Users of SuperPro Designer lived (and survived) several major revisions of the software without the availability of the "Undo" action button. Starting with this release (v10) the Undo / Redo option is now available; it is part of the Edit (main menu) and also it can be activated with a pair of buttons on the main toolbar (see below):
SuperPro's implementation of "Undo" is slightly different than most programs (e.g. MS-Word) but much more powerful. In a typical program (such as MS-Word), the application will record every action (transformation) that a user applies to his/her open document (for example, add or delete a character) and after it is executed, it will offer to "undo" the most recent change or a continuous sequence of past changes. In SuperPro, since the deletion of a unit procedure has far-reaching implications (e.g. the equipment associated with it is deleted; if other procedure(s) used the same equipment, a new one is created for them; all contained operations are deleted; if any other operation used one of the deleted operations as reference for scheduling, their scheduling is reset, etc. etc.) it is virtually impossible to re-apply all those changes. So, instead of SuperPro 'remembering' the transformations applied by the user after some action is executed (e.g. deleting a unit procedure), it simply records the state of the process file right BEFORE the action is issued. SuperPro will keep recording further states of the simulation file as other changes are applied. That is why if you click on the "Undo" button, you will see a listing like this:
If you select an entry in the Undo list (e.g. "Deleted Wash-2"), essentially you request the program to restore your simulation to the state just before you deleted the stream "Wash-2". Therefore, you don't have to select multiple undo-commands to go back to the state of your simulation in the past.
The Redo command works just as expected, but with an extra benefit. If you apply an Undo command (e.g. request to return the simulation to its state just prior to "Deleted Wash-2", as shown above), the simulation will be returned to that prior state and the restore points that were recorded just before the "Deleted Wash-2" will be moved to the top of the "Undo" list. In other words, once you restore your state to just before the "Wash-2" stream was deleted, you can (if you wish), go even further back in time and restore your state of simulation to an even earlier restore point (such as “Edit equipment data of R-101” in this example). Furthermore, once you apply the Undo feature to move to an earlier state, the Redo button will become active. This allows you to move forward again, if desired (for instance, you could move forward to redo the "Edit simulation data of stream HCl" change).
An easier way to understand this new feature of SuperPro Designer is to pretend that the application takes snapshots of the state of your file and keeps a historical archive of them. It tags each snapshot by the name of the action that was about to be executed right before the snapshot was taken. Once several such snapshots are taken, if you change your mind about the direction your simulation decisions are going, you can visit this list of stored snapshots and choose to return the state of your simulation to match how it was just before the name of the action mentioned in the list of "Undo" entries. That's it. Note that SuperPro will not keep the snapshots of your file for every change applied to your file. For example, moving an icon is not deemed an important enough action to justify a new snapshot taken before the move. Since every snapshot takes space on your storage device, we have choices that limit this amount; you can specify (choose):
a) the events that are deemed "significant" enough to justify a new record taken, and
b) the number of such records (archives) kept.
The user can modify both of the above options by visiting the File / Application Settings ... dialog (from the main menu) and visit the last tab (Undo/Restore).
If you don't want SuperPro Designer to keep a record after (for instance) modifying the stream elbows, then locate the event in the "Create a Historical Record Before..." list and uncheck it (see green highlight above). If you don't want SuperPro Designer to track any events at all (effectively disable the "Undo"/"Restore" feature), then uncheck the top-right button ("Enable Undo/Restore"). Finally, the "Historical States Recorded" number dictates the depth of history kept by SuperPro Designer in its archives. You can set this value at any number up to 40.
In previous releases, once a user included a given unit procedure in his/her process model and added a sequence of operations in it as well as a set of streams moving material in and out of the host equipment, the only way to replace the procedure with another type of procedure (e.g. replace a "Seed Fermentation" procedure with a regular "Fermentation" procedure), was to delete the seed fermentation procedure (and all the operations in it) first. When this was done, all streams attached to the deleted procedure and all operations within that procedure were deleted as well. This also resulted in deletion of all dependencies in other operations within the model that were based on the durations/timing of the deleted operations. For example, if a downstream centrifugation operation was set to start as soon as the fermentation operation ended, this dependency link would have to be deleted once the old seed fermentation procedure (and therefore the contained operations) were deleted.
Starting with this version, there is a new option under the right-click (context) menu of most unit procedures: "Switch Procedure". This entry will present as sub-options, several other procedure types in the same 'family' of unit procedures as the one we are about to replace, that can be used in place of the current procedure (see below):
Currently the application recognizes the following "families" of procedures:
The members of each unit procedure family are essentially the members of the corresponding submenu on the main menu's Unit Procedure entry (where one would normally choose the type of a unit procedure before it is inserted in the process model).
Here's what happens when a command is issued to replace a current procedure with another one (in the same family). Let's assume, for example, that we are attempting to replace the seed fermentation (or more formally, "Batch Vessel Procedure in a Seed Fermentor") with a "Batch Vessel Procedure in a Fermentor". As soon as the request is made, the program will first check to ensure that the operations and their settings can be carried over from the current unit procedure (and its host vessel) to the new unit procedure (and its new host vessel). If any difficulties are encountered, the switch will not be enacted and a message will be displayed. For example, if the current procedure has an operation engaging a stream on the 7th input port, but the new unit procedure's equipment has only 5 input ports, the switch cannot happen. Other possible reasons could be that the current sequence of operations may include an operation that can't be hosted by the new vessel. For example, the current operation list may include a heating/cooling operation but the new host vessel doesn't support heating or cooling; or the current list may include an agitation operation and the new host vessel doesn’t support stirring. Once an error message is displayed, the user may opt to delete the operation that cannot be carried over and try switching the procedure again.
For our example above, if the switch to a "Batch Vessel Procedure in a Fermentor" is chosen, then the replacement happens instantly:
Notice that the operations from the old procedure are retained, and the streams are automatically connected to the appropriate ports of the new procedure. As an extra bonus, operations carry over most (if not all) of their settings into the new unit procedure. For example, when switching from a 2-way splitter (which was set to divert 10% of the flow to the top stream – see screen immediately below) to a Custom Splitter, the initial setup of the new operation is aligned with the previous setting (see second screen below)
Also, the new equipment host carries over as many features from the previous equipment host as possible. For example, in the above example, the "Fermentor" equipment created to replace the "Seed Fermentor" will have the same height, diameter, design pressure, heat capacity, etc. as the one it replaced. The user of course, can visit the Equipment Data... dialog and modify as necessary.
Please note that in order to facilitate the transition from one member of unit procedure family to another, we have re-designed the icons (size) and port availability (for inputs and/or outputs). For example, all bulk storage procedures in tanks (Blending, Vertical-on-Legs, Horizontal, etc.) and disposable bags now have 7 inputs and 7 outputs. This will make switching from one to the other quite easy. Storage to smaller containers (such as totes, drums, etc.) all have 5 inputs and 5 outputs, once again, making it easy to switch later in the process development, from one to another.
SuperPro Designer has been calculating and reporting emissions since its original release. However, the calculations involved were based on formal vapor-liquid equilibrium calculations between the liquid and the vapor phase in the vessel where the emissions are assumed to originate. SuperPro Designer allows users to choose from a variety of models when calculating the V/L equilibrium percentages of each component ranging in simplicity from ideal mixture (Raoul's Law) to one of several non-ideal modeling for the liquid and/or gaseous phases (Activity coefficient based models, to fugacity based models to equation of state based models). However, so far, SuperPro Designer didn't give the users the option to estimate and report emissions based strictly on the EPA-MACT guidelines as published by the EPA and accepted for reporting emissions from running processes. Starting with this release, we have added this option. A new report can be generated (see Reports / EPA-MACT Emissions under main menu). This report will calculate emissions for VOCs based on one of the following EPA-recommended models when applicable:
The contents of the EPA-MACT emissions report can be customized. The following options are currently available:
Users have the option to include controlled emissions (if needed) where the condenser on the emissions line can have a user-specified setting (top-right table above). There are several models that can be used to report "Depressurization Emissions" (Option 1, 2 or 3) and for Heat Emissions (Option 1 and 2) - all explained in the manual or the online help facility. The report can also include cumulative HAP and/or VOC values based on the classification of each component emitted (see below):
Finally, the emission amounts are typically NOT subtracted from the vessel contents (unlike what seasoned users of SuperPro Designer would expect). That is customary when reporting EPA emissions. Furthermore, the application will carry out the calculations without actually changing the M&E balance results showing on the process flowsheet. That makes it difficult for users to double-check the results and visualize the equipment contents that yield the reported emissions. That is why the report presents the option to include in the report the contents of the vessel as used to generate the emissions (since those contents cannot be found anywhere in the current model description). Also, if requested, you can have the emission amounts be removed from the contents of the vessel, before the next operation is simulated (see option at bottom right above).
Since typically a company runs several different recipes in the span of a month or quarter or a year, users may wish to combine the reporting from each process into a comprehensive report that presents EPA emissions from all processes carried out in that time. For that purpose, we have included the option of exporting the EPA-MACT emissions from a process model into a given (pre-existing) Excel file, and in a dedicated worksheet (whose name is a combination of the process file name and the suffice "EPA") in order to make generating such cumulative reports easy. The following option (highlighted in green and blue below) for the Custom XLS report will do just that:
Notice that in order to have multiple process models export their emission data in the same cumulative report, you must:
Check the box at the top right (highlighted in green); this will ensure that the XLS contents will not create a new file every time they are exported, but will instead be inserted as an "EPA-MACT" tab of an existing file.
Check the "Include File Name on Worksheet" (highlighted in blue above); this will make sure that the exported emission data from each process file go to a worksheet with a unique name "<Process-File-Name>.EPA"
Then select the Excel file that combines the source recipe data with some accounting on batch records for a period of time and that's it. The overall process can be described as follows:
Up to this version, when displaying the component registration dialog, the application listed all components participating in that process model by their "Local Name" first (that is the name by which the component appears in all i/o dialogs and reports); then it displayed the pure component's 'Full Name' as listed in the database where it was retrieved and as the 'unique' identifier to represent that component. It came to our attention that many corporate users prefer to view the 'CompanyID' instead of the 'Full Name' as the true identifier of the component. Therefore, in this version, we made the property that uniquely identifies the component on the second column an option (see highlighted area below the registration table below):
If "Company ID" is selected, then the second column in the table above shows "Company ID"; if "Name" is selected, then the traditional way of showing the (full) name of each component is shown. The other registered component display categories are "Formula" and "CAS Number". Note that these are the exact same options offered when viewing the contents of the component databank (left listing above). When “Formula” is selected, the formula as well as the name are displayed since two (or more) components may have the exact same formula
Starting with this version, the software will allow you to protect your process models in two ways:
1. Limit the actions (modifications) a user can do after opening the file. There can be two limited levels of accessibility:
2. Generate a password that will be required before a user opens and gains access (full or limited) to the file.
You can create a protected version of your process model by selecting File / Save with Protection... from the main menu. Then the following interface appears:
.
Step-1. The first step requires you to specify a location and a filename where the protected file will be saved.
Step-2. The second step (highlighted in yellow above) requires you to specify a "Master Password". This will be used to unlock the file in the future (either by yourself, or anyone else who knows the password) and once again gain full access to the file. You cannot proceed to step 3 until you provide and validate a master password. Once you have established a master password then the options for step 3 open up.
Step-3. In the third and final step, first you decide if you want to require the viewers of the file to provide a password before they even open the file. If you don't, then simply select the top choice ("No Password Required for Viewing, Limited Services (L1 or L2)"; if you do, then choose the second option (highlighted in green above). In this case, you can provide one or two passwords, each allowing different accessibility privileges to the user who opens the file. If the user provides a password that matches the first set (for L1), then the document will open with L1 privileges (in other words, the user will be able to view and modify contents, but not save the file); if the user provides a password that matches your second password, then when he/she opens the document they can only view the contents but not modify anything. Please note that you don't have to specify both passwords.
When generating a Batch Sheet description of your process, a common request has been to be able to add some 'standard' text that informs the operator who reads the instructions for executing a current step, about another step synchronized with the current step. This is a common, scheduling dependency built into a process recipe and viewers of the execution sequence need to become aware when starting one of the two inter-dependent steps. For example, if a transfer out step is timed to be concurrent with a down-stream centrifugation step, as the reader of the batch sheet sees the description of "4.5 Transfer Out" (assuming this was the 5th operation in the 4th UP described), then they need to be notified to start "5.1 Centrifugation", a step that will be described in detail later (as part of the 5th unit procedure following this procedure). The designers of Batch Sheet can now include in the template description of any operation type (such as "Transfer In", "Transfer Out", "Crystallize", "Extract", etc.) a field named OPERATION_TIMING_SF. This will generate a template-based description (instantiated for the parameters of the specific operation) of any non-standard time dependency between the start (or finish) time of that operation and another operation in the batch.
Please note that the four templates used to describe the four non-standard timing dependencies (start-to-start, start-to-finish, finish-to-start and finish-to-finish) can be found in the "BatchSheet\Operations" folder named: "OperationTimingSTS.doc", "OperationTimingSTF.doc", "OperationTimingFTS.doc" and "OperationTimingFTF.doc". Users can customize the wording included by customizing the above templates. Note that any customizing of the above templates will affect the timing dependency description in every operation that engages the time-dependency field.
Starting with this release, we have included an option for automatic numbering of the steps in a batch sheet based on their order of appearance in the document. From the Reports / Batch Sheet / Options... interface shown below you can check the bottom left option to have the numbering included for easy reference.
As a reminder, the above interface can also be used to hide (possibly) entire procedures and/or operations in a procedure if deemed appropriate. Also, from the above interface users can customize the order of unit procedure appearance; it defaults to following the (calculated) start times of each procedure, but from this interface it can be modified (in case of ties, or other reasons known to the user).
Even though the option of initializing the equipment contents of a specific host equipment in a special way pre-existed this release, starting with this release we have expanded the set of options to cover just about any possibility. The general set of options remain as before:
Let the contents be filled up by the default equipment fill-in agent (Defaults to "Air" but can be customized for a process to any other component or mixture); in that case the program will calculate the amount of agent so that the vapor pressure in the vessel (and at the T and P set by the user) are satisfied. This assumes that the default fill-in agent is either completely or partially gaseous at the initial T and P of the equipment. If the default fill-in agent (at the T & P of the initial contents) is completely liquid, an error will be generated.
User specifies directly the contents. In that case, user has the option of:
2a. Specifying just the composition (but not the amounts) - Have option "Set Amounts" unchecked (shown in yellow highlight below).
2b. Specifying composition and amounts - Have the option "Set Amounts" checked (shown in yellow highlight below).
Case 2a above is equivalent to providing a "custom" agent for filling up the initial contents of the equipment just for this location. Therefore, the program will again attempt to calculate the amount to satisfy the specified pressure at the set initial temperature. This requires that the mixture is at least partially vapor at the initial T,P and utilizing the engaged PS Toolbox. If not, an error will be generated.
Case 2b will let the user specify amounts. Typically users will only specify liquid/solid contents. If the vapor phase (if any) does not satisfy the set pressure at the specified initial temperature, and if the user has given permission, the simulation engine will add as much default fill-in agent (e.g., “Air”) as possible to satisfy the pressure setting. To give the simulation such permission, check the "X" for the "Add fill-up Ingredient if necessary" option (see green highlight option below):
If the user-specified vapor amount exceeds the capacity of the equipment, a warning will be shown.
In order to actually set the composition and/or amounts of the contents, the user can click on this icon:
This will bring up a dialog like this:
Please note that depending on the intention (set composition only, or set composition and amounts) some of the controls of the dialog may be disabled. For example, if you enter this dialog with the "Set Amounts" unchecked, then you will only be able to set composition (mass or mole %) but not amounts (component amounts or total amount). A red line above the composition table will remind you what is editable.
Initialize with Own Contents (as Left from Last Simulation Run)
Same as before; if this option is set, then the simulation engine will initialize the contents of the equipment with the exact contents as left from the end of the previous simulation run. This option may be useful for equipment used early for material draws and then later in the process for material deposits. The open-loop description of the recipe will result in amounts fluctuating initially between initial and final amounts, but eventually, both amounts should converge to the same quantity.
Initialize with contents from a compatible equipment in this or another file.
This may be useful if the contents of a vessel are supposed to be picked up from another simulation file. In that case you can choose the source for the data as follows:
Notice that after you select the process file model where the source equipment exists, and then select the equipment, you now have a new choice as to whether to copy
a) Total Contents or
b)Liquid/Solid Contents only (yellow highlight above).
Since the application will always carry over the amounts (as well as the composition), you can again give permission to the simulation engine to add the default fill-in ingredient if needed to satisfy the initial T and P specification.
In previous releases of SuperPro Designer, the custom XL report was always generated as a stand-alone Excel file with content that could be customized by the user. Starting with this release, you can instruct the application to deposit the selected content for this report into an existing .xls or .xlsx file, rather than creating a brand new file that overwrites the previous file. This can be very handy if the selected file contains extra user-specified calculations or other modifications because the new content will simply be added, and this new content could even be automatically processed by scripts embedded in the destination file.
Please note that since each "chapter" of content specified in the list on the left above will end up being deposited in a dedicated worksheet with a name matching the name of the chapter, the destination worksheet of exported information for a given file will always be the same. If one desires to export information from multiple .spf files to the same .xls custom report file, with the intention to combine results from different process models, then the "Include File Name on Worksheet" choice (shown above in blue highlight) is very handy. If this option is checked, then each tab (worksheet) deposited in the destination .xls file will have a composite (and therefore unique) name: <FileName>.<ChapterName>. This way, two different files can export (for instance) their "Materials" chapters as separate "Process1.Materials" and "Process2.Materials" tabs. Furthermore, scripts on a separate worksheet could exist that summarize material demands from both worksheets. As process requirements change, a simple update (recreation of the Custom Excel Report) from each recipe can update the individual recipe's data and consequently the summary data. Please note that such an update could be triggered by a COM call as well.
Streams can now store a short description string that they can display (optionally) right next to their name or on their info tag. To set a description for a given stream, right-click the stream to open its command menu and select Edit Labels.... For the stream shown below, the string "Solvent" has been specified as the "Description" for the "Methanol" stream.
Please note that for the "Methanol" stream, the user opted to include the description string as part of the info tag whose location was appropriately chosen to be over the last horizontal segment. The "Reagent" description was set to the other process input stream "NaOH" (see above). It was, this time, set to be displayed along side the stream name and separated by '/' . The separator character can be set from the Name Label options tab of the stream's style dialog (see below):
Please note that a "Description" field has also been added to the Site Equipment (see below)
... and the Consumable record (as kept in the User DB), see below:
Just as pure components are often referred to by internal company names (or IDs) by our users, stock mixtures are also often referred to by company IDs. Starting with this release, we allow stock mixtures to carry a "Company ID" in addition to their "Name" (or "Formal Name").
As added convenience and as mentioned elsewhere (Pure Component & Stock Mixture Registration Dialogs Have Added Flexibility to Improve User-Friendliness) when viewing the list of registered stock mixtures, a user can opt to identify stock mixtures registered in a process file by their 'CompanyID' instead of their 'Name'.
Sometimes users develop a model in pieces or fragments and eventually piece the whole process together by combining all the fragments. Other times, the same sequence of steps is used in many different processes (e.g. a standard chromatography separation that involves multiple cleaning steps, preparatory steps, and processing steps using a multitude of buffers). Such simulation needs in the past were tackled by either:
Keeping the fragments in separate files and linking the results using SuperPro Designer's process input initialization options or
Copying and pasting the sequence into the master file.
The first option provides accurate mass balances, but it fails to show all the scheduling information within a single chart; the second option (pasting the fragment into another flowsheet) will nullify any scheduling dependencies between operations in the pasted set of procedures. Starting with this release, SuperPro Designer offers a third, more powerful option: "Insert File" (under Edit / Insert File... of the main menu). With this feature, users can model a 'standard' process fragment (like the chromatography step previously described) in a separate .spf file. Then, while modeling a long recipe that includes this sequence, they can choose to insert it by selecting the Edit/Insert File... option. This action will insert all the process steps (procedures) of the inserted model into the active process model, along with their equipment. It will also automatically cross-register any objects participating in the inserted model (like pure components, stock mixtures, heat transfer agents, etc.) that are NOT present in the receiving (active) process model. If naming conflicts exist in the list of Unit Procedures, Streams, or Equipment, the application will attempt to rename them. Note that the application will give the user a chance to provide his/her own preferred names prior to inserting the new objects, if desired (see below) :
All red-colored names of procedures (P-1, P2, etc.) as well as equipment (V-101, V-102) and streams (S-102, S-104, S-107) already exist in the receiving process file, and therefore SuperPro Designer offers alternative names that are unique and do not conflict with other existing objects. You can accept the suggested names or type over them with other new names. As long as the new names don't conflicts with existing similar-type objects, the new names will be used .
When it comes to resources (Heat Transfer Agents, Consumables, Power Types, Labor Types, and Storage Units), when the inserted model carries resources of the same type and same name, normally duplicates will be generated. However, if the users wishes to merge the two models and allow the existing resources to be substituted for identically-named resources within the inserted file, then he/she can un-check the corresponding boxes in the bottom-left area shown above (highlighted in yellow) to give the application permission to do the substitution. For example, if “Cooling Water” is used as a utility in both models, and the “Heat Transfer Agents” box is un-checked in the screen above, the “Cooling Water” resource from the active process model (along with its specifications such as supply temperature, return temperature, cost, etc.) will be used wherever “Cooling Water” was used in the inserted model (even if the inserted model’s “Cooling Water” entry has different specifications for supply temperature, return temperature, cost, etc.
Since the original release of v9.5 and through this new release of v10, several new examples have been added to the set of process models supplied with the software. The new example models are mostly from the domain of Food Processing:
Please note that all examples models that come with SuperPro Designer, are copied during installation in the Auxiliary Location. All of the following example models are located under the "Food Processing" folder (under the "Examples" folder).
1. Beet Sugar: This example presents an example model to produce sugar from beets. The process consists of the following steps:
• Beet Preparation (washing, slicing)
• Sugar Extraction (diffusion)
• Sugar Purification
• Water Evaporation
• Sugar Crystallization
• Sugar Drying and Storing
The example simulates a plant that operates 1,920 hours (or 80 days) a year and produces 52.9 MT/h (or 101,507 MT/yr) of sugar by processing 485 MT/h (or 931,200 MT/yr) of beets. There are several byproducts sold for additional income (pulp, molasses, carbonation-lime residue). The carbonation-lime residue can be sold as fertilizer; pulp and molasses are sold as animal feed.
2. Carrageenan: This example captures the production of carrageenans from seaweed. Carrageenans are specialty food ingredients produced in small quantities around the globe. They are found in nature in seaweeds. In the simulated process, the seaweeds are considered the "Raw Material". The most common carrageenans are iota, kappa and lamda. They are macromolecules with unique rheological structures and used as thickening, gelling and stabilizing agents in the food industry.
3. Dextrose: This example considers the production of dextrose crystals from glucose syrup (95%). The glucose syrup is about 29% water and glucose of purity 95% (on dry basis). The remaining 5% of solids are composed of higher sugars (such as maltose, maltotriose, etc.). Glucose syrups are derived from starch hydrolysis and they can have variable compositions, depending on the starch hydrolysis method used. The most common source of starch for the production of glucose syrups and dextrose is corn. However, other cereals (such as wheat) or tuberous roots (such as cassava or potato) may also be used. More information on the properties and production of glucose syrup (95% dry basis) can be found in the Corn Refinery example, which models a corn wet milling plant integrated with the production of glucose and fructose syrups.
4. Sorbitol: Sorbitol is a food and pharmaceutical ingredient produced in bulk quantities around the globe. As a chemical substance, sorbitol is hydrogenated glucose and for this reason it is also called glucitol. Since sorbitol is produced from glucose and glucose is usually derived from the hydrolysis of starch, it is very common for plants that produce starch to also produce sorbitol. The modeling of a process for the production of glucose syrups can be found in the "Corn Refinery" example (added recently in the set of example processes that come with SuperPro Designer). In the sorbitol production process studied here, the raw material for the production of sorbitol is 95% pure glucose syrup (on a dry basis).
5. Mannitol: Mannitol is a sugar polyol with various applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Mannitol can be produced from a sugar monomer called mannose through hydrogenation of mannose's aldehyde group. Both mannose and mannitol are naturally occurring molecules. Mannose is present as a free sugar in many foods and as a component of the polymer hemicellulose, while mannitol is found in certain species of seaweed. This example analyzes the production of crystalline mannitol from 95% pure glucose syrup.
The interface for introducing new vendors and manufacturers, as well as edit their current records in the User DB has been revamped. Here's how it looks in this release:
Double-clicking (or clicking on the edit button - top right) will bring up a dialog with information about the equipment supplier. The dialog has two tabs. The first tab has contact information and comments about the supplier (see below):
Note that the supplier can be tagged as a "Manufacturer" (only), "Vendor" (only), or both. The implication of such a designation is as follows: Any equipment spec sheet produced by a supplier tagged as a "Manufacturer" can be used as reference for spec sheets provided by vendors. For example, there may be multiple vendors that supply a particular type of pump; there is, of course, only one manufacturer (for that exact pump model). By allowing all vendor spec sheets to be linked up to the same manufacturer spec sheet (for this pump), they all display the same characteristics. Of course, each vendor may have his/her own price that may depend on his/her location (and markup). Tagging a supplier as "Vendor" will make all of their spec sheets available for allocation to a recipe's equipment resources. In other words, when allocating equipment resources to a specific site, if the needed equipment is not already there (as site equipment) then one may opt to allocate that equipment resource to a vendor equipment (in other words, equipment that can be purchased from a vendor). Note that equipment suppliers who are only tagged as "Manufacturers" (but not "Vendors") will not have their spec sheets listed and available for allocation to a recipe's equipment resources.
