Potentialities os simulation Tools for NRTA
Abstract
For the design of purification cycles using liquid-liquid extraction techniques, a process development approach based on process modelling was chosen. This approach involved the development of a qualified simulation tool, which had been successfully used for process flowsheet design of industrial plants, and safety analysis of plant operation. Possible software applications to aid plant operation using this qualified simulation code were proposed, including automatic flowsheet calculations; simulation tools for process monitoring or control; and a diagnostic tool. This third application allows detection of the occurrence of a process malfunction from data obtained in monitoring the state of process parameters. A combination of calculations, using the process simulation code and neural network techniques, is used to determine the nature of the malfunction (i.e. which operating parameter has changed), the amplitude of the parameter change, and the time at which the malfunction has occurred. Such a diagnostic application is possible because of the reliability and speed of the process simulation. The tool's ability, following detection of a malfunction, to identify the changes in operating parameter responsible for the malfunction using an appropriate process monitoring treatment could be an example of a feature of interest for NRTA purposes. This paper will present the process simulation tool and the diagnostic tool, to illustrate what could be achieved using existing qualified simulation tools. There are still further developments required, but the application is considered worthy of further consideration.
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