correlation

Only enabled when a property with variable parameters is selected (details are given in the following sections). Only enabled when a previously cloned property is selected in the Clone part of the tree, and when no streams are showing the property. Adds the selected property correlation to all the streams in the case.

Delete Cloned Correlation From List

Activate Selected Global Correlation

Remove Selected Global Correlation

Removes the selected property correlation from all the streams in the case.

Remove All Global Correlations

Removes all the property correlations from all the streams in the case.

Some properties (like the Higher Heating Value property viewed above) have user adjustable parameters. 1. 2. Open the Correlation Manager using the Tools menu. Select the Gas-Higher Heating Value property in the tree. The right side of the window now shows a similar view to that seen previously. However, now the reference temperature can be changed. Change the reference temperature and note that the values calculated in the Feed Gas and Export Gas streams change.

3.

When you change a correlations parameters, all the streams displaying the correlation will use the new parameters. Hence HYSYS has a clone feature that allows multiple copies of the same correlation to be used. Cloned correlations can have different parameter values to the original correlation.
Note that now the cloned Higher Heating Value correlation is now present in all the streams in the case. Cloned correlations can be renamed by typing a new value into the Display Name cell.

4. 5. 6. 7.

Click the Clone Selected Correlation button to clone the Higher Heating Value property. Find the new cloned property in the Clone section of the tree. Add this correlation to all the streams in the case using the Activate Selected Global Correlation button. Set the reference temperature for the cloned correlation so that it is different from the original correlation.

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Compare the values of the two correlations for the Feed Gas and Export Gas streams.
Figure 17

The following table describes the six bars contained in the Status group:
Status Bar Stream Point/Plottable Black Oil/Electrolyte/ Gas/RVP/Solid/ Standard/User/Clone Active/Inactive Description Indicates that the correlation can only be applied to material streams. Indicates whether the property correlation is a point or plottable property. Indicates which correlation type the property correlation resides within in the Available Correlations list. Indicates whether the property correlation has been activated by the correlation manager. If the status bar is green, any new stream added to the flowsheet with the same fluid type as the correlation will automatically have the property correlation added. In Use/Not in Use Available/Unavailable Indicates whether the property correlation is being used by a stream in the case. Indicates whether the property correlation exists in the window registry of the system.

The View Global Correlation Set List button in the Stream Correlation Set Controls (Global) group allows a previously saved Correlation Set to be displayed for all the streams in the case.
View Global Correlation Set List button

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8.

Using the Correlation Manager, remove all the existing correlations for all the streams in the case, then load in the previously created Gas CorrSet Correlation Set so that it is used by all the streams.

Warning Message: Loading a Case

When you load a previously saved case, you may see the following message:
Figure 18

The wording of this message and the Preferences options are slightly different for HYSYS versions before 3.2, although the effect of choosing each option is the same.

Yes will append the standard set of properties to any streams that may have had properties removed. Any custom properties added will remain. No will leave all stream property views as they were when the case was saved.

In most cases the standard property set will be being used anyway, so it does not matter which option is chosen.

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The HYSYS preferences include several options relevant to this message.

Figure 19

Checking Activate Property Correlations tells HYSYS to add the standard correlations upon opening a case. Checking Confirm Before Adding if Active Correlations are Present makes HYSYS show the previous message when every case is loaded. Unchecking Confirm Before Adding if Active Correlations are Present is equivalent to clicking Yes each time the message appears.

The safest choice of options is the default. Unchecking the Confirm Before Adding if Active Correlations are Present is probably worthwhile, unless you are dealing with cases where the correlations have been customized.

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Each stream has a status indicator on the Properties page that indicates whether the Activate Property Correlations option is checked in the Preferences. The Correlation Manager window also has a similar status indicator.
Figure 20

9.

Save and close your case.

10. Go to the Simulation-Options page of the HYSYS Preferences (select the Tools-Preferences menu option). 11. Ensure that the two checkboxes in the Stream Property Correlations group are activated. 12. Reload the case. Click Yes on the message box. Notice that all the streams in the case now have the standard set of correlations in addition to any customizations. 13. Reload the case again. Click No on the message box. Notice that now the streams only show the correlations in the Gas CorrSet correlation set.

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