On the next tab of a supplier's record, the application now displays any spec sheets associated with this enterprise, but for viewing purposes only. Note that you cannot add or remove spec sheets from this interface. To do that you must visit the interface under Databanks / Equipment / Spec Sheets from Suppliers...
The list can be ordered either by equipment type, or by model number. Selecting a spec sheet line (record) and then the button on the top-right (or simply double-clicking) will present information about the specific item provided by the Vendor or Manufacturer (see below):
Notice once again, that all properties of the selected record are grayed out (in other words, they cannot be edited from this interface).
If you try to delete a supplier from the system, the system will automatically attempt to delete all of its associated spec sheets. However, SuperPro will not allow the deletion of the supplier in the following scenarios:
a) The supplier (selected to be deleted) is a Vendor, and at least one Site Equipment in the database is linked to one of its supplied equipment spec sheets.
b) The supplier is a Manufacturer and at least one vendor's spec sheet is linked to one of the selected-to-be-deleted manufacturer's spec sheets.
If you want to view or add / delete equipment specifications in the user database, you start from the interface under Databanks / Equipment / Spec Sheets from Suppliers... The following interface will appear:
All highlighted buttons above control the content in the interface. Since there may be dozens or hundreds of such entries, it is important to be able to zoom in into the ones that you are currently interested. The top-right drop-down (highlighted in green) allows you to focus on ONE type of equipment at a time. For example, the above selection will only show "Stirred Reactor" spec sheets from all suppliers. The yellow highlighted button allows you to select viewing spec sheets from vendors-only, or manufacturers-only, or both. The blue-highlighted button allows to filter in only data in the user DB (and exclude data records provided by Intelligen, Inc. as 'sample' in the System DB). Finally, the purple button labelled "Apply Filter..." allows to narrow down the viewing list based on values of its size parameter (e.g. Volume or any other of its listed properties):
When a user selects a set of objects (unit procedures and/or streams) and he/she copies and pastes them into another process file, the application typically is trying to carry over to the new host file all supporting objects engaged in the description of the copied entities. For example, if a separation operation is included in the list of copied objects and has specifications for components that are not registered in the receiving file, the pasting action will automatically attempt to register all missing components in a manner that is transparent to the user.
The engagement of storage units is sometimes hidden behind other data structures. For example, a process output stream may have been assigned a receiving storage unit:
Or, perhaps one may have assigned a receiving storage unit for the agent waste from some CIP operation:
In releases prior to v10, material storage units that were indirectly involved in the specification of copied objects (like the output stream above or the CIP operation above) were ignored (not copied). Starting with this release, they are not ignored but duplicated in the destination file. Please note that the entire description of the material storage unit will copied over to the receiving file (see below) provided that there's no naming conflict. If the same storage unit exists in the destination file (same name and type, receiving or supply), then the pasted objects will assume the assignment of the pre-existing storage unit (and none will be created).
Previously, it was possible to view the evolution of the composition within the vessel of a receiving storage unit (SU) - during batch modeling - by clicking on the yellow-highlighted button below. With SuperPro v10, storage units can also display the environmental properties of the mixture after each of the designated material sources deposit their contents into the SU. This interface can appear when you click on the green-highlighted button below.
For continuous flowsheets, the same buttons will display the contents and environmental properties of the storage unit (but not as function of time, or course).
The stream summary table now offers a few more choices to display (optionally):
As always, the above stream properties can be displayed in any one of many different options for units (user-selected).
Besides accessing specific objects (like equipment, operation etc.) SuperPro Designer's COM engine allows you to enumerate of all sorts of lists included in a process model. For example, you can enumerate over all unit procedures, or all input streams, and make tables with properties of your choice.
Starting with this release, we have added two lists that users of the COM engine can now enumerate over:
- List of Consumables (using the consumable_LID identifier)
- List of Storage Units (using the storageUnit_LID identifier)
For details on how to enumerate over lists and access each individual member of the list (and its properties) please consult the application's E-Book or online help.
The COM Engine is an extremely flexible way for users to access the internal variables of a simulation to either:
Present outputs as their end users prefer to see them (if our built-in reports don't accommodate that view) or,
Set values of key parameters and restart the simulation to perform 'what-if' scenarios and explore cause-and-effect variations in key input or output parameters of the process.
There are already hundreds of variables (related to operations, equipment, procedures, streams, and the process itself) that are available to be accessed from other applications (Excel, C#/C++ etc.). Our engineering team regularly re-evaluates what is available and adds more options to satisfy SuperPro users.
There are already hundreds of variables (related to operations, equipment, procedures, streams, and the process itself) that are available to be accessed from other applications (Excel, C#/C++ etc.). Our engineering team regularly re-evaluates what is available and adds more options to satisfy SuperPro users.
In this version, some of the most important additions are:
General Purpose VIDs
For all Equipment Types (to be used with Set/GetEquipVarVal()):
busyTime_VID..................... (Get only) the equipment's busy time (in sec).
occupancyTime_VID............. (Get only) the equipment's occupancy time (in sec).
noStaggeredEquip_VID ......... the equipment's number of extra sets used for staggered operation.
For all Operation Types (to be used within Set/GetOperVarVal()):
powerDissipationFrac_VID....... the percentage of power input (engaged by the operation) that is lost as heat to the process stream (or equipment contents)
The following VIDs are related to the use of either one or two heating/cooling agents. These are agents engaged by the main purpose of the operation selected on either the "Oper.Conds" tab or the "Utilities" tab of the operation's i/o dialog (as opposed to the auxiliary agents displayed in the "Labor Etc." tab). Most operations engage only one such agent to accomplish any heating or cooling needed. We will use the term "primary" agent to refer to that agent's name, duty etc. For some operations (e.g. distillation) two agents are needed: one for cooling and one for heating. In that case, one of them will be referenced as "primary' and the other as "secondary". There's no consistent criterion used to designate one heat transfer agent as "primary" so users need to inquire on a case-by-case basis which agent is fetched with "primary" designation and which is fetched with the "secondary" designation. Here are the related VIDs:
primaryHxAgentName_VID......... the (primary) heat transfer agent's name
primaryHxAgentRate_VID........... (Get Only) the (primary) heat transfer agent's consumption rate (kg/h)
primaryHxAgentDuty_VID........... the (primary) heat transfer agent's provided duty (Watt)
isPrimaryHxAgentHeating_VID...... (Get only) if TRUE, the (primary) heat transfer agent is used for heating purposes.
The same set is also available for operations that have a secondary agent:
secondaryHxAgentName_VID..... the (secondary) heat transfer agent's name
secondaryHxAgentRate_VID....... (Get Only) the (secondary) heat transfer agent's consumption rate (kg/h)
secondaryHxAgentDuty_VID....... the (secondary) heat transfer agent's provided duty (Watt)
isSecondaryHxAgentHeating_VID..(Get Only) if TRUE, the (secondary) heat transfer agent is used for heating purposes.
For all Procedures (to be used with the GetProcVarVal()):
timeUtilization_VID................. The time utilization factor (as a 0-1 fraction) for the procedure.
sizeUtilization_VID.................. The size or throughput utilization factor (as a 0-1 fraction) of the procedure.
Type-Specific VIDs
All Membrane Filtration Operations (Ultrafiltration, Microfiltration, Reverse-Osmosis and Diafiltration):
maxSolidsConcentration_VID ....... The maximum particle/solids concentration in the retentate (g/L)
solidsConcentration_VID.............. (Get Only) The actual solids concentration in the retentate) (g/L)
All Cloth Filtration operations (Plate and Frame, Nutsche Filter)
removalFraction_VID.................. For each component, removal fraction (as a 0-1 value)
LOD_VID.................................. Loss-on-Drying (as a 0-1 value)
cakePorosity_VID...................... Dimensionless (v/v)
Dead-End Filtration
removalFraction_VID.................. For each component as a 0-1 fraction.
particleConcFraction_VID............ Particle concentration in the retantate (dimensionless, v/v).
Centrifugation
oilComponentRemovalFrac_VID..... For each component, the removal fraction as oil (0-1 value)
solidComponentRemovalFrac_VID... For each component, the removal fraction as solids (0-1 value)
oilConcentration_VID................... The oil concentration (in the oil stream) (g/L)
solidsConcentration_VID .............. The solids concentration (in the solids stream) (g/L)
Extrusion
angularVelocity_VID ................... The screw's angular velocity (RPM)
exitTemperature_VID.................. The exit temperature (in K)
Cake Wash
isSolubilityDataSet_VID.............. Prepares the operation to receive either solubility (TRUE) or loss (FALSE) component data
solubility_VID............................ For each component, the solubility value (g/L)
componentLoss_VID................... For each component, the loss fraction (0-1)
approachToEquil_VID.................. For each component, the approach to equilibrium (0-1 value).
Sludge Drying
driedSludgeTemp_VID................. The temperature of the sludge (K)
solidsConcentration_VID.............. The solids concentration (as a weight ratio g/g)
airOutTemp_VID........................ The temperature of the air in the outlet (K)
heatLoss_VID........................... Radiant heat loss (0-1 value)
airMoistureIn_VID...................... The moisture of the air at the inlet (g/g)
airMoistureOut_VID.................... The moisture of air at the outlet (g/g)
heatOfVapor_VID....................... The overall heat of vaporization of the material removed from the sludge (J/kg)
For a more detailed list of all available variable ID's (or VIDs for short) for a particular object in a simulation file, please consult the E-Book or the online help. Please note that the manual does NOT cover the topic of COM engine and its options.
When an equipment resource is requested to empty its leftover contents before a prior use and before the next unit procedure starts, the emptied contents are deposited in "local receptacle". The contents of the receptacle can be accessed from the first unit procedure's command menu ( Equipment Contents / Before Reuse / View Receptacle Contents ). In order for a user to be able to programmatically retrieve those contents, we have added a new option in the function: 'GetUPEmptiedContentsVarVal'.
Please note that this function is a rather important addition for users who wanted to balance out all material coming into the process (as input streams and initial equipment contents) and leaving the process (as output streams or final equipment contents and receptacle contents).
For details on how to use this (or any other COM function) please consult the application's E-Book or online help.
Resins are standard consumables used to fill-in chromatography columns. They can be very expensive and make up a significant portion of the running cost of a process. Their cost is typically reported on a per volume basis. However, oftentimes, before they are utilized, resins are 'packed' in a column. On the other hand, when purchased, the volume that should be used to order needs to be tabulated as 'unpacked' or before compression.
Typical value for compression factor is around 1.1 or 1.2 but it can vary.
Starting with this release, users can click-and-drag a stream connected to a unit procedure in order to:
a) Re-connect it to another port (without changing sides, in other words, if the stream was an input to the procedure, you can drag the stream to reconnect to another input port but not attempt to connect on an output port).
b) Release the stream from being connected to a unit procedure and, if it's an input stream to the procedure, convert it to a process output (no destination procedure) or if the stream was connected as an output from the procedure, convert it to a process input. Please note that since a stream must have either an input or an output procedure, the last option is ONLY available to intermediate streams (i.e. streams that are currently connecting two procedures).
Please also note that (currently) you cannot drag a process output stream's destination point to a unit procedure's input port and achieve a connectivity (this feature will be included in a future release). Similarly, you cannot drag a process input stream's source point to a unit procedure's output port and convert the stream to an intermediate.
When relocating a stream's connection port, any operation in the related procedure that used to be assigned to engage that stream will be re-assigned the new port. For example, consider the case of a transfer out operation shown below as part of P-5 (Fermentation procedure): it is currently assigned stream "S-110" on output #5 to carry out the contents of the vessel (see below).
After clicking and dragging stream S-110 from output #5 to output #8, the operation's dialog shows as follows:
This feature is quite handy when attempting to migrate a procedure from one host vessel to another (in other words, transforming the unit procedure from one family member to another). If the migration is not possible due to the fact that the destination unit procedure does not have as many output ports, clicking and dragging a stream to a lower-numbered port (i.e., Port 3 rather than Port 8) will provide a quick way to make the transformation from one unit procedure family member to another feasible.
The current error/warning reporting pane in SuperPro Designer can be customized to filter out all messages below a certain level. For example, typically users do not want to see internal warnings or errors generated by the simulation engine (since those are more geared to diagnosing abnormal terminations of calculations and may not be as self-explanatory as the rest of the messages). Also, at times, users may not want to view warnings but non-severe errors or severe errors alone. In that case, using the current scheme available users can set the filter level to "Non Severe Error" (see below) to accomplish that.
Also, at times, users may not be interested in viewing warnings, but may only be interested in seeing the non-severe errors and severe errors. In that case, users can set the filter level to "Non Severe Error" (see below), which will hide all warning messages.
To avoid having to deal with a specific error or warning message, right-click on the message as it is showing in the error/warning pane and select "Add to Blocked Error/Warning List". Notice that this message will no longer appear in the table even though the Warning/Errors count has not changed (3). Another common error that may appear in early development stages of a process model may be occupancy conflicts. Once again right-clicking on one such message and selecting "Add to Blocked Error/Warning List" will stop it from showing.
You can unblock a previously blocked message by right-clicking the Warning/Error pane and either selecting "Empty Blocked Error/Warning List" (which will remove all previously blocked error or warning types), or selectively choosing which errors/warnings to remove by bringing up the error/warning filtering dialog and selecting the types you wish to unblock (see below):
For several releases, SuperPro has offered the option of saving the time-profiles of key operating parameters for operations that are integrated in time (e.g. kinetic reactions, kinetic fermentations, batch distillation, etc.) as well as the length-profiles for operating parameters that are integrated in length (e.g. concentrations or heating/cooling loads across a plug-flow reactor). In previous releases, those profiles could be presented in an ASCII-tabular format or be column-formatted and saved into a file of the user's choice. However, if the values changed after a simulation run, the output profiles had to be re-created. Starting with this release, a new feature has been added that allows users to take advantage of SuperPro's "Excel Link" concept and define a link between the tabular output of such results and a destination location in an Excel file.
For example, when right-clicking over a Kinetic Fermentation unit procedure, and selecting the option: Dynamic Data Records / Ferment-1 / Excel Link / Edit...
a dialog is displayed (see below):
From this dialog a user can dictate where to deposit the profile results associated with this operation (i.e., in the example above, the results would be inserted within the Excel file named "KinFerm_Profiles.xls", on the tab named "Profiles", starting at the top-left cell "A2").
This is especially convenient if a user has additional processing code included in a file (e.g., Excel scripts), since the new simulation results may be produced and recorded without the user's intervention. Please note that if check the "Auto-Update Values" flag in the dialog above, then after the simulation is done (and the values of the recorded data have changed), SuperPro will automatically update the chart on your flowsheet.
It is very critical that equipment resources are utilized efficiently but not to the extent that they can become critically problematic for the execution of multiple batches in a campaign. All the important times and indices associated with the time utilization of an equipment resource are now shown on the Scheduling tab of the Equipment Data dialog (see below):
For an accurate definition of all the above terms (Occupancy Time, Busy Time, Waiting Time, Idle Time) please consult either the online help or the E-Book of the application.
Since the introduction of a link to PPDS as a source for pure component and binary mixture properties (in v9.5) there has been a mismatch between the number of characters allowed to describe the name of a pure component. DIPPR uses 32, so did our System and User DB, but PPDS uses 64 and sometimes introducing a component from PPDS would force us to shorten its name, opening the possibility of conflicts with others. Starting with this release, all "Formal Names" of pure components (as kept by SuperPro Designer's document and database files) hold up to 64 characters so that we can fit names from all possible sources without any possibility of conflict.
Since some users prefer to see the consumption of buffers and/or other raw materials in volumetric units (e.g. "gal") per batch or per year, we have added a new option (under the Reports / Options dialog, and "Materials & Streams" tab) - see yellow highlight below - :
Switching the option to "in volume units" will result in several sections of the Materials & Streams report to account material consumption in volumetric units (see below):
The actual unit ("gal" or "m3" etc.) used in the report, is the chosen default volume unit for volumetric stream flows as set from the dialog that appears when selecting Physical Units Options... from the flowsheet's command menu (see below):
There has been a set of shortcut combinations for common tasks for some time now in SuperPro Designer. Keyboard shortcuts are combinations like CTRL+3 or CTRL+SHIFT+5, or F2 or SHIFT+F5, etc. and for some users they are an easier (and faster) way to issue a (menu) command. CTRL+0, SHIFT+CTRL+0, CTRL+1 and SHIFT+CTRL+1 used to be part of the previous set of shortcuts, but starting with Windows 8, they have been reserved for operating system operations. Starting with this release we have revised the keyboard shortcut assignments as follows:
As a new option added to the possible contents that can be viewed when displaying the host equipment's contents during the execution of one (or more) procedures, the "Fill %" has been added (see below):
The dialog appears when selecting Equipment Contents/During <ProcedureName>...
The option can be turned on/off from the Edit Contents... dialog:
When attempting to paste (CTRL+V) a set of objects (procedures, streams, visual objects, etc.) that have been placed on the clipboard from a previous copy operation (CTRL+C), the application attempts to place the copied set such that they fit centered around the last place where the user clicked. If that's not possible without placing objects out-of-bounds of the current drawing area, the application attempts to shift she copied set left-or-right and/or up-or-down, so that when pasted they stay within the drawing boundaries. If that is not possible, then a question will be presented to the user :
If a "No" or "Cancel" is pressed, then the pasting operation is aborted. If "Yes" is selected, then the application will expand the size of the drawing area in the smallest possible amount and enough to fit the pasted objects.
When viewing a list of entities (e.g. pure components or stock mixtures currently registered in the process or in the user database) and after clicking on the row button to select the entire entry, in order to request the deletion of the entity currently user has to click on the 
button. As a shortcut, now the same request can be made by hitting the "Del" key.
When requesting to view the Stream and Materials Report (SR Report) for a process, users now can request to view consumption totals in either mass or volumetric units. Previously, all consumption amounts were reported only in mass units. A new option has been added (see below) that allows users to choose:
If the above choice is made, then SuperPro will generate the SR report and Table 2.2 (Reporting of Total Consumption for the Entire Process) will be made in volumetric units.
Note that the units chosen are what the process options holds as defaults for streams' Volumes (see below the dialog that appears when selecting Physical Units Options... from the flowsheet's context menu.)
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b1. |
This new option (available under Procedures / Power Generation / in a Fuel Cell) is supposed to model generation of electricity in a Fuel Cell
A new operation and a new equipment type has been created to support the above procedure.
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c1. |
Fuel Cell Operation (Main Operation in Fuel Cell Unit Procedure). |
A new operation has been added to model the conversion of a "fuel" 's chemical energy into electricity through the electrochemical (redox) reaction of that fuel with an oxidizing agent in a fuel cell. Usually, the fuel of choice is Hydrogen and the oxidizing agent is Oxygen.
A fuel cell basically consists of three segments: an anode, an electrolyte and a cathode. The fuel is fed through the anode channel on one side of the fuel cell, while the oxidant is fed through the cathode on the other side of the fuel cell. On the anode catalyst, positively charged ions (or waste molecules) are produced together with electrons. On the cathode catalyst, waste molecules (or negatively charged ions) are produced. The electrolyte is a substance specifically selected to allow ions to pass through it, but electrons cannot. The electrons are forced to travel from the anode to the cathode through an external circuit, producing current of electricity. Overall, a fuel cell produces electricity, heat and waste (water and sometimes carbon dioxide).
As an example of a fuel cell, consider a proton exchange membrane (PEM). Hydrogen is fed through the anode an oxygen is fed through the cathode. On the anode catalyst, the hydrogen is converted to positively charged ions (protons) and electrons. The protons travel to the cathode through the electrolyte solution (a proton conducting membrane) and the electrons travel to the cathode through the external circuit. On the cathode, the electrons are reunited with the protons and the two react with the oxygen molecules to form water. The overall reaction is simply water formation.
Here's the i/o dialog of the Fuel Cell Reaction Operation (Oper. Conds Tab):
And, the Reaction Tab:
In actual processes, when a continuous Stripping, Extrusion, Grinding or Shredding takes place, oftentimes a chemical transformation also occurs. Since the application does not support stringing two continuous unit operations within the same unit procedure, such modeling requires the presence of two unit procedures one after the other, which would accomplish the simulation goal, but is not as concise in its visual representation. Also, since continuous procedures can't share equipment, a duplicate (non-existing) equipment resource needs to be engaged. Starting with this release, we have provided the above continuous operations with the option to simulate (besides their main objective) a reaction as well (see below the dialog from Stripping operation):
Checking the option highlighted in yellow above, will introduce another tab ('Reactions') which allows the user to describe a stoichiometric reaction scheme. Please note that the reaction transformation will be applied to the liquid stream and AFTER the original (main) purpose of the operation has been accomplished (in this case, mass transfer). The same applies to the rest of the operations that are now capable of simulating a reaction transformation (Grinding, Extrusion, Shredding).
When introducing a new reaction in a scheme, the user has the choice to indicate if the application should assume that the reaction is to happen 'in parallel' or 'sequentially' with respect to the previous reaction in the queue. The difference is quite significant. Two reactions tagged to happen in parallel, will start with the SAME concentrations of reactants, whereas when in sequence, the 2nd reaction will start with concentrations of components as left (depleted or enriched) from the 1st reaction.
Clearly if two reactions do NOT have any reactants in common, it makes no sense to tag them as "parallel". For example:
A + B à C and
X + Y à W
do not compete for reactants and should NOT be tagged as "parallel". Starting with this release, such a designation will not be allowed. On the other hand,
A + B à X and
A + X à W
do compete for A, and they should be allowed to be tagged as 'parallel'. Please note that in the case shown above, the scheme will proceed and will apply the transformation to the INITIAL state of components (A, B, X), but the 2nd reaction will be allowed to proceed, as long as more X is produced by the 1st reaction than consumed by the 2nd.
Please also note that you can group more than two reactions in a cluster of parallel reactions, as long as at least two are competing for the same reactants. Therefore, the following parallel scheme is acceptable:
A + B à C
A + R à P
R + E à G
Starting with this release, the Cake Wash operation allows for a more realistic calculation of the cake temperature (after the wash) based on a percent of approach to equilibrium (see below).
Previously it was assumed that the washed cake was simply the same temperature as the washing agent.
In past releases, the exiting temperatures of streams from an absorption or stripping column were specified but no formal heat balance was performed. Starting with this release, a tighter control of enthalpy preservation requires a strict heat balance to be performed on the streams entering and exiting the column, therefore the streams' outlet temperatures couldn't be set independently of each other. The user can now dictate how to direct the heat balance calculations (see below):
Any one of the above three options will lead to the calculations of both exiting streams' temperatures in a manner consistent with the energy balance.
The simulation code for performing energy balances on all environmental reaction operations has been re-written so that it is based on enthalpy calculations (and not simply Cp's) in order to be consistent with the chemical and biological reaction counterparts.
Often times users need to simulate a pressure drop across the length of either side of a heat exchanger. The pressure drop may be significant and could have an effect on the state of component at either end of the exchanger.
Also, it may be important for the outlet streams to carry their (reduced) pressure settings to the following step (for instance, a flash drum), where the pressure drop could have a large impact.
In previous releases, the continuous and plug-flow reactions did not display the residence time, working to vessel ratio and working volume in a consistent manner. Starting with v10 this has been corrected. The Volumes tab for a continuous CSTR reaction is shown here:
and the same tab for a plug-flow reaction is shown here:
Please note that the tab maybe slightly different if the equipment is set in 'Rating' mode (i.e. size is specified). In that case, the residence time and the working to vessel ratio cannot be independently set (as they are related through the vessel's volume); so the 'Volumes' tab in that case looks as follows:
Note that the same tab will also appear for a plug flow reaction when its equipment is in rating mode.
The models for the above operations have been reworked for improved stability, even in challenging cases of auto-catalytic reactions.
Starting with this release, the three previously available variations of 'Storage in a Horizontal Tank' procedures:
Storage in a Horizontal Tank
Storage in a Horizontal on Wheels Tank
Storage in a Horizontal with Mixer Tank
are all merged into one "Storage in Horizontal Tank" (Bulk or Continuous, see new menu below).
We can now emulate the previous extra options (plus more) by adding the "Mixer" and "Wheels" as 'Features' on the Horizontal Tank Equipment (see the Equipment Data dialog for the Horizontal Tank below).
Adding or removing "Wheels" or "Mixing" on the equipment will change the icon of the unit procedure, and of course, in the case of "Mixing" will enable the "Stir" operation to become available as an option to be added in the queue of operations.
The separation data for all components (present or not) in a shortcut distillation model are shown in a separate tab (see below). Components are listed by name or increasing/decreasing boiling point. Their relative volatility (at the top, bottom and average) and their percent distribution in the distillate is also displayed in the table for easy reference.
The shortcut model for the continuous distillation operation uses the overall heat balance on the column to calculate the reboiler' s duty. More specifically:
Reboiler Duty = Condenser Duty + H(Distillate) + H(Bottoms) - H(Feed)
If, due to inconsistent PS toolboxes specified on the inputs and/or outputs of the column and the feed distribution to the distillate, a negative load is calculated, a proper warning message is displayed. For example, if the feed is specified to be all vapor at 25°C, then the distillate component percentages should be sufficiently high or else the reboiler's duty will end up being calculated negative.
Starting with this release, we have enforced a consistent test for the feasibility of a selected heat transfer agent when needed to carry out a given heating/cooling load and under the (oftentimes calculated) process temperatures and equipment configurations. When possible, a counter-current exchange will be assumed (for most efficiency), unless otherwise specified by the user. If not possible, a co-current exchange will be assumed (e.g. in a jacketed vessel).
Up until now, the program was always using a steam enthalpy calculator (based on tabulated steam properties) to estimate the enthalpy values of steam in this operation (unlike all other components whose properties are calculated using the built-in thermo engine of SuperPro Designer and the standard pure component properties). Starting with this release, users can choose to use either the steam calculator or the built-in engine (see below)
Up until now, the program required the feed to a steam generation operation be (at least partially) liquid. Starting with this release, this requirement has been relaxed to allow for the simulation of a secondary (separately fired) superheater whose feed is typically all vapor .
The corresponding unit procedure (under Unit Procedures / Power Generation / Steam Turbine) has also been renamed accordingly.
The corresponding unit procedure (under Unit Procedures/Power Generation) has also been renamed accordingly.
If the pressure of the liquor stream is less than the ambient pressure, then a pump is assumed to be present that increases the pressure of that stream to ambient. If there are two or more effects, and the pressure of the condensed vapor stream is less than the ambient pressure, another pump is assumed to exist that increases the pressure of that stream to ambient.
To account for boiling point elevation, the temperature of the vapor stream is no longer equal to the boiling point of the solution ("Evaporation Temperature"). Instead, the temperature is et equal to the boiling point of the heaviest volatile component that exists in the feed stream based on each component's boiling point as estimated at the operation's pressure (using Antoine's relation).
Four options have been added for specifying the drying gas requirement:
a) Available in Stream;
b) Set Relative Amount;
c) Set Volatile Content of Outlet Drying Gas;
d) Calculated Based on Outlet Drying Gas Temperature (Option only available if "Use Heating Agent" is unchecked);
Besides the above options, users can specify whether or not they wish to use a heating agent. If this option is left un-checked, it is assumed that the material is dried by simply blowing dry air (or pre-heated air) through the dryer.
Notice also that the model now calculates the estimated "Outlet Drying Gas Dew Point" at the exit - highlighted in blue above - (based on the LOD data provided by the user). This is calculated by flashing the outlet drying gas stream based on the assumption that Raoult's law applies to all volatile components present in the feed stream. In order for this stream to be entirely in the vapor phase (as it should), its dew point must be below its temperature. If the calculated dew point turns out to be higher than or equal to the specified outlet gas drying stream, a warning is displayed to indicate that the specified evaporation may not be feasible (the specified evaporation percentages of one or more components may be too high, or the amount of drying gas may be too low, or the outlet drying gas temperature specification may be too low).
When visiting the "Utility Tab" of the above operations, you will notice a new "Efficiency" variable has been added. Even though it defaults to 100%, it can be set to a lower level by the user to account for heat losses due to radiation.
The evaporation calculations are based on the liquid/solid portion of the wet feed stream only. Any gaseous phase present in the wet feed stream is ignored and it is simply sent to the vapor stream directly. For example, let's assume 20% of the water contained in the wet feed stream is already in the vapor phase and that the evaporation percentage of water in the dryer is set to 10%. In this case, the program will first transfer 20% of the water to the vapor stream automatically. Then, from the remaining 80% of the water that appears in the liquid/solid phase of the feed stream, 10% will be assumed to vaporize. In other words, another 8% of the water contained in the wet feed stream will vaporize, resulting in a total of 28% of the water contained in the wet feed moving to the vapor stream.
In previous releases, the amount of agent engaged by the operation was calculated based on an experiential factor specified by the user as "Amount of Agent per Unit Evaporated". This is no longer required to be provided by the user, as the program performs a formal heat balance to relate the heating duty and the outlet temperature of vapors and solids. It is assumed, that the solids and the vapors leaving the drum are at thermal equilibrium.
Several of our users noted that for certain equipment types, the minimum and maximum working-to-vessel volume properties should be stored as part of the equipment specifications (for equipment currently residing in a company's production site). In response, we've added the 'Minimum Working-to-Vessel Ratio' and 'Maximum Working-to-Vessel Ratio' as a property of the DB Site Equipment for the following equipment types:
Stirred Reactor
Seed Reactor
Bioreactor
Seed Bioreactor
Fermentor
Seed Fermentor
Neutralizer
Blending Tank
Flat-Bottom Tank
Horizontal Tank
Vertical-on-Legs Tank
Liquids Drum
Liquids Tote
Silo
Solids Bin
Solids Drum
Solids Tote
Batch Generic Box
The dialog for specifying a DB-Site Fermentor is shown below:
The minimum and maximum working-to-vessel property is automatically assigned (along with all other DB-site equipment properties) to an equipment resource allocated to that DB-Site equipment, and cannot be changed from the "Equipment Data" dialog of SuperPro Designer.
Just like several equipment types were given a "Minimum Working-to-Vessel Volume" property, certain consumables were also given a "Minimum Working-to-Vessel Volume" property. Those consumables include :
Generic Container
Large Bag
Rocking Bioreactor Bag
Roller Bottle
Shake Flask
Stirred Bioreactor Bag
T-Flask
As a sample, the dialog for specifying a new Roller Bottle is shown below:
In previous releases, if the operating pressure for the above operations was not set by user, then it was assumed equal to the feed stream's pressure. Starting with this release, if the pressure is not set by the user, the it is taken as the minimum between the feed stream and the air inlet stream. Also, the pressure of the outlet streams (final solids stream and drying gas outlet stream) is set equal to the operating pressure.
The Steam Expansion operation model, which is the main operation in the "Power Generation in a Straight Flow Steam Turbine" unit procedure, has been improved in the following ways:
a) In previous versions of the software, the steam expansion was based on a built-in steam calculator estimator for steam properties. Starting with this release, the user may choose between a built-in steam calculator and the (default) analytical isentropic expansion model option in order to perform steam expansion calculations more accurately.
b) In previous versions of the software, the user could check the condenser's "On?" check box in order to specify a condensing turbine. In this version, the user may explicitly select either a "Condensing Turbine" or a "Back Pressure Turbine".
c) The interfaces for this operation (Oper. Cond's tab – below - and Expansion Data tab – second screen below) were extensively redesigned for simplicity and added usability .
and,
The corresponding unit procedure (hosted by the above equipment) has also been appropriately renamed and resides under the Unit Procedures / Power Generation / in a Steam Turbine / Extraction.
The corresponding unit procedure has been removed from the list of options under Unit Procedures / Power Generation. In the near future, a Combustion Turbine Engine will be introduced to subsume its functionality.
The current strategy employed when using "Gradient" elution, was to calculate the amounts of Eluant Buffers A and B such that a target (key) component has a user-specified concentration at the beginning and the end of the operation. An alternative strategy commonly employed is to calculate the amounts of A and B such that the relative percentage of one (say A) is set at the beginning and the end of the operation. Starting with this release, this second option is now available as a set strategy for elution operations. In fact, the elution operation has now a dedicated new tab, just for users to express their elution strategy (see below):
The loading time in a chromatography column used to be calculated based on one of three specifications provided by the user:
Linear Velocity
Absolute Flowrate
Relative Flowrate
A new option has now been added: Empty Bed Contact Time (see below). This is somewhat equivalent to a residence time in a vessel.
Please note that the above option has been added to the "Column Load" operation in all chromatography procedures (Gel Filtration, PBA Simplified, PBA Detailed, etc.). Also, the same option was also added to the MA Flow-Through operation and the PBA Flow-Through operation.
When defining the distribution of a component across 3 or more split streams (in a component splitter) the application will now allow you to exit the operation dialog even if a component's distribution percentages are all 0.0 (see below).
This allows the user to skip the specifications for components that he/she does not expect to be present in the feed of the component splitter during simulation. Of course, if during simulation this turns out not to be the case, an error message will be generated. Please note that in order to exit this operation’s dialog, you must either leave ALL of the split fractions as zero OR the split fractions must add up to 100% (for each component).
In order to calculate the power consumption, the program used to assume a specific Cp/Cv ratio for all gases (1.3, which is a good average to use in the absence of a better estimate). Starting with this release, this ratio will be calculated for each gas based on its ideal Cp value and under the assumption of it being an ideal, incompressible gas (hence, Cv = Cp - R), so the ratio is simply Cp/(Cp-R), where Cp is the ideal gas Cp.
Also, the program used to calculate the adiabatic (isentropic) outlet temperature instead of the actual outlet temperature (usually higher due to inefficiencies and departure from isentropic operation). Now a better, more realistic estimate of the outlet temperature is calculated, which takes into account a user-provided isentropic efficiency factor .
When displaying amounts on operations available in the PBA Chromatography procedure or the Membrane Absorption procedure (e.g. Load, Elute, Equilibrate, Wash) are now shown for all cycles (if user has requested more than 1 cycles) and for all simultaneously operating equipment (if there are more than 1) - see below - . These operations used to display the amounts per cycle and per equipment but this is inconsistent with what is displayed in all other operations (e.g. charge, etc.).
When describing the events in a Cone Screw Drying, Sphere-Drying, Double-Cone Drying or Batch Distillation procedure, users can now include an evacuation step to remove volatiles from the host vessel to the vent line. This is an important inclusion esp. for those concerned with EPA emission reporting.
Prior to this release, when viewing the i/o simulation data dialog of a flotation operation, the 'Air Solubility' property was displayed in inconsistent units (and therefore its value displayed was incorrect). It should be displayed in Air Volume/Liquid Volume units of ml/L, not L/L; this has now been fixed.
When solving a gasification operation, the iterative algorithm engaged to solve it used to converge to different solutions depending on which option was set (gasification temperature or carbon conversion). This has now been fixed.
When visiting the Unit Procedure's Dialog, if you decided to set the 'Hold-up Time' to a user specified value (instead of allowing it to be calculated by the program), and then closed the dialog with OK, the next time you visited the dialog the program did not save the "set-by-user" designation (flag). This has now been fixed.
The specific power units for this operation were expressed in units of power (e.g. "kW") per unit mass and per unit length. This is incorrect as they should be expressed in units of power per unit volume and unit length. This has now been fixed.
The program used to display an error message when the condensing temperature of the heating fluid in the first effect was less than (or equal) to the temperature of the feed stream (error E101.5075). This constraint has been deemed unnecessary and has been removed.
If the process time was set to be calculated based on the binding capacity of either of the above mentioned columns (GAC Absorption or Ion Exchange) and the bound material was found to be zero, then the calculated number of units required was set to be an exceedingly high number. This has now been fixed.
When the batch vaporization operation was set to operate in Solvent Switch mode, the replacement solvent volume units displayed on the "Mat Balance" tab of the operation's i/o simulation data dialog were not working properly: selecting new units did not convert the replacement solvent value to the new units and the choice of units was not saved after the dialog was closed. This has been fixed.
When visiting the "Crystal. Tab" of a crystallization operation, and attempting to change the crystallization heat units, an error was generated. This has been fixed.
When solving a batch vaporization operation (in solvent switch mode) and the user had specified the replacement volume for the new solvent, and the fresh solvent component(s) happened to have the same relative evaporation as the evaporated solvent component(s), the mass balance calculations were in error. This has been fixed.
When a stream carrying material out of a vessel was set by the user to have a different PS calculation toolbox from the previous operation in the vessel, the output stream appeared to have the same composition, temperature and pressure as the equipment contents it came from. However, under these circumstances the enthalpies of the vessel and stream contents would have been different since different PS calculation toolboxes were being used. As is the standard policy in SuperPro Designer, in cases of a change in PS Calculation toolbox (between different operations and/or streams), it is the enthalpy that is preserved (at the expense of a temperature discontinuity) and not the other way around. This has now been fixed.
If the user selects isocratic, the eluant "B" input stream composition button is not supposed to be active (since eluant "B" is not involved in the elutions step). This has been fixed.
The specification on the Oper.Cond’s tab which was previously labelled "Overflow Rate" was changed to “Set Throughput” since it is used for specifying the operating throughput for the equipment, and this terminology is more intuitive.
When sizing a fryer, the program used to take the throughput of the 3rd (instead of the 4th) input stream to size the equipment. This has been fixed.
In previous versions, when attempting to visit the continuous storage operation in a Solids Storage Unit Procedure in a Silo, Hopper, Bin, Drum or Tote, the program would crash. This has been fixed.
Due to an error in the calculations, the energy balance was not properly applied on fermentation operations resulting (in some cases, but not always) to inaccurate calculations of heating/cooling loads and/or fermentation temperature. This has been fixed.
Typically, upon starting SuperPro, the application will 'remember' the location and state of all of its toolbars (e.g., Main, Section, Simulation, etc.) as they were left the last time the application was closed (on that PC). Due to a bug, the location of some of those toolbars was not restored when the application was running on a PC under the Win 8.x and Win10 environments. It was performing fine under Win7 and Win Vista. This has been fixed.
When multiple process files are open, and the 'Find Dialog' utility is visible, it is supposed to display at the top the name of the 'active' process file that it will perform the search (if asked). When changing from one file to another the name was not updated. Also, after saving a file under a different name (using the 'Save As' menu option under File), the 'Find' utility failed to update the new name of the file. This has been fixed.
When visiting the dialog that allows a user to define the stoichiometry of a continuous kinetic environmental reaction, the list of registered components was not available under the drop-downs for "Reactants" or "Products". This has been fixed.
In some circumstances the results of the batch rigorous vaporization operation were incorrect. This was only happening under a rare combination of user specifications. This has been fixed.
When calculating the feed quality (percent of feed's volume that is vapor) in a Flash, Condensation or Thin Film Evaporation operation, the results were inaccurate. This has been fixed.
When the user-set pressure for venting happened to be the same as the final pressure of the preceding operation, the venting operation produced inaccurate results. This has been fixed.
Under some combination of user specifications, the purge gas amount calculated by a purge operation was incorrect. This has been fixed.
This has been fixed.
When the duration (process time) of a valve operation is set by a downstream operation (which is simulated after the valve's action is simulated), the simulation engine must revisit the valve and update any process-time related variables (such as throughput) as well as redo the sizing calculations as they may depend on the newly calculated throughput. This was not done previously and it has been corrected.
After creating a custom Excel report (only a Custom Excel report, none of the other reports, in any format) then if the application file was closed or if an attempt was made to save the file under a different name using "Save As" interface, it would lead to a crash. This has been fixed.
When displaying various interfaces related to reactions (batch or continuous, kinetic or stoichiometric) the application used to refer to 'Reaction Extent' as the percent of a key (selected) reactant which was converted into products. The more appropriate term for this percentage is 'conversion', as 'extent' is usually the conversion divided by the stoichiometric coefficient (thus, independent of any chosen reference reaction participant).
When pasting a unit procedure (or multiple procedures) from one process file into another, the program must deal with the possibility that some resources (heat transfer agents, labor types, power types, consumables) may be non-existent in the destination file, or exactly the same, or 'almost' the same. If resources associated with pasted procedures do not yet exist in the flowsheet, SuperPro creates them automatically (e.g., it will add components to the destination process file if they don’t already exist there). However, when a heat transfer agent was found to exist in the flowsheet already (with the same name and type, e.g., "High Pressure Stream" as a heating agent) then if the rest of the properties didn't match (e.g. Supply Temp, or Return Temp, or Price) then it would create a new agent named (always) "Super Hot Steam 02". If another unit procedure was then copied into the flowsheet which ALSO used "High Pressure Stream" as a heating agent, multiple heat transfer agents would be created (all named "Super Hot Steam 02"). This has now been fixed. If consecutive paste actions result in resources "almost" matching the destination process's list, then unique new names are assigned. It is strongly suggested that if you want to avoid having multiple resources generated you should make sure that the names AND properties are the same. The easiest way to accomplish this is to first update the databank image of the agent to have the desired set of properties and then BEFORE copying, make sure that the resources assume the properties from the database record. Also, repeat the same for the destination flowsheet. Then, copying-and-pasting will NOT generate multiple resource objects.
When editing the name of a stream (or the name / description of a unit procedure), after typing a new name, the dialog can be closed by either clicking on the OK button or simply hitting the ENTER key. In the former case, the program would perform 'sanity checks' on the new name to make sure that no name conflicts existed, and that the new name was not an empty string (not allowed). However, if you exited the dialog with ENTER, then the validation step was skipped. This has been fixed.
When selecting to rename a component (that is the "Local Name" or "Tag ID" by which the component is known and reported by your process model), from the Tasks / Pure Components / Rename... menu option, the application used to get some of the other component specifications mixed up (in some circumstances, not always). This has been fixed.
When allowing the model to estimate the relative volatilities of components, in the face of poor thermodynamic data, a relative volatility value less then 1 is a possibility. If this value is used for the light and/or the heavy component, it results to negative values for the estimation of number of stages. This has been fixed and such values are rejected.
B07, SBN 2000, Release Date (12/08/2018)
B07, SBN 2000: New Example Added to the Food Processing Group: Cocoa Processing (Improvement)
A new modeling example has been added to the Food Processing set of examples. It captures the operations in a cocoa processing plant that produces several grades of chocolate and cocoa powders. Chocolate is one of the most popular confectionery products in the western world, and its production is continuously increasing every year. The increasing demand, frequently leads to fluctuations of the chocolate price (as a commodity). The process presented here is based on fermented and dried cocoa beans used as raw material. Full documentation and the actual SuperPro model file can be found under the "Cocoa" subfolder in the "Food Processing" folder of all "Examples". If you don't know how to locate your "Examples" folder in your installation, please consult the relevant topic in the online help.
B07, SBN 2000: New Example Added to the Food Processing Group: Pectin Production (Improvement)
Another modeling example has been added to the Food Processing set of examples. It simulates the production of pectin from citrus peels. Pectin substances are complex mixtures of polysaccharide polymers found in most plants; their concentration varies depending on the type of plant and the specific part of the plant where they are located. Pectins behave like a stabilizing gel and contribute to both the adhesion between the cells and to the mechanical strength of the cell wall. Commercial pectin is typically extracted either from citrus fruit peels or from apple pomace. Full documentation and the actual SuperPro model file can be found under the "Pectin" subfolder in the "Food Processing" folder of all "Examples". If you don't know how to locate your "Examples" folder in your installation, please consult the relevant topic in the online help.
B07, SBN 2000: Input Data Report Occasionally Crashed Upon Creating (any format) (Bug Fix)
When requesting the generation of the Input Data Report (IDR) for a process model, the application may crash. This would happen regardless of the choice of output format (PDF, RTF, HTML, etc.). This has now been fixed.
B07, SBN 2000: Rigorous Distillation Model's Heating & Cooling Loads Were Sometimes Incorrectly Reported (Bug Fix)
When running a (continuous) rigorous distillation model, the simulation engine would calculate heating load of the reboiler and the cooling load of the condenser correctly if the unit procedure was set to operate continuously (by far, the most common case). However, if the unit procedure was set to function in a semi-continuous (stop-and-go) mode, the loads were off. This has now been fixed.
B07, SBN 2000: Custom Mixing Behaved Erratically (Bug Fix)
When using a custom mixing step, if the simulation failed to satisfy the set requirement (e.g. if the mixer was set to achieve a set amount, but the feed exceeded that value), the engine would report the error, would not adjust the input stream and simply add whatever value of flow was found there (from the previous run, or previous iteration in loop iterative calculations). This was not correct as it could lead to undesirable convergence levels or even lead to non-convergence. This has now been fixed and when the requirements can't be met, the adjustable input stream is set to 0.0 (if it's a direct input) or left unadjusted (if it required further back-propagation) but the output stream is always set to the input stream.
B07, SBN 2000: When Heavy Key in a Shortcut Distillation Was Missing its Antoine Coefficients, Application would Crash (Bug Fix)
This has now been fixed and an error is produced instead.
B07, SBN 2000: Missing V/L Correlation Coefficients for non-SuperPro Components Were Incorrectly Reported as "Missing Antoine Coefficients" (Bug Fix)
SuperPro Designer allows users to register component from either DIPPR or PPDS as alternative sources to its own System DB (or the User's DB that keeps components in the same data format as the System DB). Whereas SuperPro's DB keeps V/L data in Antoine format, other DBs (such as DIPPR) does not. Occasionally, a component registered from the DIPPR database may be missing its V/L coefficients. Up till now, SuperPro would incorrectly complain about that component missing its Antoine coefficients, when a more appropriate response would be, its missing a valid correlation for Saturated Vapor estimation at different temperatures. This has now been fixed.
B07, SBN 2000: When Exporting the Flowsheet Drawing to a DXF File Multi-Line Text didn't Export Properly (Bug Fix)
When exporting the flowsheet drawing into a DXF file, any multiline text item would only export its first line. This has now been fixed.
B07, SBN 2000: When Exporting the Flowsheet Drawing to a DXF File Some Visual Objects Wouldn't Export (Bug Fix)
When exporting the flowsheet drawing into a DXF file, any visual objects (like straight lines, polylines, circles, rectangles, etc.) wouldn't export. This has now been fixed.
B07, SBN 2000: Non-Zero Intracellular Fractions Appeared without the Presence of Primary Biomass Component (Bug Fix)
Due to a glitch in much older versions of the software, it was possible to have intermediate streams (or equipment contents) have their composition calculated by the simulation engine and produce component flows with non-zero intracellular fractions when the primary biomass component either was no longer defined in the model, or was defined but was not present in the stream (or process state). Starting with this release we've added code that 'cleans up' any such past saved states or streams to avoid further propagation of such errors.
B07, SBN 2000: When the Major Units Were Chosen as "Months" the First Number Shown was "0". (Bug Fix)
Due to a glitch when the major units on a time axis was chosen to be "Months", the first number shown was "0" instead of "1". This has now been fixed.
B07, SBN 2000: When Displaying Day-Month Dates, the Local Preferences Were not Respected Leading to Confusing Time Axis. (Bug Fix)
Typically in the US, the day-month of the year in numerical form, would "mo-day", whereas in other parts of the world, it would be "day-mo". Starting with this release, the locale choices for how to display dates will be consulted before such presentations are made in order to be consistent with user's expectations.
B07, SBN 2000: When Opening Files Created prior to v10.03 the Crystallization Operation Would Fail to Read Some of Data Correctly. (Bug Fix)
The designation as to which component is crystallizable, would fail to be read appropriate for older files (prior to v10 Build 03). This has been fixed.
B07, SBN 2000: When Renaming A Pure Component Participating in a Chemical Reaction the Name Change Didn't Propagate Properly. (Bug Fix)
This has been fixed.
B07, SBN 2000: When Setting the Capacity-per-Volume for an MA-Loading Operation (or PBA Column Loading Operation) with a COM Engine Call, Results Was Unsuccessful. (Bug Fix)
This has been fixed.
B07, SBN 2000: When Renaming A Pure Component Participating in a Chemical Reaction the Name Change Didn't Propagate Properly. (Improvement)
Batch concentration operations would require that you chose at least one component with non-zero RC value. Staring with this release, we accept settings where no component is set to be retained (all component have zero RC values).
B07, SBN 1000, Release Date (07/30/2018)
B07, SBN 1000: Components in a Process Model Can Be Tagged as "Dry Solids" (Improvement)
Starting with this release SuperPro Designer modeling provides the means for users to track the "Dry Solid" contents of streams and/or equipment contents in a process simulation model. Besides viewing the dry-solids flow (kg-ds/h) or contents (kg-ds/batch), users can also view compositions of streams (or equipment contents) in "dry-basis" (db); in other words, mass fractions of dry-solid components as a percent of flow (or contents) that does NOT include the non-dry-solid (typically aqueous) phase.
It all starts with users declaring they would like to define the group of pure components which are going to be considered "dry solids" (for the purposes of the present process model). This can be done while viewing the Pure Component Registration dialog (main menu Tasks / Pure Components / Register, View Properties... Ctrl+2). Once the option "Define Dry Mass Components" is checked (see below), then the neighboring button is enabled. Clicking on the button, brings up a list of all components currently registered in the model and you can chose to check (and include) any component that you wish to be contributing towards your "Dry Solid" content anywhere in your model.
Once this option is activated, several features are enabled for you to engage in relation to "Dry Solids":
4Stream viewing dialogs will show check-box at the top of the composition table, that if checked, it will display (above and beyond what it normally displays), several dry-solid related properties (more on this on a later topic below)
4The "Info Tag" contents options on streams now have more choices that allow you to display on a stream's info tag any of the Dry-Solid related properties (e.g., dry solids flow, dry-solids percentage, etc.)
4The Stream Summary Table as well the Equipment Contents Table will offer new options for displaying Dry-Solids related properties (if desired).
4The Materials & Streams Report will include the Dry-Solids properties. Besides the regular composition of streams, it will also include the composition on a dry-basis as well (on a separate column).
You can of course, include (or exclude) a component in the family of "Dry Solids" at any time by either revisiting the above list, or by visiting that component's properties dialog (on the "IDs" tab, see below):
Note that in the above dialog, besides tagging a component to belong in the "Dry Matter" family, you can also specify what percentage of its weight is assumed to contribute to the dry solids weight. Typically, that is 100% but for some component that may represent a complex matter (e.g. orange peel), that percentage may be less than 100%.
B07, SBN 1000: Intermediate and Output Stream Dialog Enhanced with Dry-Solid Option (Improvement)
Starting with this release SuperPro Designer modeling provides the means for users to track the "Dry Solid" contents of streams and/or equipment contents in a process model. You can see below the i/o dialog for an intermediate/output stream after the "Define Dry-Solid Components" option is enabled.
Notice that there is a check box at the top-right of the "Composition" table that when checked the following additional information is shown:
4A new column in the "Composition Table" with the header "Mass Comp. (%db)". This new column shows the mass (or mole if mole flows are shown) of all components as a percent of total that excludes all non-solids (aqueous) amounts. Notice that the value for non-dry-solid matter, is 0%.
4DS Flow (always mass flow) in units that follow the selection of units of the (total) mass flow of the stream. Represents the cumulative flow of all components that are members of the "Dry Solid" family.
4Aqueous Flow (always mass flow) in units that follow the selection of units of the (total) mass flow of the stream. Represents the cumulative flow of all components that are not in the "Dry Solids" family. Notice that the label calls them "Aqueous" flow but it is NOT necessarily just "Water". Another way to view this flow, is the difference between the total mass flow of the stream and the dry solids flow.
4The "DS %" (Dry Solids Percentage): This is the ratio of "Dry Solids Flow" to "Total Flow" (in percentage units). Note that if flows are shown in mole units (kmol, mol, lbmol, etc.), then the DS Mole % will be shown and it will be DIFFERENT in value than the DS %.
Note-1: If the "Dry Basis" checkbox is unchecked, all of the above "extra" properties disappear.
Note-2: Also, for intermediate/output streams that do NOT have ANY dry solid flow in them when the dialog is presented, this option will NOT even appear.
B07, SBN 1000: Input Stream Dialog Enhanced with Dry-Solid Option (Improvement)
When the "Dry Solids" option is active for a process model (see item #1 above), the dialog of an input stream now shows an extra option (similar to the option shown for intermediate streams above).
Notice that there is a check box at the top-right of the "Composition" table that when checked the following additional information is shown:
4A new column in the "Composition Table" with the header "Mass Comp. (%db)". This new column will show the mass (or mole if mole flows are shown) of all components as a percent of total that excludes all non-solids (aqueous) amounts. Notice that the value for non-dry-solid matter, is 0%.
4DS Flow (always mass flow) in units that follow the selection of units of the (total) mass flow of the stream. Represents the cumulative flow of all components that are members of the "Dry Solid" family.
4Aqueous Flow (always mass flow) in units that follow the selection of units of the (total) mass flow of the stream. Represents the cumulative flow of all components that are not in the "Dry Solids" family. Notice that the label calls them "Aqueous" flow but it is NOT necessarily just "Water". Another way to view this flow, is the difference between the total mass flow of the stream and the dry solids flow.
4The "DS %" (Dry Solids Percentage): This is the ratio of "Dry Solids Flow" to "Total Flow" (in percentage units). Note that if flows are shown in mole units (kmol, mol, lbmol, etc.), then the DS Mole % will be shown and it will be DIFFERENT in value than the DS %.
Note-1: If the "Dry Basis" checkbox is unchecked, all of the above "extra" properties disappear.
Note-2: The "Dry Basis" option will always be there (regardless of whether any dry-solid component is present in the composition list or not). Of course, if no dry-solid components are present then, the percentage of all other (aqueous) components present in db % will be 0.0.
Note-3: All dry-solid properties are displayed as OUTPUTS only. In other words, you cannot define the composition of an input stream by modifying its DS Flow and the % db of all components.
B07, SBN 1000: Stream's Info Tag Options for Content now Feature Dry Solid Related Properties (Improvement)
When the "Dry Solids" option is active for a process model (see item #1 above), the options that appear for info tag contents now include a few more related to the "Dry Solids" content of a stream (see below):
Also, if the composition of a specific component is selected, and that component happens to be in the dry solids family, the info tag will show either the total composition percentage or the percentage on dry-basis depending on whether the above check box ("Dry Basis (db)" is checked or not.
B07, SBN 1000: Stream Summary Table Contents Options now Includes Dry Solids Related Options (Improvement)
When the "Dry Solids" option is active for a process model (see item #1 above), the options that appear for info tag contents now feature a few extra variables related to the "Dry Solids" content of a stream (see below)
Similar new options appear when viewing the Equipment Contents of any equipment with contents (holding volume).
B07, SBN 1000: Stream Summary Table Contents Options now Includes Dry Solids Related Options (Improvement)
When the "Dry Solids" option is active for a process model (see item #1 above), the "Streams & Materials Report" includes a few more properties about each stream (see below)
B07, SBN 1000: Bulk Washing Operation Has Expanded Options for Designating Solids Removal onto the Wash Stream (Improvement)
The bulk washing operation allows for part of the washing agent to carry over to the product stream (stream being washed) through the "Retained % in Product Stream". On the other hand, it also provides for parts of the product stream to be carried over to the washing agent outlet stream. Users can either simply specify component percentages or if they check the "Consider Solids" option, the following table appears (under 'Component Removal'):
By designating a component as "Solid" (and those already included in the Dry Solids family are already checked), you can determine a removal percentage that will migrate from the product stream to the wash output. To determine how much of the non-solids (aqueous) phase also gets carried away from the product to the wash outlet, users can specify the blue-highlighted values above (one of the two):
4Either the total solids percentage,
4or just Suspended (non-dissolved) solids percentage
in the product stream.
Note that if you designate a "Solid" component as "Dissolved" then, you can't specify its removal percentage any more. It will be carried out as a percentage of the ENTIRE aqueous phase in the relative composition that it is on the product stream (inlet conditions).
B07, SBN 1000: Grinding Operation w/ Reaction Simulation May Lead to a Crash (Bug Fix)
When a grinding operation has been checked to also simulate a reaction (after the grinding), its simulation sometimes would lead to crash since the emission calculations of the after-the-grinding reaction model were not suppressed, yet, they have no outlet to go (no emissions port on the grinder equipment). This has been fixed (no emission calculations are performed by this reaction module).
B07, SBN 1000: After Modifying the Custom Excel Report Options, Any Component Add/Remove Operations Would Lead to a Crash (Bug Fix)
In some rare circumstances, after modifying the Custom Excel Report options the program would exit the dialog normally; however, any further addition or removal of a pure component from the registration list would lead to a crash immediately, or when saving the model. This has now been fixed.
B07, SBN 1000: Selecting "(none)" in Column Wash or Regeneration Operations for the Port of Wash Agent Would Lead to a Crash (Bug Fix)
When selecting the "(none)" option in a column wash or column regeneration operation that is supposed to designate the input port the wash or regeneration agent, a crash would occur. This has now been fixed.
B07, SBN 1000: Assigning a Receiving Storage Unit to a Procedure's Receptacle Could Lead to a Crash if That Procedure Was Later Deleted (Bug Fix)
When two or more procedures share the same equipment resource, users have the choice to activate an automatic emptying of the equipment's contents after one procedure is done and before the next starts. These contents normally are kept by a receptacle stream (assigned to each procedure). Users can opt to hook-up the receptacle stream to a Receiving Storage Unit to make it easy to track down all those contents. Once such connection was made, if later, the procedure was deleted the storage unit would become unstable and it would not be able to save itself during the saving of the file (and that would lead to a crash). This has now been fixed.
B07, SBN 1000: User-Defined Cost Models Display Improper Upper Limit (Bug Fix)
When a user is specifying a power-law model to be used for costing a piece of equipment, the program used to display in the upper left corner the value that needs to be at minimum included in the capacity ranges below. If the equipment is in design mode, then this is the maximum available size specified on the Equipment Data dialog. If the equipment is in rating mode, then this value is he current size of the equipment. This value was not properly displayed in previous releases and it has now been fixed.
B07, SBN 1000: Heat Transfer Agent Properties Can Be Defined in User Chosen Units (Improvement)
When a user introduces a new heat transfer agent (in his/her User Database), it is now possible to input the values of its properties (such as supply temperature, or mass-to-energy factor) in his/her own preferred units. Note that those units are for inputting the numbers only. Once the agent is saved in the User DB, he values will be converted to SI units and next time the same dialog is viewed, the properties will be initially shown in SI Units.
B07, SBN 1000: Adjusting the Screen Resolution with an Open, Empty SuperPro Designer Flowsheet (Bug Fix)
If the user changes the display resolution while the application is running and a flowsheet did not contain any items, after the new resolution was enforced the document's size would be incorrectly chopped up to simply a 1x1 size. This has now been fixed and the previously set size is kept.
B07, SBN 1000: When User Double-Clicks on a Text Item, When Multiple Items Are Selected, Applications Crashes (Bug Fix)
If the user selects multiple items and one of them is a text item, then proceeds to double-click on the text item in order to edit its contents, the application may crash. This has now been fixed by preventing users to enter 'edit mode' for text items unless only a single item is selected.
B07, SBN 1000: Water Content of Primary Biomass Is Now Set in Bio-Reaction's Interface (Improvement)
In previous releases, the user was specifying the water content of the primary biomass component (as well as the component that represents 'Water') on the Pure Component Registration dialog. The application utilizes this information ONLY after a bio-reaction's mass balances are completed and the reactants have been transformed into products based on the user's stoichiometry description and reaction extent (or kinetics). If there's a designated "primary biomass" component (and this is done on the Pure Component Registration dialog), and the primary biomass component is a produce in any of the reactions included in the reaction scheme, then if the user has chosen to designate a "water" component and a primary biomass water content, the simulation engine will automatically convert the amount of water dictated by the water content specification as "intra-cellular".
Note that if the user does NOT choose to designate a "water" component (so the assignment is left to '(none)') then this automatic transformation of water to intra-cellular water does not happen. Also, please note that the "water" component selected does not have to participate in the reaction. Starting with this release, the simulation engine will complain if a primary biomass component is chosen (in the Pure Component Registration dialog), a 'Water' component is chosen in this dialog and not enough water exists to satisfy the primary water content percentage. If you don't want the simulation engine to convert any water into intracellular (and hence avoid complaining if there isn't enough water) simply refrain from specifying a 'water' component in the above interface (leave it as '(none').
B07, SBN 1000: The Absorption (or Stripping) Operation Now Allows for the Operating Pressure to Be Set by User (Improvement)
In previous releases of the program, the absorption (or stripping) column's pressure was calculated based on the inlet pressure of the gaseous stream and the (calculated) pressure drop rate (pressure drop per unit length) based on the operating conditions. Starting with this release, we also give the user the option to overwrite these calculations and simply provide his/her own value to be used (see below). This pressure value will be used to set the pressure of both outlet streams (liquid and gaseous).
Also, starting with this release, the interface of absorption/stripping displays the value of Henry's constant as used in the calculations for the model, since it is the value provided by the user adjusted for the 'mean temperature' of the column. The 'mean temperature' of the column, is the flowrate-weighed, average temperature between the two inlet streams. The correction is based on Claussius-Clapeyron equation and it requires valid enthalpy of vaporization data. If such data don't exist, then no correction is applied.
B07, SBN 1000: The GAC (Liquid) Adsorption Loading Operation Has Been Improved (Improvement)
If the equipment is in design mode and the process time is specified, the user may now choose to calculate the bed size either based on the binding capacity or based on the empty-bed contact time. If the process time is calculated (either on the binding capacity or service volume), then the bed size can only be calculated based on the empty-bed contact time.
B07, SBN 1000: Attempting to View / Search / Deposit a Process Model to the Process DB Leads to an Error (Bug Fix)
If the user attempted to access the "Process DB" in order to view, search or deposit a process file, an error would result notifying them that the "Process DB file is unregistered with Windows". This has now been fixed.
B07, SBN 1000: When Attempting to Switch the Resource (in a Consumption Chart), the Name of the Resource Now Being Charted Shows with a Check Mark (Improvement)
When viewing the resource consumption chart of a resource (e.g. a Heat Transfer Agent like "Steam", or "Water", etc., or a Labor like "Operator", "Supervisor", etc.) users can easily switch the selected resource to another from the right-click (command) menu of the chart. When attempting to select another resource name (or the same type), the name of the resource currently charted is showing with a check mark
B05, SBN 1100, Release Date (06/07/2018)
B05, SBN 1100: Power Generation in a Gas Turbine is Introduced as a new UP, Operation and Equipment (Improvement)
This new unit procedure is available under Unit Procedures / Power Generation / in a Gas Turbine.
The operation included in this procedure can be used to simulate the sequence of transformations that typically happen in a gas turbine:
a) compression of air (in the air compressor section of the turbine)
b) injection of fuel and combustion
c) expansion of gases (in expansion section of the turbine)
d) conversion of rotating (mechanical) energy to electricity (in the electric generator section of the turbine).
For each pure component present in the makeup of the fuel fed to the turbine, the user is required to provide its elemental composition in carbon (C), hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), Sulfur (S) and Nitrogen (N):
The first 4 elements are assumed to be converted to Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Water (H2O), and Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) while any Nitrogen (N) present in the fuel (as well as all N2 in the air present in the air) is assumed to exit without oxidation. Using the above elemental composition of the fuel the program calculates the Lower Heating Value (LHV) of the fuel - but can be overwritten, if necessary; besides the above, the user is also required to provide:
4The percent excess oxygen (O2) at operating conditions
4The pressure ratio and isentropic efficiency of the compression stage
4The isentropic efficiency of the expansion turbine (converting expanding gases to rotational energy), and
4The generator's efficiency
Finally, the user is supposed to identify the following components (participating in the combustion reactions) with registered components in the model:
"Oxygen", "Nitrogen", "Water", "Carbon Dioxide" and "Sulfur Dioxide":
Based on the above, the gas turbine model will simulate the combustion transformation of fuel and air into the combustion products and therefore the flow, temperature, pressure and composition of the exhaust gas; it will also calculate the power delivered to the compressor, the turbine's rotational (mechanical) power output and finally the generated electrical power.
B05, SBN 1100: Power Generation in an Internal-Combustion Engine is Introduced as a new UP, Operation and Equipment (Improvement)
This unit procedure can be found under Unit Procedures / Power Generation / in a Motor Generator:
The main operation contained in the above procedure, simulates the combustion of fuel and air in an internal, reciprocating combustion engine, coupled with an electric generator. Just like the gas turbine, the user first needs to identify the elemental composition of the fuel feed in terms of its makeup in "C", "H", "O", "N" and "S" (see above). Then, once again in a manner analogous to the interface of gas turbine above, the combustion products ("CO2", "SO2", "H2O" as well "N2" and "O2") need to be identified by registered pure components in the model (see above). The rest of the operating conditions/specifications that need to be provided by the user are:
4 The excess oxygen in the feed during operation
4 Any heat losses to the surroundings expressed as a percentage of fuel heat input
4 The combustion engine's direct exhaust's temperature and pressure
4 The heat percentage that is recovered from the coolant to raise hot water/steam
4 Electric generator's efficiency in converting mechanical energy to electricity
Based on all of the above, the simulation model will produce the flow and composition of the exhaust gas, the remaining cooling duty (after the heat recovery to, the mechanical power produced by the engine and finally the electrical power produced by electric generator.
B05, SBN 1100: Hold Operation Accounts for Heat Losses due to Poor Insulation (Improvement)
The 'Hold' operation now has extra specifications to account for possible heat losses to the environment. Since no vessel can ever be perfectly insulated, while holding material in a vessel, it is possible that users may wish to model any heat losses (or gains) due to improper insulation. Starting with this release, the following options now exist in the context of a 'Hold' operation. If you decide to capture interaction with the environment (assume at ambient conditions) you have two choices:
(a) You can choose to capture the heat loss or gain by a mere temperature drop (or increase), or
(b) You can provide parameters the model the heat rate leaving the material contents of the vessel by either providing directly a heat rate (in kcal/hr or something equivalent), or a UA factor (in kcal/h-°C or something equivalent). The UA-factor will be multiplied by the temperature difference between the content's temperature (T) and the ambient temperature to provide an estimate for the heat rate loss (or gain).
Please note that ambient conditions (temperature and pressure) can be set globally (for the whole model) by accessing the dialog under the flowsheet' context menu entry labelled "Referenced Conditions".
B05, SBN 1100: Generic 'Wash' and 'Flush' Operations Have Extra Options for Wash Agent Requirement Calculation (Improvement)
The (generic) "Wash" operation is available in vessel procedures as means to introduce a washing agent that may or may not interact with the possibly non-empty contents of the vessel. Starting with this release, we have added a couple more specifications that can be used to indirectly determine the amounts of washing agent required (see below).
B05, SBN 1100: Cloth Filtration Can Operate in Dual Mode: Filter Contents or Load-and-Filter Mode (Improvement)
Previously the program assumed that a cloth filtration operation would deal (filter) the filter contents which were either automatically pulled in by the auto-transfer in mechanism of SuperPro's simulation engine (if no other operation was listed in the UP's queue that transfers material in and a stream was connected to the UP's default input stream), or via an explicit "Transfer In" operation that preceded the filtration operation. For that to happen the filter ought to have a large enough volume to accommodate the entire amount of material to be filtered. In practice, often, filters just draw-and-filter simultaneously, so the entire amount that passes through the filter never has to 'fit' in the filter's volume. Starting with this release, we make the user's intention explicit and introduce a new option on the operation's i/o dialog.
Note that by default, if no transfer/charge operation precedes the filtration operation the mode will be set to "Draw-and-Filter" whereas if a transfer/charge operation is detected (when the filtration operation is introduced), it will start with the mode set to "Filter Contents" mode. Of course, users can change this afterwards in either direction.
B05, SBN 1100: Multiple Cloth Filtration Operations (or None) Can Exist in a Nutsche Filtration Procedure (Improvement)
Previously the program assumed that a cloth filtration procedure must have one and only one filtration operation. Also, a cake wash operation could NOT be introduced unless a filtration operation preceded the cake-wash in the queue of operations. Both of those restrictions have now been lifted. It is possible to have more than one filtration operations. Each will either filter the contents, or draw-and-filter (depending on which mode it is set up). Also, users can have a cake wash operation without having a filtration operation ahead of it. In that case, the user will have the extra burden to 'define' on the cake's interface which components are to be assumed as 'particulates' (and the remaining ones will be assumed as 'solvent') - see below.
This information previously was indirectly extracted from the specifications provided to the preceding filtration operation. Note that if a filtration operation indeed precedes the cake wash, then that particulate vs solvent distinction is still drawn from there (and can't be changed on the cake wash dialog, so the "Particulate?" column will be frozen).
B05, SBN 1100: A Single Instance of the Application Only Allowed to Run (Improvement)
Oftentimes users start the application by double-clicking on a ".spf" file (from Windows File Manager). This action, would start an instance of the application and load the selected file, all in one sweep. If another file was later selected, and the sam double-click action was applied, another instance of the application would be started with the second file loaded. When users wanted to copy-and-paste a fragment of a file from one instance to another, a picture rendition of the selection was pasted and not the true, deep copy with all the objects (operations, procedures, equipment, stream, etc.) involved. This is only possible if the copying-and-pasting is done within the same instance of SuperPro Designer. Please note that you can open multiple documents from one instance of SuperPro Designer by using the File / Open... menu option; then, every document opened will show either in 'floating' or 'tabbed' view. To avoid such confusion, starting with this release, when double-clicking on a ".spf" file (while the application is running) as second instance is NOT created. Instead, the file will be loaded in the existing, running instance of the application. In other words, the exact equivalent of having visited the running image and selected File / Open ... from the running application's menu.
B05, SBN 1100: Improved Consistency in Physical Property Data (Improvement)
Oftentimes users need to introduce a new component in their simulation that they know it will be in the solid (or liquid) phase everywhere in the model file. As such, they may not know and can't easily find Antoine coefficients for it to represent a liquid/vapor equilibrium. In previous releases, SuperPro required that you entered 'some' coefficients that perhaps approximate the behavior of the new component. At minimum, it would expect your Antoine coefficients to be able to predict within a reasonable accuracy (10 °C) the normal boiling point (otherwise a warning would be issued). Starting with this release, you are allowed to specify ALL ZEROES for Antoine coefficients (and gaseous Cp(T) coefficients) for a component to indicate "unknown/irrelevant". SuperPro will accept them, but will warn you if during simulation that component was found in the gaseous phase. If that turns out to be in error, then, you should intervene to either a) Set the component's V/L criterion to "Liq/Sol Always" or if the component is set to participate in a rigorous flash calculation, to add it to the "excluded list".
Similarly, if poor Tc, Pc values are given for a component, its 'estimated' DHvap(Normal BP) using Chen's relation, may turn out to be negative. SuperPro will NOT allow this. Instead, you can either provide a value for the DHvap(NBP) yourself, or just set it to 0.0 to indicate "unknown/irrelevant" if you believe this component will never appear in the vapor phase. In our next major release (v11) there will be an explicit set box for declaring a component's vapor properties as "unknown/irrelevant' with just one click.
B05, SBN 1100: Equipment with Long Gaps between Cycles Can now Be Allowed to Cross Procedure Cycles (Improvement)
Oftentimes a single equipment resource may be used briefly for a procedure (e.g. for 3 hour total cycle time), but the cycle may have to be repeated every day 7 times (i.e. number of cycles is 7). Now, if another similar procedure that may also consist of a brief 3-operation cycle that lasts an hour and also has to repeat itself 7 times and can be hosted by the same equipment, we should be able to 'squeeze' one procedure's cycles within the other procedure's cycles and while it's waiting for the next cycle to start. In previous releases, each procedure's time could not be interrupted by another procedure's activity; instead such scheduling would appear as a sharing violation. Starting with this release, we have introduced a new option: "Allow Use Across Cycles" (it is implied within the same batch):
This new option available on the Scheduling tab of an Equipment Data dialog, will lift the previous restriction of entire procedure time being a solid, uninterrupted block of time, and permit such interlacing of procedure activities within the same batch.
This concept is similar and analogous to the concept of allowing procedures to share an equipment resource across batches. It is as if we consider each cycle as an independent 'sub-procedure' and even though previously we couldn't interlace such mini-procedures hosted by the same equipment, now, we can.
B05, SBN 1100: Two New Examples Have Been Added to the Food Processing Group: Production of Modified Starches and Cassava Refinery (Improvement)
We are constantly adding more and more complete simulation of processed that demonstrate the use of our software in representing entire processes. With this release we have added two more in the "Food Processing" category:
a) Modified Starch Production, and
b) Cassava Refinery
The Modified Starch Production process presents a model that captures the production of hydroxyl-propylated starches (HP starches) that are key ingredients in the food and beverage industry. However, new processing techniques and the increasing demand for biodegradable and renewable resources have opened new markets to starch products beyond the food industry.
The Cassava refinery model, presents a cassava production facility that fractionates cassava roots to produce tapioca starch and pulp; then hydrolyses part of the starch to produce beta-cyclodextrins.
B05, SBN 1100: Heat Requirements Are Now Calculated on Energy Balances for Cone Drying, Tray Drying, Nutsche Filter Drying and Granulation Operations (Improvement)
Instead of providing an amount of drying agent per unit of material dried (specific heat requirement), the program now calculates the amount of drying agent needed based on the output temperature and the overall flow amount of materials in and out to the process.
B05, SBN 1100: Rotary Vacuum Filtration and Cloth Filtration Improve Intra-Cellular Computation of Components (Bug Fix)
When a RO filtration operation or a Cloth Filtration operation needs to process material with a non-zero intracellular portion, the output streams with such components didn't have their intra/extra cellular portions properly computed.
B05, SBN 1100: Rotary Vacuum Filtration Cake Wash Solvent Displacement Amount Slightly in Error (Bug Fix)
A rotary vacuum filtration has a built-in wash steam; cloth filtrations need to add a 'Cake Wash' for that; both calculations contained a slight mistake in the calculation of solvent that is displaced on the retained cake. This has now been fixed.
B05, SBN 1100: New Unit Procedure / Operation / Equipment : Screw Press (Improvement)
A new member has been added to the "Filtration" family: in a Screw Press.
It can be found under Unit Procedures / Filtration / in a Filter Press.
The operating conditions of the "Screw Pressing" operation is shown below:
The 'Screw Press' (as a new class of equipment) has also been created to host the above UP. The dialog of the Screw Press equipment is shown below:
B05, SBN 1100: When Copying-and-Pasting a Group of Unit Procedures or Inserting a File into Another, Allocation Information Is Carried over (Improvement)
Previously, when a user would copy a set of unit procedures (along with connecting streams) and pasted them into another flowsheet (document), any allocation information (e.g. a section to a site, or a resource utilized in a section - like labor - , allocated to a resource kept in the site database) was lost. Every section was first de-allocated and then pasted in the destination flowsheet for the fear on landing in an environment where the sites-and-resources referenced by the allocated objects didn't exist. Similarly, when inserting the entire contents of an .spf file into another model, again, we wouldn't carry over any information on allocated sites and resources but instead every allocated resource would first be de-allocated and then inserted. Starting with this release, we have changed course, and we keep the allocation information. This is an extremely important improvement for clients who have 'snippets' (or small portions) of recipes saved in files along with their allocated resources and insert them into larger models. For example, perhaps a certain chromatography step/sequence may be always carried in a certain location (building, floor, or suite). Now inserting this 'snippet' into another larger recipe with already allocated equipment / resources to other parts of the organization, will carry over such assignments.
B05, SBN 1100: When Missing Component Properties Are Needed for Calculations Context Is Provided (Improvement)
Previously the program would complain if it had to use a component property (say Vapor Pressure, using the Antoine relationship), but no (valid) data were provided for it (e.g. all Antoine coefficients were 0.0). Note that SuperPro allows you to register a component without proper Antoine coefficients (e.g. all zeros) for components that you do NOT anticipate being in the vapor phase. When that turned out to not be true, however, and the vapor pressure of that component in the vapor phase was needed, a complaint was raised but no context was given as to where that calculation was needed, thereby making it hard to find out the root of the problem. Now, SuperPro will also report the context, i.e. the procedure/operation being simulated at the time (at least most of the time). If a context isn't given, it is probably because some stream variables or properties (like enthalpy, heat capacity, etc.) needed to be calculated out-of-context (e.g. as part displaying their values in the Stream Summary Table).
B05, SBN 1100: Fed Batch Target Can Now Be the Keeping a Specific Component's Concentration Unchanged (Improvement)
Fed batch was always an option during the simulation of a kinetic reaction (or fermentation). When fed-batch is activated the following new option is now available ("Const. Reactant Conc."):
When selected, it activates the controls at the bottom right (shown above). The user can choose a single-component and opt to use the fed batch flow varying in time with the target to keep the selected component's concentration constant. This new specification has been added after request from several users who use fed batch to keep the concentration of a substrate (typically) constant during fermentation. After simulation, the operation will keep a list of time points with the value of the fed-batch's flowrate and can show them in a tabular or graphic format as any of the other dynamic data records kept and displayed (concentration of components, temperature, etc.). The user can select the units for the new variable that is now kept from the "Profiles" tab (shown below):
B05, SBN 1100: Tray Dryer Now Has a Vertical Spacing (Distance-Between-Trays) as Size Variable (Bug Fix)
When estimating the emission volumes from a tray drying operation (in a Tray Dryer), an equipment volume is needed. However, till now, Tray Dryers only size was the Tray Dryer area (surface) but no other dimension was provided, so no volume could be calculated.
Starting with this release, a tray-to-tray vertical distance (spacing) between trays now needs to be provided. This vertical distance is used to estimate a dryer volume that leads to better estimation of emissions from the drying operation.
B05, SBN 1100: Decanting Operation's Dialog Won't Exit with OK (Bug Fix)
When creating a new decanting procedure (containing by default a decanting operation), and then attempting to edit the properties of the decanting operation, the i/o dialog of the operation will not exit as it produced a "Working-to-Vessel Volume" out-of-bounds error when the working-to-vessel volume variable is not editable by the dialog. The message was generated in error. This has now been fixed.
B05, SBN 1100: Condensation Operation Won't Accept User-Specified Condensation Percentages (Bug Fix)
When the user provided the condensation percentages, due to a glitch on the interface code, the dialog exited but the user-provided data were not saved. This has now been fixed.
B05, SBN 1100: 2-Way Custom Splitting Interface Fix (Bug Fix)
In some hardware/resolution combinations, the interface shown for a 2-way component splitting operation (shown below):
would appear with its columns 'shrunk' to the point where the dual choice between setting the split percentage vs split flow (2nd column shown in yellow highlight above) didn't show properly and the 3rd and 4th columns, where the values are supposed to be provided by the user, also didn't have enough width to capture all 4 decimal precision (while columns were not adjustable and making it impossible to type the desired specifications). This has now been fixed.
B05, SBN 1100: Convergence Monitoring Report (in Excel) May Fail to Be Generated (Bug Fix)
SuperPro allows the user to record the progress (or lack thereof) in its attempts to converge torn loops as it successively guess and then calculates the values of tear streams. For each tear stream chosen, a worksheet is added to an Excel spreadsheet presenting the table of successive stream flow, temperature and composition. If the name of the stream chosen as tear, happens to include any of the following characters:
'\', '/', '?', '*', '[' or ']'
Excel refuses to generate a sheet with that name and fails. This possibility was not monitored earlier and the code lead to a crash. This has now been fixed.
B05, SBN 1100: Equipment Contents Section of Stream/Materials Report Now Displays Vapor Contents (Improvement)
The Materials and Streams Report ("SR" report) has a section that presents the equipment contents (at the end of simulation). In prior releases, only the liquid/solid contents were shown. Starting with this release, we also show the vapor contents in a separate column (see below).
Furthermore, if the vapor contents are 'non-trivial' i.e., their composition is not just O2/N2 (air) but they contain more components, an asterisk is shown to draw attention to the user that material may have been left behind (inadvertently).
B05, SBN 1100: Exporting Recipe Data to SchedulePro in non-US Locales May Fail (Bug Fix)
When attempting to export a recipe into the SchedulePro Recipe DB in a PC whose locale is non "USA", may lead to a crash. This was due to the fact that in a non-USA locale (e.g. in Europe) the designators for thousand and the designator for decimal portion of a number are reversed but the code neglected to consider it. This has now been fixed.
B05, SBN 1100: Steam Generation Miscellaneous Minor Bug Fixes (Bug Fix)
a) When 0.0 % excess oxygen specified the program used to complain. No longer.
b) "Total Heat in System" was incorrectly calculated if the fuel temperature was not 25°C.
c) When the steam temperature is set to match the saturation point at the set pressure, the output is assumed to be 100% vapor (as expected) at all times and irrespective of the physical toolbox used by the procedure.
B05, SBN 1100: Target Concentration Calculator (Bug Fix)
In cases where the target concentration calculator was invoked on an input stream, where some components had non-zero intra-cellular fractions, the calculations failed to produce the correct mass fractions that meet the desired concentrations.
Also, in cases where both the mass fraction and the concentration of the same component was specified, also, the calculator may used to produce incorrect compositions that were not meeting the user's specifications.
Both of the above have now been fixed.
B05, SBN 1100: Absorption & Stripping Models Improved Robustness and Erroneous Operating Condition Reporting (Improvement)
In previous releases, the Absorption model failed to recognize that when the user provided the percentages absorbed, it was possible that the exiting gas was poorer (in composition) in the design component. That would lead to negative heights of absorption transfer unit (HTU). This is now monitored. Also, specifying Henry's constant that are not in concert with the required absorption percentages would lead to improper designs of the column. Such conditions are not better conveyed to the user. The description of the absorption model has also been re-written in the help facility to improve the user's understanding of why such error messages are being generated.
B05, SBN 1100: Automatic Re-Assignment of Input/Output Port Designations Could Lead to Illegal Port Assignments (Improvement)
In previous versions of the software, when the user dragged a stream from one input port of unit procedure to another, if any operation was actually assigned the use of that port (e.g. to transfer material in) the designation would automatically change to account for the stream relocation. However, on the output side, if one moved a stream from a regular port, to an emission port (for example), this new port assignment that followed was illegal and it wouldn't have been allowed from the interface. That could lead to further complications later during M&E balance calculations if left unattended. Such "illegal" port re-assignments are now stopped from happening when the stream is moved.
B05, SBN 1100: Batch Distillation Operation's Interface Improved (Bug Fix)
When specifying the periods (cuts) on a batch distillation operation, it was possible to exit the dialog with two different periods assigned the same output stream. This of course, shouldn't be allowed. Also, even though the number of cuts (periods) can't be higher than the number of available streams (5), it was possible to define more than 5 such periods on the related table. This has been fixed.
B05, SBN 1100: Plate & Frame Filters Didn't Have a Consumables Tab (Bug Fix)
Every equipment data dialog allows you to associate the consumption of a consumable used up during its operation. By mistake, the equipment dialog of plate and frame model didn't. This has been fixed.
B05, SBN 1100: Batch Distillation Vessel Dialog No Longer Has the Number of Trays as Optional (Bug Fix)
When describing the batch distillation vessel (equipment dialog) the number of trays appeared to be an 'optional' specification. Clearly that was a mistake. Users now MUST specify a number of trays (min 1).
B05, SBN 1100: Material Demand Breakdown Failed When Process Times Were Very Small (Bug Fix)
When displaying the material demand breakdown tree, sometimes rates were reported for operations with a very small process time, which, if displayed in the selected time units (and limited decimal point accuracy) would appear as 0.0. In such cases the reported rates would fail to show properly. This has now been fixed, as the rates are being calculated with the true (full accuracy) process times and not just what is displayed.
B05, SBN 1100: Absorption Model Incorrectly Calculated the Size of the Required Absorber Column (Bug Fix)
When calculating the size of an absorber (diameter and height), the program will take into account the flows of the two lines (gaseous and liquid) and based on an operating line and flooding conditions, it will determine a diameter that will prevent flooding (typically set at 60% of 'flooding' conditions). Then based on the physico-chemical properties of the material changing phase, the height of an equivalent 'transfer unit' will be calculated ('HTU'); finally, based on the specified separation extent (or percent of 'key component' changing phase), the number of such transfer units is calculated ('NTU'), leading to a required height for a column. Due to bug in the calculations, the HTU was incorrectly calculated and thus, it lead to incorrect designs of absorption columns. This has now been fixed. The model has been validated with several published examples to cross-check its predicted sizes.
B05, SBN 1100: Condensation and Thin-Film Evaporation: User-Specified Separation Percentages not Kept (Bug Fix)
Due to a glitch in the interface of this model, when the user opted to provide the separation percentages and exited the dialog with OK, the program would neglect to record the settings. This has now been fixed.
B05, SBN 1100: Neutralization Would Require an Emissions Line Even with Vent off (Bug Fix)
When including a neutralization operation, the simulation engine would complain that an emissions stream was needed, even if the vent on the neutralization operation was set to 'off'. This has now been fixed.
B05, SBN 1100: Liquid/Solids-to-Vessel Ratio for Continuous Storage in Silos Was Initialized to Zero (Bug Fix)
When including a continuous solids storage procedure in a silo, the program would automatically include the associated operation (a "continuous solids storage") and initialize its liquid/solid contents to vessel ratio parameter with 0.0 (typically a user-required input). It is now initialized to 80%.
B05, SBN 1100: Gas Compression Operation Now Does Energy Balances with Enthalpies Instead of Cps (Improvement)
In previous versions of the software, the energy balance around a gas centrifugal compression was done using Cp(T) values assuming that no phase change occurs. Starting with this version, a more proper, enthalpy value difference is taken, which could account for a potential phase chance in one of the components in the stream flow.
B05, SBN 1100: Closed the 'Depreciation Benefit Loophole' (Bug Fix)
Users are given the choice as to whether they wish to include the depreciation expense back added to their process proceeds (income) before key economic indicators are calculated (like IRR or Payback Time). However, in order for someone to include depreciation back on the "income" line, they must have taken it in the expense line in the first place. In other words, they should have included depreciation as a part of their operating cost expenses. Previously users were allowed to include depreciation back on their income line even without having capital depreciation expense component, leading to unrealistically low payback times and high IRRs. This 'depreciation benefit loophole' has now been closed.
B05, SBN 1100: Multi-Effect Evaporation Op: Heat Transfer Area Miscalculated (Bug Fix)
If the user chose the option to calculate the mean temperature difference per effect based on the assumption that all effects have the same heat transfer are, the program, at times, may erroneously calculated heat transfer areas for each effect that are significantly different from each other, thereby not respecting user's directive. This has now been fixed.
B05, SBN 1100: Multi-Effect Evaporation Op: Better Handling of Gas Components in the Feed (Bug Fix)
If the evaporation operation was run with a feed that contained a gas element, the solution (mass and energy balances for the operation) could fail. This has now been fixed.
B05, SBN 1100: Heaters, Coolers and Heat Exchangers Are Now Mutually Shareable (Improvement)
Since the use of a continuous "Heating" procedure or "Cooling" procedure is really hosted by the same equipment as what a "Heat Exchanging" procedure would engage (i.e. a "Heat Exchanger"), starting with this release, the software allows the sharing of equipment among all such procedures (when operating in batch/semi-continuous mode of course).
B05, SBN 1100: Granular Media Filtration Operation: New Backwash Specification Option (Improvement)
A new option has been added that allows for the amount of agent used during backwash to be whatever is set on the stream.
B05, SBN 1100: Belt Filtration Operation: Wash in Amount Can be Kept as Set on Stream (Improvement)
A new option has been added that allows the operation to use as the amount of wash in stream whatever is set on the stream's flow and not based on its own specification of 'flow per belt width" value.
B03, SBN 5000, Release Date (02/17/2018)
B03, SBN 5000: More Options Provided for Retrieving or Setting Specs in a Custom Mixing Operation (Improvement)
As it has been our continuous commitment to work closely with our users to meet their needs and enhance the utilization of the software, we have been requested to add more options for setting and fetching specifications via the COM interface of SuperPro Designer to custom mixing operations. In response, we have added the following new VIDs:
customMixSpec_VID: to get/set the mixing specification option; values are 1 through 8 with the following meaning:
1 ... Mass Flow Ratio
2 ... Volumetric Flow Ratio
3 ... Output Mass Flow
4 ... Output Volumetric Flow
5 ... Output Component (to be set separately, see below) Concentration
6 ... Output Component (to be set separately, see below) Mass Fraction
7 ... Output Temperature
8 ... Output Flow Set by Downstream Process
massFlow_VID : set/get the output mass flow (in kg/s)
volFlow_VID : set/get the output volumetric flow (in m3/s)
outTemp_VID : set/get the output temperature (in K)
designComp_VID : set/get the design component whose specification (concentration or mass fraction) is set
outCompConc_VID: set/get the design component's output concentration (kg/m3 or g/L).
outCompMassFrac_VID: set/get the design component's output mass fraction (0-1).
GetOperVarVal ( <procedure-Name> , <operation-name> , massFlow_VID, variant )
would get the output mass flow (as set or calculated by the operation)
SetOperVarVal ( <procedure-Name> , <operation-name> , outTemp_VID, variant )
would set the custom mix specification to 7 (see above) and set the value of the target temperature to the value contained in the variant.
Based on the above, users should never have the need to call the SetVarVal() with customMixSpec_VID (as it is implicitly set when the corresponding call is made). You may want to call it with a GetVarVal() to inquire how the custom mixer is set up to function.
B03, SBN 5000: When Missing Component Properties Are Needed for Calculations Context Is Provided (Improvement)
Previously the program would complain if it had to use a component property (say Vapor Pressure, using the Antoine relationship), but no (valid) data were provided for it (e.g. all Antoine coefficients were 0.0). Note that SuperPro allows you to register a component without proper Antoine coefficients (e.g. all zeros) for components that you do NOT anticipate being in the vapor phase. When that turned out to not be true, however, and the vapor pressure of that component in the vapor phase was needed, a complaint was raised but no context was given as to where that calculation was needed, thereby making it hard to find out the root of the problem. Now, SuperPro will also report the context, i.e. the procedure/operation being simulated at the time (at least most of the time). If a context isn't given, it is probably because some stream variables or properties (like enthalpy, heat capacity, etc.) needed to be calculated out-of-context (e.g. as part displaying their values in the Stream Summary Table).
B03, SBN 5000: Material Demand Breakdown Failed When Process Times Were Very Small (Bug Fix)
When displaying the material demand breakdown tree, sometimes rates were reported for operations with a very small process time, which, if displayed in the selected time units (and limited decimal point accuracy) would appear as 0.0. In such cases the reported rates would fail to show properly. This has now been fixed, as the rates are being calculated with the true (full accuracy) process times and not just what is displayed.
B03, SBN 5000: Component Splitting Specifications Would Accept a Zero Separation for All Components (Bug Fix)
When specifying the component distribution in a component splitting operation, SuperPro would allow you to leave the values to all 0.0s for some components (since, the user may not anticipate that they would be there). Forcing one to specify a component distribution for ALL components (so that each component total adds up to 100%) may be over burdening the user (esp. in flowsheets with many components registered). However, SuperPro would also allow you to exit the i/o specification dialog for a component splitting operation with ALL components' separation percentages being at 0.0. That clearly should not be allowed and it has been fixed.
B03, SBN 5000: Gas Expansion Operation: Minor Interface Glitch (Bug Fix)
When changing the exhaust pressure (e.g. from 1 bar to 3 bar) and then the pressure units (e.g. from bar to mbar) and exiting the dialog, the next time the program would display the old exhaust pressure but in the new units. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 5000: Error/Warning Reporting Left SST Active (Bug Fix)
When running a simulation on a flowsheet that has a stream summary table (SST) with non-empty contents that need to be displayed and updated after simulation and one or more errors/warnings were encountered during simulation that needed to be displayed, normally, the error/warning output pane would be activated (visible and top tab) so that it would show the echoes of the messages. When the simulation starts with the SST tab being active, SupePro failed to completely put the SST tab behind in order to properly show the messages. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 5000: Equipment Dialog:Scheduling Tab Displayed Incorrect Units for Occupancy Time (Bug Fix)
When displaying several time-related properties of an equipment resource, on its Equipment Dialog:Scheduling tab, one of them, the "Occupancy Time" displayed the correct value and correct units (as chosen for the entire document) for the equipment resource, but NOT for all the contained procedures as shown in the table at the bottom of the tab. The header of the column always displayed "Occupancy Time (h)" by mistake. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 5000: Changing from One Member of the 'Heat Exchanging' Family Procedure to Another, May Lead to a Crash (Bug Fix)
When attempting to change a unit procedure from one member of the 'Heat Exchanging' family to another (e.g. from a "Heating" to an "Electric Heating" or "Heat Exchanging") a crash may occur. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 5000: Gas Compression Operation Now Does Energy Balances with Enthalpies Instead of Cps (Improvement)
In previous versions of the software, the energy balance around a gas centrifugal compression was done using Cp(T) values assuming that no phase change occurs. Starting with this version, a more proper, enthalpy value difference is taken, which could account for a potential phase chance in one of the components in the stream flow.
B03, SBN 5000: Automatic Re-Assignment of Input/Output Port Designations Could Lead to Illegal Port Assignments (Improvement)
In previous versions of the software, when the user dragged a stream from one input port of unit procedure to another, if any operation was actually assigned the use of that port (e.g. to transfer material in) the designation would automatically change to account for the stream relocation. However, on the output side, if one moved a stream from a regular port, to an emission port (for example), this new port assignment that followed was illegal and it wouldn't have been allowed from the interface. That could lead to further complications later during M&E balance calculations if left unattended. Such "illegal" port re-assignments are now stopped from happening when the stream is moved.
B03, SBN 5000: Closed the Depreciation Benefit Loophole (Bug Fix)
Users are given the choice as to whether they wish to include the depreciation expense back added to their process proceeds (income) before key economic indicators are calculated (like IRR or Payback Time). However, in order for someone to include depreciation back on the "income" line, they must have taken it in the expense line in the first place. In other words, they should have included depreciation as a part of their operating cost expenses. Previously users were allowed to include depreciation back on their income line even without having capital depreciation expense component, leading to unrealistically low payback times and high IRRs. This 'loophole' has now been closed.
B03, SBN 5000: Heaters, Coolers and Heat Exchangers Are Now Mutually Shareable (Improvement)
Since the use of a continuous "Heating" procedure or "Cooling" procedure is really hosted by the same equipment as what a "Heat Exchanging" procedure would engage (i.e. a "Heat Exchanger"), starting with this release, the software allows the sharing of equipment among all such procedures (in batch mode of course.
B03, SBN 5000: Continuous Storage Operations (when in Semi-Continuous Mode) (Improvement)
As batch storage operations allow for master-slave relationships, there is no reason for continuous storage (in batch/semi-continuous mode) not to do the same. This feature has been added in this release.
B03, SBN 5000: Liquid and Gaseous Cp Was Erroneously Calculated (in Some Cases) (Bug Fix)
In some rare circumstances, the liquid and gaseous Cp in a stream (or equipment contents) included a small error. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 5000: Editing the Style of Storage Unit Demand Charts May Lead to a Crash (Bug Fix)
When attempting to edit the chart style for charts displaying the engagement of a storage (or supply) unit, the software could crash unexpectedly. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4700 Release Date (01/20/2018)
B03, SBN 4700: 'Ignore Labor' Option Added to Several Operations Supporting Master-Slave Relationship (Improvement)
The 'Master-Slave' relationship is commonly used to express the fact that one operation's duration (slave) is synchronized with another operations duration (master). Very commonly, both operations are also timed to start and end together, so in essence, the labor engaged to carry out the one is also carrying out the other as well. For cases like these, and to avoid double-counting the labor engaged in executing each, the 'Ignore Labor' option comes handy. Check it and the slave's labor will be ignored.
B03, SBN 4700: Zero Coefficients for Antoine Vapor Pressure, Liquid Cp and Ideal Gas Cp Are Allowed (Improvement)
Previously the program would not accept the introduction of a new component with nonsensical (or zero) coefficients for the prediction of values for vapor pressure (as a function of temperature), liquid Cp and ideal gas Cp. Starting with this release, you will be allowed to forgo a legitimate definition of coefficients for those properties but if during simulation, the need for such value arises, an error will be generated.
B03, SBN 4700: Shortcut Distillation : Percentage in Distillate Cannot Be Set to 100% (Bug Fix)
When specifying the percent recovery of a component in the distillate, previous releases allowed the user to set it to a full 100%. This value led to numerical instabilities and rendered the model invalid. This has now been fixed and the highest recovery percentage allowed for a component is 99.99%.
B03, SBN 4700: Text Objects (Notes) Placed on the Flowsheet After a Copy-and-Paste Operation Didn't Get Unique Identifiers and thus Could not be Located with Process Explorer's Find Utility (Bug Fix)
Every time a user adds a note (text object) onto the flowsheet, the application generates for it a unique identifier so that the 'locate' feature, available in the context of the Process Explorer / Doc tab, can uniquely locate them in the flowsheet. However, when notes were copied-and-pasted, a unique identifier was not created thus making it difficult to identify them. This has been fixed.
B03, SBN 4700: Shortcut Distillation : Component Property Estimation Errors/Warnings now Provide a Computational Context (Bug Fix)
SuperPro Designer allows users to introduce component with partially specified set of properties, to accommodate pure components with incomplete set of known physical properties. For example, users may not know the Antoine coefficients for "Biomass"; and that is allowed. However, if a unit operation requires the vapor pressure estimation of "Biomass", an error will be displayed, so that the user can act to, for example, exempt "Biomass" from the VLE calculations and thus, give the green light for SPD simulation engine to not call for that component's vapor pressure. Staring with this release, component related errors/warnings, also provide a calculational context of where they appear so that it helps the user appropriate deal with them.
B03, SBN 4700: Copy-and-Paste Wouldn't Work Sometimes (Bug Fix)
A previous release introduced an important feature that improved the copy-and-paste ability of SuperPro. It allowed users to place in the clipboard parts of a flowsheet, and be able to paste it even if the source document of the copies was closed. In the process, a new bug was introduced whereby, when placing some unit procedures on the clipboard, if a user attempted to copy some other date (e.g. a bitmap), the action was ignored and he/she could not paste it into a SuperPro document. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4700: Stream Summary Table: The Vapor Cp was Displayed instead of the Cp of the Whole Stream (Bug Fix)
When the user has asked to display the Cp of a stream included in the SST, the Cp of only the vapor part of the stream was displayed. Now, the weighted average between the liquid portion (if any) and the vapor portion (if any) is displayed.
B03, SBN 4700: The Stream Summary Table, Equipment Contents and Other Similar Grids, now Respect Conventions of Locale for Displaying Thousand and Decimal Marks in Numbers (Improvement)
In previous releases, the display of numbers on the SST, the Equipment Contents, and other similar grids, used to always display the comma (',') delimiter for the thousands and the dot delimiter ('.') for the decimals, even in locales where this is not the standard (e.g. in Europe). This would create confusion when the contents of such tables were exported into Excel that indeed respected the local conventions and interpret the numbers incorrectly. Staring with this release this issue has been fixed.
B03, SBN 4700: Emission Calculations Are Now Executed After Updating the Size of the Holding Equipment (Improvement)
If emission calculations are carried out BEFORE the equipment's holding volume is updated, the available head space may be incorrect and therefore the resulting amounts of emissions may be incorrect. This has now been fixed and emission calculations are carried out AFTER equipment sizing is updated.
B03, SBN 4700: Enthalpy Values Using DIPPR Components: (Bug Fix)
Due to an error in the calculation of the integral Cp(t)dT, for components that are based on the DIPPR model for the Cp(T) estimation, enthalpy values for such components were slightly in error. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4700: Error / Warnings Generated from EPA-MACT Report Didn't Have Proper Object Behind Them (Bug Fix)
When generating the MACT-EPA report, the simulation engine generated a 'special' run for the M&E balances (e.g. it does NOT remove emissions from contents). Therefore, it is possible to have new errors/warnings generated during as part of this action that do not normally appear in the regular M&E balance calculations. When such errors/warnings appeared in the Error/Warning output pane, double-clicking on the echo is supposed to place the focus on the object generated that message. This action used to lead to a crash previously but has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4700: EPA Emissions Can Now Include Components Completely in Vapor Phase (Improvement)
Previous releases did not include in the list of emitted components (using MACT rules) components that were completely in gaseous phase. Even though this is commonly correct since noncondensable gases like N2, O2, etc. should not be included, there may be other situations where the temperature of the vessel may be above the boiling point of a volatile component, and therefore, that component is considered to be completely gaseous and desired to be included in the list of EPA emitted components. Starting with this release if: a) You include this component as "emitted" in the operation's emission tab and b) The component's "pollution" property list has the "Include in Emissions" option on, this component will now be included in the EPA report.
B03, SBN 4700: Rigorous Distillation Model May Crash (Bug Fix)
Due to a bug introduced in v10 b03 SBN 4600, it was possible for a rigorous distillation model to crash while executing. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4700: Crystallization Operation: Interface Issues Fixed (Bug Fix)
In some rare circumstances, after adding a new component, a pre-existing crystallization operation's i/o dialog would produce errors when displayed. Also, when selecting to view the components present only, an erroneous listing would be produced. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4700: Flush Operation Now Complains if Executed with Non-Zero Liquid/Solids Present (Improvement)
The 'Flush' operation's purpose is to cleanup the vessel walls before (or after) its intended use. As such, it should not be used when the vessel already has contents in it. When a Flush operation now encounters non-zero liquid/solid contents it will issue a warning.
B03, SBN 4600, Release Date (11/10/2017)
B03, SBN 4600: EPA/MACT Emissions Will Include Components Not Present in Liquid/Solid Phase - if so desired - (Improvement)
Strict EPA/MACT guidelines were only meant to prescribe how to 'calculate' the (small) amounts of volatile components that leave the liquid phase to be carried out by neutral, non-condensable (and non-reported) gases. Occasionally, the non-condensable, or total gaseous component (because it is at a temperature above its normal boiling point) needs to be included in the MACT report. Starting with this release, all EPA/MACT emission models (Displacement, Depressurization, Gas Evolution, etc.) will also include totally gaseous components if:
a) They are checked as "emitted" on the Vent/Emissions tab of the operation and
b) On that components's pollution properties tab, the "Is Included in Emissions" property is checked.
B03, SBN 4600: Crystallization Operation: Crystal Data Tab (Bug Fix)
Occasionally, a crystallization operation's "Crystal Data" Tab, when selecting "Show Only Components with Flow" would display a strange error/warning message (unnecessarily). This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4600: 'Emission Failed' Notification from Purge Operation Reported Multiple (5) Times (Improvement)
Occasionally, when attempting to compute emissions from an operation, the calculations may fail to produce the proper amount that needs to be vented in order for the inside pressure to be compatible with the vent policy applied. When this happened during a purge operation, the warning about the failed calculations was produced multiple times. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4600: Generic Wash Operation: Several Minor Glitches Have Been Fixed (Bug Fix)
When a user visited the i/o dialog of the (new) generic wash operation, and provided a specification for the calculation of the amount to be used for wash as vol/vol contents, the factor was taken (incorrectly) as a percentage. This has been fixed. Also, when computing the amount of wash based on a vol-per-vol specification the entire contents' volume was taken instead of just the liquid/solid phase.
B03, SBN 4600: Purge Operation's Initial Pressure Display May Be Incorrect (Bug Fix)
When a user visits the i/o dialog of a purge operation, the perceived initial pressure (as left by the previous operation but with the PS Toolbox of the purge operation - if different) is displayed. Due to a minor glitch, and in some rare cases, this value was incorrect leading (sometimes) to the inability of the operation to carry out its intended purpose. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4600: Pasteurization Operation: Incorrect Unit Conversion for the (user-supplied) z-Value (Bug Fix)
When a user visits the i/o dialog of a pasteurization operation and provides a z-value (in Kelvin) the application fails to accept it in those units. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4500, Release Date (10/30/2017)
B03, SBN 4500: More Strict Validation of Pure Component Properties; Warnings Issued when Undefined Estimation Parameters Are Used (Improvement)
SuperPro Designer from its inception was applied in biotechnology or food processing domain, where several standard physicochemical properties (saturated pressure, liquid/solid density, liquid Cp, Ideal gas Cp, etc.) did not have reliable estimation correlations to predict their values as a function of temperature. SuperPro Designer has been able to function and produce a reasonable simulation outcome even in the presence of such uncertain parameter values, since in all likelihood, the process conditions were such that didn't require the use of such pure component properties (e.g. "Biomass" was never expected to be in the vapor phase, or in a VLE calculation with other chemicals such as water, ethanol, etc.). However, as SuperPro Designer has found its application in more and more 'traditional' fields of process engineering, it has come to our attention that some users "create" new (pure) components, and even though they fail to provide reliable estimators for such properties (P*, Cp, etc.) they still employ in their simulation, unit operations that require reasonably accurate values of such properties in order to perform adequately. Therefore, starting with this release, our simulation engine will do the following:
a) A more thorough check of the pure component property correlation parameters will be performed when a new component is introduced, and warn the user if some values fail to produce reasonable estimates. Note that SuperPro will continue to accept such poorly defined components as part of the list of registered components in a process.
b) The simulation engine will produce a non-severe error (or warnings) if such components participate in unit operation that engaged a property predictor with poorly defined parameters
B03, SBN 4500: Steam Expansion i/o Dialog Would Crash After Accepting New Settings (exit w/ OK) (Bug Fix)
When a user visited the i/o dialog of the steam expansion operation to set a new value for mechanical losses then exiting the dialog with OK and then executing the M&E balances, a revisit to the i/o dialog may lead to a crash. This has been fixed.
B03, SBN 4500: Steam Expansion and Gas Expansion Operation Would Crash if Zero Operating Throughput Was Set (Bug Fix)
When a user specified zero operating throughput (and it was allowed) and closed the dialog in either the steam expansion or the gas expansion dialog, it would lead to a crash during M&E balance calculations and if the procedure's operating mode was switched from continuous to batch (since in this mode, the process time is calculated based on the operating throughput). This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4500: New (Large) Units for Energy and Power Have Been Added (Improvement)
After users' request with SuperPro application in the energy (turbine) generation domain, we have added a few new large units for energy (GJ) and power (MWh, GWh) as options for power and energy unit options.
B03, SBN 4500: GM Filtration's Wash Operation Now Has a New Option for Amount of Wash Agent: "Available on Stream" (Improvement)
This new option was added in accordance with other wash operations that already have it and since it was asked by some of our users.
B03, SBN 4500: New COM Interface Additions Provide for Accessing the Time Shift of an Operation Improvement)
A new varID has been introduced (timeShift_ID) which allows for the set/get of the time shift parameter of an operation:
GetVarVal (<procedureName>, <operationName>, varID.timeShift_VID, variant ) and
SetVarVal (<procedureName>, <operationName>, varID.timeShift_VID, variant )
B03, SBN 4500: New COM Interface Additions Allow for Renaming an Operation, Procedure, Equipment or Stream in a Process Simulation File (Improvement)
We have added the following four COM interface calls that allow users of SuperPro's COM engine to change the name of a procedure, an operation in a given procedure, an equipment resource and a stream :
RenameProcedure ( <oldName>, <newName> )
RnameOperation ( <procedureName>, <oldName>, <newName>)
RenameEquipment ( <oldName>, <newName>)
RenameStream (<oldName>, <newName>)
Note that procedure names must be unique (at the time of name change) amongst all unit procedures in the simulation file; same constraint of uniqueness applies for equipment resource names across all equipment resources and auxiliary equipment resources. Also, stream names must be unique across the whole file. Operation names must be unique within the scope of the procedure they belong.
B03, SBN 4500: Any Simulation Error Reported during M&E Balances Done ahead of a MACT/EPA Report, when double-clicked Would Yield a Crash (Bug Fix)
When a user requested the generation of an MACT/EPA report, SuperPro must execute a "special" M&E balance (it is 'special' in the sense that VOC emissions are NOT removed from the vessel contents (as they are during regular SPD simulation runs). If any errors/warnings were produced during that special run, they are echoed in the warnings/errors pane. If the user double-clicked on such error/warning line the application is supposed to highlight the reporting object (procedure, equipment, stream, etc.) if any. Instead, it was crashing. This has been fixed.
B03, SBN 4500: When a Process Step (Operation) Fails to Produce EPA/MACT Emissions an Error/Warnings is Generated and Reported (Improvement)
The equations dictated by the EPA to calculate and report individual VOC emission levels are quite approximate and under some conditions fail to produce meaningful results. For example, displacement emissions are supposed to be proportional to:
a) Amount of liquid volume added and
b) The difference between atmospheric pressure and the sum of saturated pressure reported by their Antoine correlation (at the temperature of the step) over all emitted components. If the temperature of the process is above the boiling point of a pure component than it is possible that this difference becomes negative, yielding the entire estimation invalid. Even if the temperature is close (within 10°C or 15°C) of the mixture, the estimation values are questionable. Staring with this release, when such conditions are encountered a proper message is generated and reported.
B03, SBN 4500: Cake Wash Allows Settings for Solubility/Loss for Solute and non-Solute Components (Improvement)
In previous releases, SuperPro users were only allowed to set solubility date (or Loss %) data for components on the cake that were deemed as "solutes" during the filtration operation (so, their retention factor was non-zero). Any solvent constituents that were 'trapped' on the cake, were assumed to be removed based on the displacement model chosen. Starting with this release, we also allow some further removal of some solvent components based on any solubility data provided.
B03, SBN 4200, Release Date (10/25/2017)
B03, SBN 4200: When Viewing a Resource Chart, Easily Present the Same Chart for Another Resource (Improvement)
When a user requests to view the resource consumption (or utilization) chart (e.g. for Material Entering the Process, or a Heat Transfer Agent, first he/she is presented with a dialog that allows him/her the selection of the specific resource (Pure Component, or Name of Heat Transfer Agent, etc.) as well as some other parameters (time style, etc.). Once the chart is shown, if the user wishes to view the same type of chart but for another resource entity of the same type (e.g., another Pure Component, or Heat Transfer Agent), previously he had to close the current chart interface, and initiate the same process all over from the beginning. Starting with this release, a new set of right-click command menu options have been added that allow the user to see the same chart, with the same options regarding graph style, but for another resource (of the same type).
B03, SBN 4200: Attempting to Move a Single (or Multiple) Streams, without their UP Icons Yields a Crash (Bug Fix)
When a user selects streams only (without their source/destination unit procedure icons), and attempts to move them by hitting the UP or DN arrow keys, the applications would crash. This has now been fixed. Instead, the application responds by scrolling down (or up) as it should.
B03, SBN 4200: Moving Streams (input/output) on Ports Already Assigned in Batch Vaporization (shortcut & rigorous) and Batch Extraction Operations, Did not Automatically Update Assignment Ports (Bug Fix)
When a user drags an input (or output) stream connected to a specific port of a unit procedure icon, if any operation(s) have already been assigned that stream from their i/o simulation dialog, the port assignment is supposed to automatically change to reflect the new connection point (port) of the stream. This automatic port update didn't happen in batch vaporization (shortcut & rigorous) operations and batch extraction operations. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4200: Condensation (in Batch Mode) and Evacuation Operation Now Support the Master-Slave Option to Dictate Their Duration (Improvement)
Users can now opt to have the duration of an evacuation operation be matched to the duration of another operation for cases where the process requires pulling vacuum while some-other-action is being carried out (see below)
Similar controls have been added to the (inherently continuous) condensation operation (when its procedure is set in Batch/Semi-Continuous mode).
B03, SBN 4200: When Updating Component Properties, a New Control Allows for Easy Update from a Single-Source DB (Improvement)
Sometimes, instead of opting to update the properties of one (or several) specific components from those registered in your simulation model and use a (perhaps different than original) source DB, you may opt to select all components (or mixtures) that have presence in a single-source database file. For example, perhaps you just received a new release of the DIPPR database, and you wish to make sure all of the components that you now use in your design case file, receive the latest physico-chemical properties from this new release. Or, perhaps, someone has updated all price-related values in your enterprise-wide User DB, and you wish to install those new prices in a model file that you created sometime ago. We have now added a new control in the interface that appears when you select Pure Components / Update Properties from DB... (and Stock Mixtures / Update Properties from DB...) that allows you to list and hone in only in those components that have a counterpart in a specific database file (see below the interface for Pure Components).
B03, SBN 4200: Displaying the Mass/Mole Fraction on a Stream Info Tag Didn't Display Mole Fraction (Always Mass Fraction) (Bug Fix)
When a user chooses to display on a stream's info tag the mass/mole fraction of a component, the decision should follow the user's choices on the stream's dialog. If mass flows are shown in moles, then it should show the mole fraction, if mass flows are shown in kg, MT, etc. then it should show the mass fraction. Previous releases would always show the fraction as a mass fraction. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4200: EPA Emissions for a Component will not Exceed Total Amount Present (Bug Fix)
SuperPro Designer calculates emission levels for VOCs based on strict guidelines provided by the EPA. Under certain process conditions for some components it is possible that the predicted amounts (using T,P of the process and the pure component's Antoine coefficients and/or other physico-chemical properties) could exceed the total amount present in the process step. Clearly that is never possible. With this release, the total emission level for each component is always capped by its total amount present. It should be noted that since EPA emission levels tend to be on the high side, and the emitted quantities are NOT removed from process material as it moves on from one operation to another, it is possible that the calculated TOTAL amount emitted for a specific component may exceed the total amount fed (or produced) by a process. This is clearly a side effect of the way the EPA emission calculations are prescribed and it is tolerated by the software.
B03, SBN 4200: The Max Fill % for Each Procedure Utilizing Vessels that Could Be Sized based on Liq/Sol Volume Contents is now Displayed (Improvement)
When viewing the equipment's dialog ('Throughput Tab'), we have now added one more column that displays for each procedure (if multiple procedures utilize the vessel), the maximum fill percentage (ratio of liq/sol contents over the total vessel volume). Even though this number is close to the "capacity utilization" factor, it should be noted that the capacity utilization factor is based on the "Available" vessel volume (i.e. below the max allowable limit) whereas the max fill percentage is based on the "Total" vessel volume.
B03, SBN 4200: A new Set of COM VarIDs Have Been Added that Can Return the Initial & Final and Maximum Fill Percentage of a Vessel Volume (when applicable) (Improvement)
SuperPro Designer keeps track (and displays typically on the "Volumes" tab) the Liquid/Solid to Total Vessel Volume ratio (or "Fill Percent") at the beginning and the end of an operation (see below).
Starting with this release, these values can be fetched by calls to the COM Engine:
GetOperVarVal(<ProcedureName>, <OperationName>, VarID.initalFillRatio_VID, variant-value), and
GetOperVarVal(<ProcedureName>, <Operation-Name>, VarID.finalFillRatio_VID, variant-value).
Furthermore, a COM Engine user, can also retrieve the max fill percentage during a procedure:
GetUPVarVal( <ProcedureName>, VarID.maxFillRatio_VID, variant-value)
This is the maximum value amongst all operations included in the queue of <Procedure-Name>.
Finally, the following call to a host equipment, will return the maximum fill percentage amongst all procedures hosted by the equipment:
GetEquipVarVal( <EquipmentName>, VarID.maxFillRatio_VID, variant-value).
B03, SBN 4200: A new Set of COM VarIDs Have Been Added to the Steam Expansion in an Extraction Turbine Operation (Improvement)
The following three variable IDs have been added so that COM engine users can access new properties of the Steam Expansion in an Extraction Turbine operation (under Unit Procedures / Power Generation / in a Steam Turbine / Extraction). The added VarIDs are:
(a) bIncludeExpansion_VID
(b) extractionFrac_VID, and
(c) mechanicalLossFrac_VID
Variable (a) is used to include an expansion for each extraction port; can be either 0 (exclude) or 1 (include); e.g.
SetOperVarVal2(<ProcedureName>,<OperationName>, bIncludeExapansion_VID, value CInt(extractionPortNo)) and
GetOperVarVal2(<ProcedureName>,<OperationName>, bIncludeExapansion_VID, value CInt(extractionPortNo))
Variable (b) sets the extraction fraction for each expansion port (fraction values can be in the range of [0,1).
SetOperVarVal2(<ProcedureName>,<OperationName>, extractionFrac_VID, value CInt(extractionPortNo)) and
GetOperVarVal2(<ProcedureName>,<OperationName>, extractionFrac_VID, value CInt(extractionPortNo))
Finally, variable (c) is used to set and get the mechanical energy loss fraction for each expansion stage; valid range for the fraction is [0,1).
SetOperVarVal2(<ProcedureName>,<OperationName>, mechanicalLossFrac_VID, value CInt(extractionPortNo)) and
GetOperVarVal2(<ProcedureName>,<OperationName>, mechanicalLossFrac_VID, value CInt(extractionPortNo))
B03, SBN 4200: Users Are Now Warned if they Provide Component Properties Yielding Dubious Property Values for Heat of Evaporation and Boiling Point as a Function of Pressure (Improvement)
SuperPro Designer needs to be able to estimate the enthalpy of vaporization for components that may be present in wide temperature ranges, crossing their boiling points and therefore they may be present as liquid/solids as well as vapors. In order to properly estimate enthalpies of such mixtures, SuperPro Designer will use Watson's relation to estimate the DHvap(T) based on the DHvap(Tb) - where Tb, is the components' normal boiling point (at 1 atm). If this value is not known either, then Chen's relation can be used to estimate it. Chen's relation needs the Normal Boiling Point value, the Tc and Pc values (critical properties). If these values are not provided reliably, it is possible that Chen's relationship can yield a negative value for DHvap(Tb). Clearly that is a mistake that SPD used to not catch early on. Starting with this release we do and the following message will be displayed.
Also, if the user opts to provide their own values for a & b to be used in Watson's relation, the a-coefficient cannot be negative. Past simulation models that contained such irregular values for pure component properties will warn the user as soon as model is opened in this (or future) versions of SPD.
B03, SBN 4155, Release Date (10/10/2017)
B03, SBN 4155: PS Toolbox for State after Auto-Removal Is No Longer Editable (Improvement)
When no transfer out operations are included in the queue of a procedure's operations, SuperPro Designer's simulation engine automatically transfers out the liquid/solid material left from the last operation in the vessel contents out to the stream connected to the default output port (the one with the hollow output arrow), assuming there's one connected there. Therefore, when viewing the contents of the vessel during this procedure, we present the state of the procedure after the last operation was executed and then, one more, after the auto-transfer out kicked in (in other words, with just the vapor material left behind). Since the auto-removal was perceived as an implicit "Transfer Out", in previous releases of the software, we allowed you to edit the PS Toolbox of that state (after the auto-removal). Changing those settings could affect what is perceived as "liquid/solid" and what as "gas" and therefore could affect what is auto-removed. However, such settings may be in direct conflict with what the last (true) operation left behind as liquid/solid and as vapor. Since the (last) operation we must assume it executed its transformation as the user dictated it, we no longer allow such settings to interfere. We essentially, carry over the EXACT state as left from the last operation (flashed, so all its L/V calculations are exactly as the last operation intended), and we simply move out the liquid/solid portion of it.
B03, SBN 4155: Tray Drying Operation Does Not Calculate its HX Agent Rate (Bug Fix)
A previous special build (4150) introduced this glitch. This release fixes it.
B03, SBN 4155: Heat Integration Interface Calculations Could (in rare circumstances) Lead to a Crash (Bug Fix)
Under some rare circumstances, the Heat Integration Interface could lead to a crash. This has been fixed.
B03, SBN 4150, Release Date (10/01/2017)
B03, SBN 4150: Auto-Initialization and Auto-Removal Rule Modified (Improvement)
SuperPro Designer allows users who want to initially focus on M&E balances without specifying the particulars (or timing) of the material coming in and going out of vessels, to utilize the "auto-initialization" and "auto-removal" feature. When a stream is attached to the default input port of a vessel (the input port with the hollow - not solid - arrow in), SuperPro's simulation engine will automatically transfer the material on that line into the vessel when no other operation on the queue transfers material into the vessel. So, if one had as a first operation in the vessel a "Heat" operation, the material would be there for the heat to perform its action. Similarly, material left at the end of a procedure's list of actions would be automatically transferred out to the stream connected to the default output port (the port with the hollow arrow out), if no other operation on the queue transfers material out of the vessel. The spirit of the rules were that if you, the designer, do not introduce any operations that are timed to bring in material into the vessel, then the engine will automatically transfer material in for you. But, if you have introduced at least one such operation, then you will have to bring the material yourself (sometimes referred to as the "All-or-Nothing Rule"). Several filtration operations at times, would take advantage of this rule. So, it was possible to have a Nutsche filtration operation be the first operation in the queue and the material would be brought in automatically. However, if a filtration is followed by a "Cake Wash", a strict implementation of the original rule would prevent the material from coming in (since a "Cake Wash" itself brings material as well). Or, if one had a "Gas Sweep" operation at some point after (or before) the filtration, the auto-init rule would not kick in, since a "Gas Sweep" also - strictly speaking - brings in material itself. Then, we made some exceptions so that cases like the above continue to work and we've excluded the "Cake Wash" and "Gas Sweep" operations from de-activating the auto-initialization rule, so having those operations in a Nutsch filtration procedure, for example, would continue to allow for the material to be auto-transferred in and filtration to work. But, we still factor in "Pressurize" as an operation that "brings material in" and the presence of such an operation will make a Nutsche filtration fail (since now without a transfer in, no material will be available for filtering). Since the relaxing of the rules have created some confusion as to when the "auto-initialization" rule kicks in, we have decided to take a little further and be more explicit in terms of which operations prevent the "auto-initialization" rule from being activated:
"Only operations whose main purpose is to transfer liquid/solid material into a vessel will prevent the auto-initialization rule from being applied".
Those operations are :
For Vessel Operations:
- Transfer In
- Charge
- Pull In
and for MA/Chromatography Columns:
- Load
- Elute
Similarly, only the presence of operations whose main purpose is to transfer liquid/solid material out of the vessel will prevent the auto-removal rule from kicking in. Those operations are:
For Vessel Operations:
- Transfer Out
- Pull Out
- Batch Vaporize
- Batch Distil
- Batch Component Split
And for MA/Chromatography Columnn:
- Load
- Elute
B03, SBN 4150: Absoption / Stripping Hosted by Equipment in Rating Mode: Interface Modified (Improvement)
The Absoprtion/Stripping operation's dialog has been modified to more accurately reflect the specification choices in relation to whether the equipment resource host is in "design" or "rating" mode. When the equipment is in rating mode, the user is supposed to choose a component (out of all that may be checked as "absorbed") whose specification removal and the equilibrium line physico-chemical data (Henry's constant or some other equilibrium relation between the y and x fractions) will determine the HTU (Height of Transfer Unit) and NTU (and Number of Transfer Units) required to achieve the separation and from there the height of the column. For the rest of the components that are set to also "absorb" (other than the design component), the user can set their absorption percentages and the program will take them into account when closing the overall mass balances for the operation. When the equipment is in rating mode, clearly the choice of "design component" is optional. It is not needed any more to "size" the column since it's already sized. However, if the user knows that the column was sized with a specific component in mind, then selecting that component from the list of those set to absorb, will "freeze" the absorption specification for that component (94% in the screen below) and the program will reverse the calculations and based on the height of the column (and the HTU and NTU that correspond to that) it will compute how much of the design component is absorbed (the rest of the components, just as in the design case are still set by user
When the user does NOT chose any design component (see below), then it is the user's responsibility to provide the absorption percentages for ALL components that are set to absorb.
B03, SBN 4150: Steam Generation : Added Constraints for Combustion Product Component Identification (Improvement)
When specifying the elemental combustion reaction products (as part of a Steam Generation operation), the user is supposed to identify the components registered in his/her design model that represent the product of C + O2 -> CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) and the product of S + O2 -> SO2 (Sulfur Dioxide) - see screen below - . The selected component MUST have the molecular weight of CO2 (44.01 g/mol) and the molecular weight of SO2 (64.07 g/mol).
In previous releases, the program did not double-check the user's choices, and if inadvertently an incorrect component was chosen (as shown above), then the mass balances around the steam generation unit would not close. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4150: Custom Mixing : Freezes Upon Attempting to Open its i/o Interface Dialog (Bug Fix)
When a custom mixing operation was setup to adjust its manipulated input flow in order to achieve a certain user specification (other than ratio of total flows), the program would attempt to update the rest of the specification options available to the user (as outputs). However, in some cases, one (or more) of those ratio values would require a division by a flow that is non-existent. Not having safety code to catch such cases, such situations led to division by zero and thus a freeze to the interface from being displayed. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4150: The Energy Balance in Several Operations Has Been Improved to Ensure Enthalpy Is Preserved. (Improvement)
The following operations did not strictly adhere to an overall enthalpy balance:
- Diafiltration
- Heat Sterilization
- Continuous Extraction
- Mixer-Settler / Leaching
This has been improved and now they do.
B03, SBN 4150: Copy-and-Paste Crashes Avoided (Bug Fix)
When pasting unit operations from another flowsheet that involved components with names that "almost" matched the host flowsheet (up to case differentiation) led to confusing interpretation when received and eventually a crash. This is now is prevented from happening. Components must have "local names" be completely different (for substances whose "Formal" or "Full" name is the same.
B03, SBN 4150: Copy-and-Paste Crashes (with Source File Closed) Avoided (Bug Fix)
When attempting to paste a set of object that includes some OLE objects, taken from a SuperPro file that at the time of pasting has been closed, the program would crash. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4100, Release Date (09/10/2017)
B03, SBN 4100: View/Edit Style of Any Visual Element (UP Icon, Stream, Comment/Text, etc.) (New Feature)
A new button has been added to the Visual Object Palette that provides a shortcut for bringing up the dialog that allows you to view or edit the visual style of any element presented on the flowsheet (e.g. change the color of a unit procedure's icon, the thickness of the line for a selected stream(s), the font/color/frame of a comment, etc.).
Please note this button is only active if:
(a) Just a single element is selected, or
(b) A set of elements are selected with common visual styles (e.g. several unit procedure icons, or several text objects). If dissimilar objects are selected (for example a unit procedure icon and a stream) the button will show as disabled (inactive).
B03, SBN 4100: Energy Balance Calculations in Several Operation Models Have Been Improved. (Improvement)
Several operation models used to still perform energy balances based on Cp values alone (i.e. without performing enthalpy value calculations). Even though the previous model would be sufficient for total liquid materials, it would fail to capture phase changes and the effects of different PS toolboxes that can come through the different V/L distribution of material. Some of the models improved are: extraction, diafiltration, heat sterilization.
B03, SBN 4100: Custom Mixing Operations Incorrectly Reported as BPG Terminals. (Bug Fix)
With the introduction of the new choice in custom mixing to have the amount of output be specified by a downstream demand, this bug was also introduced (in earlier releases of v10). This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4100: COM Interface Now Allows the Enumeration of All Operations Using a Stream as Input or Output. (New Feature)
Some of our COM engine users requested the option to be able to enumerate all operations that may be using a particular stream as part of their feed (input). Note that even though rare, it could be more than. For example, several column wash operations may be utilizing the same feed to the column. Also, one could request to enumerate over the list of operations that use a given procedure output stream: for example, an emission line can be utilized by several operations in a procedure to output their emissions; or a given stream can be used by multiple transfer our (or wash) operations. The two list IDs are:
- destinationOperation_LID, and
- sourceOperation_LID, and
of course the container ID can only be 'stream_CID'. For example the following code will enumerate over all operation names that use an output stream to deposit material:
spfDoc.StartEnumeration(pos, ListTypeID.sourceOperation_LID, ContainerTypeID.stream_CID, streamName
...
spfDoc.GetNextItemName(pos, operationName, ListTypeID.sourceOperation_LID, ContainerTypeID.stream_CID, streamName)
B03, SBN 4100: Copy-and-Paste Sometimes May Lead to a Crash. (Bug Fix)
With pasting one or more unit procedures and possibly streams, the application will first try to make sure that the destination flowsheet has all the necessary resources that perhaps are referenced by such objects. Even though some resources may only be carried over if they are part of the copied objects (such as power types, heat transfer agents, etc.) pure components and stock mixtures are ALWAYS carried over. This indirect registration of pure components and stock mixtures is supposed to obey the several restrictions applied when a user does the registration explicitly through the related interface dialog of SuperPro Designer. For example, one cannot introduce two components with local names that are 'almost' the same: by 'almost' we mean that they differ only in case (upper to lower). So, "WFI" and "Wfi" are not allowed to coexist; same for "Water" and "water". Furthermore, you can't introduce the same component (e.g. "Ethyl Alcohol") and registered under two different local names: once with the local tag of "EtOH" and then with the local name of "Alcohol". On the contrary, when it comes to recognizing the true identity of a pure component based on its formal name, SuperPro will identify "Ethane" and "ETHANE" as the same component. That's because the 3 different external database formats allow for such case diversification. Some of those rules weren't properly enforced to releases prior to this one and when pasting across flowsheets issues may have popped up. We now detect such conflicts early and we will NOT allow the pasting when such conflicts exist.
B03, SBN 4100: Heat Transfer Efficiency Has Been Added in Every Interface that Engages a HX Agent. (New Feature)
In every situation that a heat transfer is required to or from a heat transfer agent (such as "Steam" or "Cooling Water") inevitably there's some inherent inefficiency and heat is lost in the process (when heating some is lost to ambient, when cooling some is allowed to come in from ambient air). When calculating the required duty to achieve a certain temperature or heating duty input/output to/from the process, the energy balance dictates a heating/cooling rate. Based on that value, we typically calculate a heating/cooling agent rate by engaging the mass-to-energy factor of the selected heat transfer agent. To account for such heating/cooling inefficiencies, we also divide with the (in)efficiency factor (something less than 1.0) to essentially penalize the consumption of resources (heat transfer agents) because of that.
Note: Even though in such situations users may opt to lump into this coefficient any losses due to poor insulation of the process equipment, this coefficient is NOT intended for that purpose. If no heat exchange occurs (e.g. when the operation is assumed to be carried out adiabatically), this coefficient will NOT affect any of the outputs (e.g. final temperature if calculated), when of course, poor insulation should lead to lower final temperatures (if mixing should result in temperatures above ambient) or in higher temperatures (if mixing should result in temperatures lower than ambient). Handling of such poor insulation will be handled more systematically in a future release.
B03, SBN 4100: Error / Warning Messages from Centrifugation / Absorption / Stripping Operation Have Been Improved . (Improvement)
When the M&E balance calculations run into some unexpected issues with constraints or specifications in the a centrifugation, absorption or stripping operation a message would be echoed. Some of the messages where somewhat confusing and misleading. Hopefully they would make more sense now.
B03, SBN 4100: New 'transferStream_VID' Variable Has Been Added to Fetch the Name of the Stream Servicing an Transfer Operation. (New Feature)
Users of the COM engine of SuperPro Designer, can now inquire and receive the name of the stream servicing a transfer operation (e.g. "Transfer In", "Transfer Out", "Charge", "Pull-in" etc.).
B03, SBN 4001, Release Date (08/15/2017)
B03, SBN 4001: Upgrade Notification Upon Startup. (New Feature)
Every time the application starts, it will now automatically check to see if there has been a new release for your application (if there's an available internet connection). If it detects that you are not running the latest release, a notification dialog will appear (see below):
This dialog reports to you:
1. Your application's current version numbers MM.BB.NNNN (major version, build number and special build number)
2. The version number and date of the latest available release (as posted on Intelligen's FTP site).
From this dialog, by clicking on the "News..." button, you can view all the new features / bug fixes / improvements added just in the latest release (over the previous release). Please note that this listing is just the incremental additions that became part of the latest software release since the LAST release. From there, there will be links to view all new features added since the original major release of this family, or even the features added in this major release over the previous major releases.
If you have a valid, active maintenance plan, and you have been given the username/password credentials to access the latest releases of the software then simply click on "Download..." button, and you will be redirected to SuperPro Designer 's Download Center. From there, you can find your product's edition download package (in the Download Map Table section), download it and install it with just a couple of clicks. If you do NOT have the current credentials to access the latest release, then click on the "E-Mail..." button. Your E-Mail client will be started and the basic framework of a message will be put together for you. The message will include the organization and name registered for the use of the software at your site as well as the delivery address. Please fill it in (or correct any entries) and send it to Intelligen, Inc. (at: techSupport@intelligen.com). We will send you the instructions you need to access the latest releases.
B03, SBN 4001: Component-Specific Information Can Now Be Displayed on Streams' Info Tags. (Improvement)
Users can now display a component-specific property (such as component flow, component mass/mole fraction or concentration) on the information tag of a stream. If you visit the tab that allows you to edit the contents of a stream's info tag (part of a stream's "style"), then the following will now show:
Once you check "Material from Pure Components", the listbox becomes active; select a component and then one of the three available properties ("Flow", "Fraction" or "Concentration") and from then on, that component property will appear on that stream's info tag.
B03, SBN 4001: Formula, CAS Number and Company ID Can Now Appear as Columns on the Component Properties View Table. (Improvement)
When selecting View / Component Properties... from the main menu, a table appears that shows a subset of all properties for the components currently registered in the process. This interface facilitates viewing all component properties one-under-the-other in order to better see comparative values. Users can select which columns (properties) to include. To dictate which properties (columns) to add to the presented list, right-click on the interface and select "Edit Contents..." Several users asked us to include as an option to view the "Formula" and "CAS Number", and with this release those choices have been added.
B03, SBN 4001: Clipboard Survives Even if Source Document is Closed. (Improvement)
In previous releases of the software, the contents of the clipboard were erased when the document used as the source of the clipboard contents was closed. In other words, if you copied one or more procedures and/or stream(s) from a file, then closed the file, you would lose the contents of clipboard (and therefore, paste is not an option any more). Starting with this release, the contents of the clipboard outlive the source document, and thus, even if you close the source file, you can still paste the copied elements. Note that pasting the copied elements, not only introduces the procedure(s)/equipment/stream(s) but also all the resources needed for their data (Components, mixtures, heat transfer agents, etc.).
B03, SBN 4001: Clipboard Contents Are Carried to the 'Past' or the 'Future' with Undo/Redo. (Improvement)
When selecting to "Undo" the last operation that modified the process (thereby selecting to return to a point in the kept history of the process), the application essentially rolls back the clock and restores the state of the process as it existed at that moment. If you had placed in the clipboard any elements (procedures / operations / streams), those will be carried with you into 'the past' (essentially), and you can STILL paste them in the restored state of the file. This can be very handy, in cases where you may have progressed the state of your simulation to a future point (e.g. added a couple of elaborate procedures) but then realized that you may have introduced some modification(s) that you 'd rather not have, and you wish you can return to the state of your simulation prior to those unwanted modifications but you do not want to lose the work invested in putting together the new procedures. You can now place those procedures into the clipboard (CTRL+C), then undo and return right before the unfortunate decision you made in the past, then paste the carried over procedures and you are done.
B03, SBN 4001: A New Operation ("Wash") Is now Available in All Vessel & GBX Procedures. (New Feature)
Sometimes users have the need to introduce some material into a vessel in way that is analogous to the "Wash" operations in chromatography columns or "Flush" or "Cake Wash" in filters. In other words, material enters the vessel, possibly interacts with its contents at the time, and then immediately exits. We have introduced a new type of operation to simulate such a step: Wash Operation (see blow):
The interface of the new operation allows for the specification of the amount passed through the vessel (see below) and ...
if needed, how much of the vessel contents are carried away with the outlet stream (see below).
B03, SBN 4001: Flow Design Spec Procedure/Operation: Now It Accepts as Target (Set Point) the Flow of Single Component in a Stream. (Improvement)
A Design Spec unit procedures enforces an 'information-type' loop between a 'controlled variable' (in the case of flow design spec, it's the flow of a chosen stream) and a 'manipulated variable' (always an input stream flow). Up to now, the target value (or 'set point') used to always be the total flow of a stream. Starting with this release, we allow users to set as targets the flow of a selected component instead of the total flow on a stream (see below):
If the chosen manipulated stream has no effect on the chosen component's flow on the target stream, the simulation engine will fail to find a solution.
B03, SBN 4001: Absorption/Stripping Model Revamped; Now Can Perform even in Non-Dilute Solutions. (Improvement)
The absorption (or stripping) model has been significantly reworked for robustness and to accommodate the handling of solutions where the absorbing solvent had a significant amount of the absorbed material. Oftentimes, the solvent down an absorption column is recirculated and therefore it already contains a significant amount of the component that is supposed to be removed from the gas phase. In such cases, the previous model would fail to find a solution. Furthermore, the previous model was using the selected ("design") component's Henry's constant as specified in the component description. This was clearly very restricting, since the Henry's constant is a function of the component (of course) and the solvent used to absorb it. Therefore, if the same component appeared in more than one absorption columns, previously, it was impossible to provide two distinct Henry's constants (one for each column). This is now possible.
Furthermore, the equilibrium line of the key (design) component could be set to be represented by a user-provided quadratic relation (instead of Henry's law).
B03, SBN 4001: The Bulk Density of Contents Is now Locked after Operations that Have the Bulk Density Set in their Oper. Conds Tab. (Improvement)
In some operations that handle solid material (e.g. the 'Transfer in (Solids)' operation) the user is supposed to provide the 'bulk density' of the material after the transfer. This value is used to calculated the volume of the vessel contents after the transfer is made in order to appropriate size the receiving vessel (Silo or what have you).
In previous releases, users were also allowed to modify that value as part of the "Procedure State Options..." dialog (selected from the procedure's command menu). This was incorrect, since that value can't be set from two different locations. Starting with this release, operations that handle solids, have this value frozen (locked) when viewed from the Procedure State Options dialog (see below):
The operations that result in the locking of the bulk density specification of the contents are:
- Transfer In (Solids)
- Charge (Solids)
- Transfer Out (Solids)
- Pull In (Solids)
- Pull Out (Solids)
- Cone Drying
- Batch Solids Storage
B03, SBN 4001: Custom Mixing Operation New Option: Output Flow Could be Set by a Downstream Specification. (Improvement)
Oftentimes, users may need to inject (bring in) an amount of material to meet downstream needs. The Custom Mixer procedure that has been available for some time in SuperPro Designer had all sorts of options that calculated the amount of the injected flow but it lacked the ability to bring in material to meet downstream needs (and in this way, act as a terminal in a back-propagation demand chain). To accommodate this need, we have added a new feature into our existing custom-mixing operation ("Output Flow Set by Process", see below).
B03, SBN 4001: Nutsche Filtration Operation : Vent Port Is now User-Selectable. (Improvement)
The Vent/Emissions tab of Nutsche filtration operations now allows the user use to chose his/her own port to send the emissions.
B03, SBN 4001: Intra/Extra Cellular Specification Not Always Available in a Reaction Stoichiometry Specification. (Improvement)
When describing the stoichiometry of a reaction/fermentation, the "Extra Cell %" column will NOT be shown unless one of the products specified is the component designated as "Biomass". Previously users were allowed to do so leading to (potentially) confusing results. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4001: Belt Conveying Operation: New Option to Capture Heat Losses During Transport. (Improvement)
A new option has been added to account for heat losses to the surroundings (environment) experienced during the (possibly long) transport of material. If this option is not selected, then the temperature of the material exiting the operation (i.e. at the end of transport) is set to be equal to the temperature of the feed (i.e., at the beginning of the transport). If the option is checked, then the exit temperature must be set by the user.
B03, SBN 4001: Belt Conveying Operation: New Option to Capture Evaporation Losses During Transport. (Improvement)
A new option has been added to account for evaporation losses during transport. The user can either set the evaporation percentage of each volatile component or set the final LOD (Loss-on-Drying) percentage in the output stream. The LOD setting is the total percentage (in mass) of all volatiles in the output stream. Based on the final LOD, the program will calculated the amounts of each volatile component that have evaporated and therefore update the percentage of each volatile component that has been removed (or 'lost').
B03, SBN 4001: GAC Adsorption (for Liquid Stream): Users Now Can Add a Stoichiometric Reaction as a Possible Step in the Procedure. (Improvement)
A new unit operation option has been added to the list of available options in a GAC Adsoprion unit procedure step: Stoichiometric Reaction. This addition will be found useful to users needing to model a simulation reaction that takes place during adsoprion.
B03, SBN 4001: GAC Column Wash: New Option to Calculate Amount of Wash Solvent. (Improvement)
A new option has been added to the Column Wash operation available for the user to specify the amount of solvent used during wash: "Use Amount on Stream". Instead of the operation determining the amount (as a multiple of bed volumes, or based on some other operating requirement), the user specifies the amount on the input stream.
B03, SBN 4001: Heat Transfer Efficiency Has Been Added Everywhere a Heat Transfer Agent is Involved. (Improvement)
The application has been using in many operations that require heat exchange (heating or cooling) a 'correction factor' (heat transfer efficiency) to account for the inefficiency to supply directly the entire duty required by process operation for heating or cooling. In other words, if let's say the process thermodynamic calculation required a heat duty of "A kcal/h" to be added to a process stream (or vessel contents), and this corresponded to a rate of X kg/h of heat transfer agent, due to inefficiencies, the rate of heat transfer agent needed in reality would be slightly higher (and therefore the economics of the process would be slightly penalized for this inefficiency). This efficiency factor has now been added everywhere a heat transfer agent is engaged.
Note: Even though this 'efficiency' factor was not designed to account for heat losses to the environment (due to inappropriate insulation of vessels / heat exchangers and the likes) users could capitalize its existence to account for such heat losses by reducing the heat transfer efficiency appropriately. Unfortunately, for operations that occur adiabatically this efficiency factor fails to account for such losses to environment (due to poor insulation of the equipment). The issue of heat losses to the surroundings will be addressed with the introduction of a dedicated variable that will have impact in the operating (or exit) temperature calculation even in cases of (presumed) adiabatic operation in a future release.
B03, SBN 4001: Component Tables Offer Options to Shown Only Components Present (Non-Zero Amount/Flow). (Improvement)
There are many tables throughout the application where users are supposed to insert data for some components (e.g. "Retention Factor", "Rejection Coeff.", "% Removed", etc.). Instead of having to view/sort through the entire list of components (which could be quite long in typical applications), users would rather see just the components that have a presence in the relevant operation. A new pair of buttons has been added in most such operations allowing users to see only the operations with non-zero flow.
Of course, such a filtering can only be meaningful only AFTER a M&E has been executed at least once. Furthermore, if more components were added AFTER the last M&E balance calculations were made, the newly added component will still have zero flow and therefore will NOT show when "Show Components Flow" is selected.
B03, SBN 4001: Added New Procedure for Flow Adjusting. (New Feature)
With the introduction of the option to have the output flow of a custom mixer be set by a downstream demand (see item #10 above), users had a full complement of options when a recycle stream flow needed to be adjusted up (with the custom mixing) or down (with the pre-existing custom splitting). However, there are cases where the process specifications may change and users may not know ahead of time if adding in or splitting out the recycled amount is appropriate. For such cases we have now introduced a new unit procedure: Flow Adjusting. The main operation in this procedure engages two streams: an input and an output. If too much flow comes in then it sets the output flow to take the excess so it functions as a custom splitter. If not enough material is coming through, then it sets the amount of flow on the input stream to equal the extra required flow (so it acts as a custom mixer). Note that since the downstream demand is typically calculated assuming a given composition of the stream, and in order to NOT change that composition at the time of flow adjusting, the operation offers the option to not only set the amount of material mixed in but also its composition to match the composition of the main throughput flow. This is only an option if the adjustable stream is a process input.
B03, SBN 4001: Added a New Procedure for Vacuum Pumping (and Vacuum Pump as Equipment Host). (New Feature)
The new vacuum pumping procedure can be used in association of another vessel in order to maintain vacuum in that vessel. The procedure's main operation ("Vacuum Pumping") allows for users to estimate the (sometimes significant) power consumption required. The new unit procedure appears under Unit Procedures / Transport (near) / Gases / Vacuum Pumping.
B03, SBN 4001: A New Example Model Has Been Added: Potato Refinery. (New Feature)
The new example simulates a potato fractionation process that produces multiple co-products. Potato is the fourth-largest food crop globally, following maize, wheat and rice. Potatoes are starchy like cereals, but they are tuberous corps rather grains, and they contain a larger percentage of water (compared to cereals). A simple potato fractionation process typically coagulates the proteins of the potato juice and separates them for use in the animal feed industry. The byproducts of potato processing are protamylase and fibers. Protamylase, which mainly consists of sugars and ash, has a potassium contents of 15% and it is typically recycled to the potato fields as a fertilizer. Fibers can be either sold as feed or used as combustion fuel to provide energy to the processing plant. The example process can be found in the "Food Procesing" subfloder of the examples.
B03, SBN 4001: Insert File Can Now (Optionally) Carry over Sections and/or Branch Definitions. (Improvement)
One of the major additions of v10 was the ability to insert the contents of an entire .spf file into another process simulation (File / Insert File... under the main menu). Using this option, users can simulate common process segments (e.g. a special chromatography sequence for isolating a product) and then insert it in their current simulation if need be. If the inserted file had any definitions for branches and/or sections, currently were ignored and all the inserted procedures were simply added to the "active" section at the time of the file insertion. Starting with this release users now have more options as to how to handle the definitions of branches/sections in the inserted file (see below):
In the case shown above the file that is about to be inserted has a single branch ("Main Branch") but several sections defined ("Fermentation Section", "Primary Recovery Section", etc.). The yellow set of options allows the user two options:
(a) Simply insert all the sections (as named in the source file) in the "Main Branch" of the receiving document; in that case users get a choice of either accepting the names of the sections "as is" in the source document or use alternate names (this is necessary if one or more name clash with section names already existing in the receiving document). For this reason, the second dialog shown below appears:
If any of the section names already happen to exist, they would have appeared in red.
(b) Create an altogether new branch that will receive all the new sections as they exist in the source document. In that case, there is no need to name / rename the newly inserted sections; their original names will be kept.
B02, SBN 3400: New COM Functions Added for Retrieving the Total Consumption (input) of an Ingredient (Raw Material) by the Whole Process or a Specific Operation. (Improvement)
To facilitate users who wish to track the utilization of raw materials either by a specific operation or by the entire process, we have added a couple of new COM functions (see below). Note that previously if users wanted to track the consumption of raw materials, they had to iterate over all input streams of a process and even that wouldn't suffice sometimes as some operations consume material without the presence of an input stream (e.g. a Purge operation or a Gas Sweep operation), making tracking down all the use of a material impossible.
IngredientAmtConsumedByOperation ("Procedure-Name", "Operation-Name", "Ingredient-Name", ResourceUseTimeRef)
to retrieve the amount of material (ingredient) consumed by the operation "Operation-Name" in procedure "Procedure-Name". The last argument (ResourceUseTimeRef) specifies the time window for the consumption amount:
- per_yr_RUTR (=1)
- per_batch_RUTR (=2)
- per_campaign_RUTR (=3)
- per_MP_RUTR (=4)
- per_hr_RUTR (=5)
IngredientAmtUsedAsRawMaterial ("Ingredient-Name", ResourceUseTimeRef)
to retrieve the amount of material (ingredient) consumed by the entire process. The last argument (ResourceUseTimeRef) specifies the time window for the consumption amount (same as above).
- per_yr_RUTR (=1)
- per_batch_RUTR (=2)
- per_campaign_RUTR (=3)
- per_MP_RUTR (=4)
- per_hr_RUTR (=5)
Two new varIDs have been introduced: streamIngredientUse_VID and nonStreamIngredientUse_VID.
They can be used as part of the following two (existing) functions:
GetFlowsheetVarVal3 ( varID, COleVariant*, "Ingredient-Name", ResourceUseTimeRef )
when varID = streamIngredientUse_VID is used, then this function retrieves the total consumption of "Ingredient-Name" by the process from input streams as a source;
when varID = nonStreamIngredientUse_VID is used, then this function retrieves the total consumption of "Ingredient-Name" by the process through selection on operation's i/o dialogs but without the presence of streams.
The last argument (ResourceUseTimeRef) specifies the time window for the consumption amount (same as above).
- per_yr_RUTR (=1)
- per_batch_RUTR (=2)
- per_campaign_RUTR (=3)
- per_MP_RUTR (=4)
- per_hr_RUTR (=5)
and
GetOperVarVal3 ("Procedure-Name", "Operation-Name", varID, COleVariant*, "Ingredient-Name", ResourceUseTimeRef).
when varID = streamIngredientUse_VID is used, then this function retrieves the total consumption of "Ingredient-Name" by the designated "Operation-Name" in "Procedure-Name" from an input stream as a source;
when varID = nonStreamIngredientUse_VID is used, then this function retrieves the consumption of "Ingredient-Name" by the designated "Operation-Name" in "Procedure-Name", through selection on operation's i/o dialogs and without the presence of a stream.
The last argument (ResourceUseTimeRef) specifies the time window for the consumption amount (same as above).
- per_yr_RUTR (=1)
- per_batch_RUTR (=2)
- per_campaign_RUTR (=3)
- per_MP_RUTR (=4)
- per_hr_RUTR (=5)
B03, SBN 4001: Continuous Multi-Effect Evaporation Failed to Find a Solution (under a combination of settings) (Bug Fix)
If the thermal vapor recompression option was used together with the option to calculate the mean temperature difference in each effect (based on the assumption that all effects have the same heat transfer area), the application might fail to return a solution of the M&E balances for the specified entrainment ratio (although one may exist). This issue has now been fixed and the solution engine will find a solution (if one exists). Furthermore, if a solution does not exist for the specified entrainment ratio because the specified value is too high, the program will calculate the maximum entrainment ration that can be used to successfully solve the M&E balances and will display this value in its error message.
B03, SBN 4001: Extremely Large (over 50MB) Process Simulation Files Failed to Write/Read (Bug Fix)
As the process model increased in complexity and size, the application's read/write engine would fail to record the connectivity of the entire process properly leading to a crash during reading or writing to a file. In this release, the structure of the saved document has been modified to avoid such shortcomings.
B03, SBN 4001: Rotary Drying Operation: Drying Gas Amount Failed to Be Adjusted (under some user options). (Bug Fix)
The drying gas amount can be set to be calculated by the program based on a user-selected value of volatile content (moisture percentage) at the drying gas outlet. When this option was chosen for a rotary drying operation, the program failed to update the flow of the drying gas. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4001: Batch Vaporize Operation: Minor Error in Energy Balance. (Bug Fix)
When one or more pure components present in the equipment contents appeared in the gas phase at the beginning of the operation, the enthalpy of the vent/emissions stream was not calculated correctly. Even though this error did NOT affect the simulation downstream, it could yield inappropriate values for the temperature of the emission stream. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4001: Generation of Custom-Excel Report from a VBA Script (via COM Engine) Used to Crash. (Bug Fix)
When running a VBA scripts, there was already a COM engine call that was suppose to trigger the generation of the Custom Excel report. If the destination of the contents of the report happened to be the SAME file that was running the script, the application used to crash. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4001: Vapor Contents Before Tray Drying Were Lost. (Bug Fix)
When simulating a tray drying operation, if any components appeared to be in the vapor phase (prior to the operation's simulation) they were accidentally removed from the contents and lost. This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4001: Shortcut Distillation Would Crash If Heavy Key Component Was Reset to "(none)". (Bug Fix)
This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4001: After Batch Sheet Template Root Directory Was Made to Point Elsewhere, Application Still Was Looking in Default Location. (Bug Fix)
This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4001: When Dragging Selected Items with Arrow Keys, They Could Be Dropped Outside Borders of Document. (Bug Fix)
This has now been fixed.
B03, SBN 4001: Centrifugation Operation Now Checks for the Presence of Oil and/or Solids Stream (if Needed). (Bug Fix)
In previous releases, it was possible to setup a centrifugation operation, specify percentages of component(s) to be sent to either the "Oil" output or the "Solids" output, but during simulation, no streams were present. In that case, the program of course, would not act upon the user's specification but no message was generated. Starting with this release, if the user has a non-zero removal component percentage set to either the "Oil" or "Solids" stream, the program will complain BEFORE the simulation starts if a stream is not found connected to the corresponding port.
B03, SBN 4001: Including the SST from a VBA Script Failed if Table included more than 255 Columns. (Bug Fix)
This has now been fixed (as long as user's environment recognizes ".xlsx" extensions (2004 release or later).
B02, SBN 3400, Release Date (06/30/2017)
B02, SBN 3400: Centrifugation Operation : Unit Selection Choices Are Always Active. (Improvement)
In previous releases, when parts of a displayed dialog were frozen (i.e., not open for editing) the associated values' unit dropdown selection was frozen as well. Since in some cases, the pre-selected units were inappropriate (or undesirable) the user would have to change the settings in order to activate the value, then change the units, then go back to his/her original setup that forced the value to be non-editable again. This was inconvenient, so staring with this release, we allow the unit selection drop-down to be active even for values that are non-editable.
B02, SBN 3400: Multi-Reaction Kinetic Schemes Failed to Display All Reaction Information. (Bug Fix)
When attempting to view the reaction information in kinetic schemes, the 2nd, 3rd, etc. reactions will fail to display their information. Instead a crash may be generated. This glitch was introduced in the last minor release (SBN 3300) and has been fixed.
B02, SBN 3400: Continuous Crystallization Operation : If Cooling Agent is Inappropriate a Crash May be Generated. (Bug Fix)
When selecting the cooling agent to accomplish the crystallization, the cooling agent's exit temperature must be sufficiently lower than the crystallization temperature. If this condition isn't met, the program is supposed to display an error message and refuse to accept the setup. Instead, an empty string (or a crash) may be displayed. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3400: Rigorous Distillation Operation Now Respects "Excluded Component" Selection. (Improvement)
As users should know, it is possible to explicitly choose a set of component to be excluded from a formal VLE set of calculations (using a non-ideal model). This is necessary in cases where components are present, they are always in the liquid/solid phase and their non-ideal model coefficients are not known. SuperPro accepts such specifications in operations accepting non-ideal models (such as Flash, Thin-Film Evaporation, etc.) and keeps those components out of the calculations. It considers them a separate liquid/solid phase that is removed from the original contents and then remixed after the calculations are done, to the final liquid/solid state. This behavior was not adopted by the rigorous (plate-by-plate) distillation model. This has now been fixed. Please note that if you specify some component to be excluded from VLE calcs, then the overall energy balance may not close due to the enthalpy carried by those components in the feed and the bottoms (at different temperatures).
B02, SBN 3400: When Attempting to Generate the XL Report by Code (COM Engine) Lead to a Crash. (Bug Fix)
If a user wrote a VBA script that as part of its execution it attempted to generate the custom Excel report, the COM engine failed to service the call and crashed. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3400: If Any Components Were Vapors in the Tray Drying Operation, they Were Lost from the Output. (Bug Fix)
If simulation including a tray drying operation happen to include in the feed of this operation material that were in the vapor phase, due to a glitch, they were removed from contents and never added again. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3400: If a Vessel Operation Calculates the Residence Time, the Capacity Utilization Is Measured Using the Equipment's Setting for Max-Working-to-Vessel Ratio. (Bug Fix)
Previously, the capacity utilization factor was always calculated with respect to the operation's max working-to-vessel ratio. However, when the operation 's residence time is calculated (so the user provides the working-to-vessel ratio) the capacity utilization factor should be measured against the equipment's max working-to-vessel ratio, not the operation's since that is not viewable (or relevant) in this case.
B02, SBN 3400: New COM Function Added for Retrieving the Total Consumption (input) of an Ingredient by an Operation. (Improvement)
Previously users could only trace material coming in and used up by an operation through an input stream. However, some operations consume material chosen from its i/o simulation dialog (e.g. a Purge, or CIP, etc.). Starting with this release you can use the following functions and two new varIDs:
IngredientAmtConsumedByOperation ("Procedure-Name", "Operation-Name", "Ingredient-Name", ResourceUseTimeRef)
to retrieve the amount of material (ingredient) consumed by the operation "Operation-Name" in procedure "Procedure-Name". The last argument (ResourceUseTimeRef) specifies the time window for the consumption amount:
- per_yr_RUTR (=1)
- per_batch_RUTR (=2)
- per_campaign_RUTR (=3)
- per_MP_RUTR (=4)
- per_hr_RUTR (=5)
IngredientAmtUsedAsRawMaterial ("Ingredient-Name", ResourceUseTimeRef)
to retrieve the amount of material (ingredient) consumed by the entire process. The last argument (ResourceUseTimeRef) specifies the time window for the consumption amount (same as above).
- per_yr_RUTR (=1)
- per_batch_RUTR (=2)
- per_campaign_RUTR (=3)
- per_MP_RUTR (=4)
- per_hr_RUTR (=5)
Two new varIDs have been introduced: streamIngredientUse_VID and nonStreamIngredientUse_VID.
They can be used as part of the following two (existing) functions:
GetFlowsheetVarVal3 ( varID, COleVariant*, "Ingredient-Name", ResourceUseTimeRef )
when varID = streamIngredientUse_VID is used, then this function retrieves the total consumption of "Ingredient-Name" by the process from input streams as a source;
when varID = nonStreamIngredientUse_VID is used, then this function retrieves the total consumption of "Ingredient-Name" by the process through selection on operation's i/o dialogs but without the presence of streams.
The last argument (ResourceUseTimeRef) specifies the time window for the consumption amount (same as above).
- per_yr_RUTR (=1)
- per_batch_RUTR (=2)
- per_campaign_RUTR (=3)
- per_MP_RUTR (=4)
- per_hr_RUTR (=5)
and
GetOperVarVal3 ("Procedure-Name", "Operation-Name", varID, COleVariant*, "Ingredient-Name", ResourceUseTimeRef).
when varID = streamIngredientUse_VID is used, then this function retrieves the total consumption of "Ingredient-Name" by the designated "Operation-Name" in "Procedure-Name" from an input stream as a source;
when varID = nonStreamIngredientUse_VID is used, then this function retrieves the consumption of "Ingredient-Name" by the designated "Operation-Name" in "Procedure-Name", through selection on operation's i/o dialogs and without the presence of a stream.
The last argument (ResourceUseTimeRef) specifies the time window for the consumption amount (same as above).
- per_yr_RUTR (=1)
- per_batch_RUTR (=2)
- per_campaign_RUTR (=3)
- per_MP_RUTR (=4)
- per_hr_RUTR (=5)
B02, SBN 3300, Release Date (05/21/2017)
B02, SBN 3300: Centrifugation Operation : Improved Consistency Checks. (Improvement)
In previous releases, users could set a component's separation percentage to both the oil/fat outlet (top) as well as the solids outlet (bottom) but not forced to include each stream on the flowsheet. The model would simply ignore the separation percentage on either stream when not present on the flowsheet. This has now been improved and if the user has set a non-zero separation percentage for any component on either stream, then its presence is required (leads to connectivity errors). Also, if the reverse is noticed (i.e., a top outlet stream for oil/fat removal is present but no component has been routed to that outlet) a warning is issued.
B02, SBN 3300: Shortcut Distillation : Several Minor Fixes. (Bug Fix)
After selecting a component as "Heavy Key", the program automatically reports the relative volatilities of all other components with respect to that component (using ideal mixture as an assumption for K-value calculations). If the user selects "(none)" from the "Heavy Key" selection drop-down, a crash used to occur. This has now been fixed.
Also, in some rare conditions and due to numerical round-off inaccuracies in the value of "q" (feed stream quality index), the program would not be able to solve the Fenske equation. This has now been resolved.
Some error messages reported from a shortcut distillation model, would incorrectly reference "Oper. Conds" tab as the location where the inappropriate values were set, when it should mention "Comp. Sep." tab.
Pure components whose local names started with a lower case character, we listed last (after all other components with a capitalized first letter). This was inconsistent with the listing in every other place in the application and has been corrected.
Finally, when attempting to move away from the "Comp. Sep." tab (or even exit the shortcut distillation's i/o dialog) the error reporting of missing or incorrect parameters in that tab was unfortunate leading to confusing messages: for example, inappropriate values of relative volatilities were echoed before the invalid (no selection) of a heavy key. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3300: Document Size Miscalculated Leading to Inappropriate Display of Flowsheet Contents. (Bug Fix)
When moving a file from one PC to another, with different hardware (display drivers/monitors) and/or display resolution and default printers installed to the Windows environment, the program offers to automatically adjust the location and size of icons and text, and recalculate page breaks in order to display the contents as appropriate in the current environment. Under some rare situations, this calculations lead to invalid values for the (new) document size, leading to a inappropriate display of the document's contents. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3300: Cake Wash Operation Reported Elevated Amounts of Wash Agent Used. (Bug Fix)
Due to a glitch in the code, under some circumstances, it was possible that Cake Wash operations in Nutsche filtration UPs used to reported increased amounts of wash agents used (incorrectly). This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3300: Add/Remove/ReOrder Operations Would Alter (or Lose) the PSCT Options of States in a Procedure. (Bug Fix)
If a user chose to enforce his/her own set of assumptions for liquid/solid density, gaseous density, or, more commonly, the vapor/liquid model calculations for a state after a specific operation in a unit procedure, then visited the Add/Remove/ReOrder dialog and executed an action that altered the order of operations in that unit procedure, the state PSCT settings didn't follow the operation in its new location in the order. This could have lead in some unexpected behavior regarding SuperPro's simulation engine judgement of what is vapor and what is liquid when the M&E balances were executed (after the UP's reordering of operations). This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3300: Thawing Procedure / Operation Does Not Yield a Pressure Calculation Error. (Bug Fix)
When including a thawing procedure as part of a simulation, the program often produced an error related to the pressure calculation (which seemed and was unnecessary). This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3300: Undo/Redo Action in an Unsaved Document Lead to Incorrect Viewing of Window's Frame. (Bug Fix)
When undoing an action (e.g. the deletion of a unit procedure) in a simulation file that had never been saved, as a result, the bottom frame of the display window was drawn twice. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3300: Gas Sweep Operation: Operating Pressure Value Not Properly Synchronized with Vent Pressure. (Bug Fix)
When viewing the i/o dialog of a Gas Sweep operation, the program displays the "Operating Pressure" on the "Oper. Conds" tab, and the vent pressure setting on the Vent tab. Setting the vent pressure on one tab should update the operating pressure on the other and vice versa. This synchronization failed to work. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3300: Liquid GAC Adsorption: List of Available Operations Now Includes a "Stoich. Reaction". (Improvement)
It came to our attention that some users wish to simulation a reaction as part of a Liquid GAC Adsorption procedure. To facilitate such situations, a new option has been added to the list of available operations in such procedures: "Stoichiometric Reaction".
B02, SBN 3300: Multi-Effect Evaporation Operation: Some Error Messages Appeared Empty. (Bug Fix)
Due to a glitch, error messages related to inappropriate temperature settings/values on each effect appeared empty. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3300: Muti-Effect Evaporation Operation: When Thermal Vapor Recompression Was Chosen, M&E Balances Were in Error. (Bug Fix)
If the thermal vapor recompression option was used together with the option to calculate the mean temperature difference in each effect (assuming all effects have the same heat transfer area) the program might fail to return a valid end result when performing the M&E balances for that step (for the specified entrainment ration - even though one may exist -. This issue has now been fixed; so, now the program will return a solution (provided it exists). If a solution does not exist for the specified entrainment ratio (as the value may be unfortunate - too high), the program will also report the maximum possible value for that parameter that can yield a solution and thus avoid that error altogether.
B02, SBN 3300: Wet Air Oxidation: Missing Exit Temperature Units. (Bug Fix)
The wet air oxidation operation was missing settings for the exit temperature units. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3300: Rotary Drying Operation: Drying Gas Amount Was not Auto-Adjusted under Certain Conditions. (Bug Fix)
When the user chose to have the amount of drying gas be calculated based on his/her setting for the volatile content of the exit (outlet) gas, the program failed to auto-adjust the flowrate of the inlet drying gas to meet the set requirement. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3202, Release Date (05/05/2017)
B02, SBN 3202: Repeated Application of Undo/Redo Features Would Result in Increased File Size. (Bug Fix)
This issue first was reported after SBN 3200. It was partially corrected in SBN 3201. This has been further addressed with this released.
B02, SBN 3202: Tooltip Text Appearing near the Edge of the Screen Was Cut off. (Bug Fix)
When displaying support information on a multi-line tooltip in an area bordering the edge of the screen (typically when hovering over the "?" icon at the far-right corner of a warning/error line in the Warning/Error output tab), the text would appear cut off. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3202: Tooltip in Charts Appeared and Disappeared Continuously, Even if Mouse Stayed over the Same Element. (Improvement)
When hovering with the mouse over a part of a chart (e.g. an equipment occupancy chart's horizontal bars), the tooltip displayed would appear and disappear continuously, even if the user never moved the mouse, or even if the mouse moved but stayed over the same block. This has now been fixed. The display of the tooltip stays on (yet following the moving mouse) as long as the mouse stays over the same underlying interface element.
B02, SBN 3202: Shortcut Distillation Interface: Minor Glitch Fixed. (Bug Fix)
When displaying the component table (on the 2nd tab) sometimes components would not show/hide properly when the "Show Comps with Non-Zero Flow" vs "Show All Comps" buttons were selected. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3202: Rigorous Distillation Model Copied Across Flowsheets May Lead to a Crash. (Bug Fix)
When copying a rigorous distillation unit procedure from one document (flowsheet/file) to another, and some components involved in the source flowsheet needed to be cross-registered (indirectly) before the copied model was pasted, due to glitch in the code, it was possible that the pasted procedure's initial values were set incorrectly, and attempting to execute the simulation may have resulted ina crash. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3202: Binary Coefficients Would not Carry Across Flowsheets. (Bug Fix)
When copying any model's data from one flowsheet to another, and one or more components needed to indirectly be registered before the models were pasted, the binary coefficients between the newly introduced components and the pre-existing components were not properly carried over from the source flowsheet to the destination flowsheet. This has now been fixed. Note that any pre-existing components' binary coefficients would NOT be overwritten by this process.
B02, SBN 3202: Stream / Material Report Included in the Summary of Raw Materials Consumed (in some cases) a Double-Accounting of Some Pure Components. (Bug Fix)
When requesting to view the accounting of all raw materials consumed by a process, users have the option to report pure components only when the appear as 'top ingredients' in a stream vs when they appear as top ingredients as well as when they participate in the composition of a mixture; that depends on the choice highlighted below:
When the check box was "off", then the consumptions of only pure components was reported, with the total properly adjusted, but by mistake, the consumption of mixtures was also included in the table, thereby increasing the total by double-accounting their constituent pure components, This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3202: Viewing/Updating Comments on Heat Transfer Agents from the Process Explorer Interface Didn't Work. (Bug Fix)
When requesting to view any comments associated with a listed heat transfer agent from the PE toolbar, none was shown. Also, if the user attempted to add a comment in HX entities, they were not kept by the program. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3202: Relative-Volatility Related Error Messages from Shortcut Distillation Incorrectly Reported 'Oper. Conds Tab' as the Origin of the Erroneous Values. (Bug Fix)
When displaying warning/errors related to the relative volatility, as the user attempted to close a shortcut distillation model's dialog, the title mentioned that the erroneous values were part of the 'Oper. Conds' tab; it should say instead 'Comp. Separation' tab. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3201, Release Date (04/22/2017)
B02, SBN 3201: Procedure State Options Dialog Could Display Inappropriate Values for Specific Enthalpy. (Bug Fix)
When viewing the Procedure State Options dialog of a unit procedure that has never been simulated, the values of specific enthalpy displayed were inappropriate, and could even lead to a crash. This has been fixed.
B02, SBN 3201: Flash Calculations using Non-Ideal Vapor-Liquid Models Have Been Improved for Speed. (Improvement)
If users chose to employ a non-ideal vapor-liquid model throughout the entire process, the simulation calculations were taking quite long to complete. The convergence of such models has been carefully revamped to improved accelerated convergence and thereby reducing overall calculation time by a factor of 5 (or more).
B02, SBN 3201: Equipment Volumes during Procedures where Operations Set Bulk Densities Are Now More Consistently Presented on the Volumes Tab of Operations. (Bug Fix)
When viewing initial and final volume in a "Granulation" operation, there's a value for "Bulk Density" that users are expected to provide for the calculation of the volume AFTER the operation is executed (see below, yellow highlight):
The green value for the "Initial Volume" is supposed to be calculated using the bulk or regular liquid/solid density as the PREVIOUS operation dictated. Due to an error in the calculations, both volumes displayed above were calculated using the displayed bulk density value. The reason was that the procedure state did not have its density value properly updated from the value of the preceding operation. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3201: Procedure States After Operations that Specify Bulk Density Prevent User Overwrites for Liquid/Solid Density. (Bug Fix)
When viewing the Procedure State Options dialog for a procedure that includes an operation where users provided the "Bulk Density" to be used for volume estimates at the end of the operation (like the "Granulation", "Solids Charge", "Solids Transfer In", etc.), the dialog should prevent users from overwriting the value of the liquid/solid density again. Starting with this release, the program automatically detects if there's an operation which as part of its operating conditions parameters extracts from the user a value for the liquid/solid (bulk) density for the contents after the operation is executed. If such a case is detected then:
a) The value of the density is propagated to the state right after the operation, and
b) The user is prevented from overwriting this value (and go against his/her previous setting on the operation dialog).
For example, the Procedure States dialog displaying the parameters for the state after the "Granulation" op shown above (in item #3), will show as follows:
Notice that the value of "450.00 g/L" has been carried over from the Granulation operation settings to here and that the value is "locked" preventing the user from overwriting it. This will guarantee that the value of initial volume displayed as part of the granulation operation is exactly the same the value of final volume for the transfer in (or charge) operation preceding the granulation operation.
B02, SBN 3201: Gas Sweep Operation Will Produce a Pressure-Related Warning Unecessarily. (Bug Fix)
The Gas Sweep operation, at times, would produce an error stating that operating pressure is lower than initial pressure unnecessarily. This has been fixed.
B02, SBN 3201: Repeated Applications of Undo / Redo Would Result in a Slight Increase in Size of File and Very Long Processing Time when Invoking the Pure Component Registration Dialog (Bug Fix)
When applying the undo/redo feature multiple times and without saving the file, then invoking the Pure Component Registration dialog may take an extraordinary long time. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3201: Shortcut Distillation Operation: Show All Components vs Show Only Components Present Didn't Work Properly. (Bug Fix)
When selecting to view only components present in the feed of a shortcut distillation and as part of the table shown in the "Comp. Separation" tab, the list of component shown was not consistent with the selection. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3201: New Example File Added : Production of Sunflower Oil. (Improvement)
A new example process has been added under the "Food Processing" cluster of examples. The process model captures the production of Sunflower Oil from Sunflower Seeds. Sunflower oil is a popular vegetable oil frequently used for home cooking; it is also used as a food ingredient in many industrial applications. Due to the productivity of sunflowers, the nutritional quality of their oil and the many applications of sunflower oil, this product is one of the top four vegetable oils in the world. The example process is included under the "Food Processing" subfolder.
B02, SBN 3201: Procedure States Properties Are Kept Even after Operations Order Is Changed. (Bug Fix)
When viewing the "Procedure States" dialog for a unit procedure, users may set certain overwrites for states after a given operation (e.g. after a "Heat" operation that let's say currently is the 5th in the UP's sequence. If the operation was moved up the queue of operations in the UP, the settings for the contents following the operation did not follow the new operation's order. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3201: Rotary Drying Operations: Didn't Calculate the Gas Amount in Some Cases. (Bug Fix)
When requesting to have the amount of drying gas be calculated in order to meet a volatile specification at the outlet, a drying operation failed to do so. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3201: Master-Slave Relation on a Heat Sterilization Operation or Pasteurization Operation was "lost" (under some rare circumstances). (Bug Fix)
When setting the process time of a heat sterilization operation or a pasteurization operation to be determined by another operation (master), and exiting the operation's dialog with "OK", the operation failed to keep the setting and appeared to reset the process time calculation mode to "Set by User". This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3201: Pasteurization Operation Failed to Update the "Residence Time in Holding Tube" (under some rare circumstances). (Bug Fix)
When the pasteurization operation was set to execute in a pasteurizer in rating mode, and the process time of the operation was supposed to be calculated based on the operating throughput, the residence time in the holding tube should be an output and calculated by the operation's simulation code. This was not done, but it has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3000, Release Date (03/27/2017)
B02, SBN 3000: Material Carried out by Transfer Out Operations is Not Reported in Material Exiting Charts. (Bug Fix)
When viewing the Material Exiting chart (with or without inventory), any material that was transferred out of a vessel was missing. This was glitch that was introduced in earlier v10 releases and it has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3000: 2-Way Component Splitter & Batch Component Split Operation Interface Revised. (Improvement)
When setting specifications on a 2-way component splitter, user has the option for each component to either specify the percentage that is to be directed in each of the output lines or set the actual amount. Previous interfaces were more cumbersome in expressing this specification. Starting with this release, the interface has been re-designed to make the choice easier to express.
B02, SBN 3000: Converting an Intermediate Stream to an Input Resulted in Its Name Being Lost. (Bug Fix)
Version 10 introduced a new feature: users are now able to drag the start or end segments of streams and reconnect them to another port on the same procedure, or disconnect them altogether and converting them from an intermediate to a process input. When the latter was done, the process stream used to lose its name. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3000: Relocating a Stream's Input / Output Port Is Included in the List of Actions that can be "Undone". (Improvement)
After changing the location of an unit procedure's input or output stream, perhaps inadvertently, users now can "undo" the action.
B02, SBN 3000: Document Protection Interface Improved. (Bug Fix)
Starting with v10, users can build some protection into their saved documents. The interface below shows when selecting "Save As with Protection":
After specifying a master password (in the yellow area above), users then need to specify which type of protection they wish to build into the document. If they chose to build a "Password-Protection" then they move to the second choice (green area) and specify a password that will allow users of the document to just read, or read-and-modify-but-not-save access. If a user decided to change the master password and clicked back in the yellow area, due to a glitch, the set of controls related to the green area were disabled (accidentally). This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3010: Equipment with Empty String Names Are Detected and Corrected. (Bug Fix)
In much older versions of SuperPro Designer, users were allowed to keep names for equipment that were simply an empty string. This was disallowed later (since it makes it really hard to view them on a list or a tree etc.). If users do not wish to see the name of an equipment resource on the flowsheet, they can chose to do so by modifying the icon's "Style" settings. However, files that were created prior to v8.5 still contained such equipment names and when opened with the latest version, they were not corrected. This has now been fixed and a new name is assigned to such equipment resources. A notification is displayed and if users wish to change the automatically chosen name, they can visit the icons, "Edit Name Labels" dialog and do so after the file is opened.
B02, SBN 3000: EOC and Resource Consumption/Inventory Charts Did not Always Display Tool Tip Feedback. (Bug Fix)
In some PCs, the tool tip feedback that is supposed to appear when users hover with the mouse over a bar in an Equipment Occupancy Chart (EOC) or a line in a Resource Consumption Chart, was not always visible. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3000: Parallel Reaction Scheme Validation Mistakenly Prohibited Valid Parallel Reactions. (Bug Fix)
Starting with version 10, SuperPro Designer will not allow a scheme of parallel reactions to be defined unless they the participant reactions share common reactant (s). Due to a glitch in the validation code, some schemes were pronounced as inappropriate when clearly that should not have been the case. This has now been fixed. In a related topic, parallel schemes are validated before the specification of each reaction is validated (regarding extents, reference components, etc.).
B02, SBN 3000: Minimum Working-to-Vessel Percentage Policy Enforced Properly. (Improvement)
When an equipment resource has a minimum Working-to-Volume ratio, SuperPro Designer now considers this as the minimum allowable amongst all operations part of procedures hosted by this equipment. For example, if the percentage was set to 5%, any operation in a procedure hosted by this equipment could raise this value (to say 10%) but if it tried to set it to 2% or 0%, a warning would be generated. Users could overwrite the warning and still accept the lower limit. Previously, SPD would complain at the end of simulation every time such situation was encountered (even though user has already approved the overwrite). This is no longer happening. Also, when an operation has a non-zero setting for minimum working-to-vessel ratio, and it is the first charge (or transfer) into the vessel, the violation is not reported for the initial state (since the vessel was empty). The same intelligence is also applied for transfer out operations: if they completely empty the vessel contents and there's a non-zero minimum-working-to-vessel ratio set, it is also not reported.
B02, SBN 3000: Annual Consumption of Consumables in Batch Procedures in a Continuous Flowsheet. (Bug Fix)
When the specification of a consumable was set to be on a per-cycle basis for an equipment resource operating in batch mode (and thus hosting a batch procedure) in a flowsheet set to perform in continuous mode, the annual calculation was incorrect. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3000: Parallel Reaction Specification Can Only Be Set with regards to a Reference Reactant. (Bug Fix)
Since in a parallel reaction scheme the determination of a "limiting component" is dubious and therefore not done any more, users no longer have the option to specify reaction extents to be calculated based on conversions of "limiting reactant" any more; it must be set with regard to a chosen participant reactant component (typically this should be the shared reactant with other reactions but it doesn't have to be).
B02, SBN 3000: Initial Amount of Air Contents (or other Gaseous Ingredient Chosen) of Vessels Takes into Account Temperature Specification. (Bug Fix)
Users can opt to specify the initial contents of a vessel fully (i.e. describe the contents in full), or just the liquid part, or simply allow the program to use the default fill-in ingredient (by default "Air") but set the initial temperature and pressure. In situations where users only chose to set the initial temperature and pressure, the application neglected to take into account the set temperature and therefore the initial amount was slightly incorrect if temperature deviated from "Ambient". This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 2075, Release Date (03/03/2017)
B02, SBN 2075: Editing List of Registered Component when Clipboard is Loaded Leads to a Crash when Clipboard Contents Are Pasted. (Bug Fix)
After placing one or more unit procedures in the clipboard (with a "copy" command), if the user edited the list of registered components in the process and then pasted the contents of the clipboard, a crash may occur. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 2075: 2-Way Component Splitter, Stationary & Vibrating Screen Splitters Have Now Time Reference Options for Flow Specs. (Improvement)
When setting the amount of material set to separate in a 2-way component splitter (shown below) or a stationary or vibrating screen splitting operation, users now set explicitly the time reference for the flow levels specified (per batch, per cycle or per hour/min/etc.) Some option(s) may not be available depending on the operating mode of the procedure and/or the plant operating mode.
B02, SBN 2075: Section Name Was Not Fully Visible in the Branch/Sections Toolbar. (Bug Fix)
When viewing the active section, the name of the section was not fully visible; esp. if the section was allocated to a database site and the display named included the name of the database site as well. This has now been fixed and the width of dropdown window adjusts to fit the longest name included in the list.
B02, SBN 2075: Absorption/Stripping now Accepts a Richer Gaseous Phase. (Improvement)
When an absorption/stripping operation was included in a simulation run, and the feed stream was rich in the design component (specifically, when the mass fraction was higher than 10%) the application complained since the simulation model used was somewhat simplified after having made that assumption. Even though this is common in absorption/stripping columns, it is not always the case. The simulation model has now been adopted to include such cases and the simulation engine no longer complains.
B02, SBN 2075: Clipboard Reverts to Picture Pasting after an Undo/Redo Operation. (Bug Fix)
If some procedures/streams had been placed in the clipboard, and then an Undo/Redo command was issued, the next pasting operation would lead to a crash. To avoid such undesirable response, a picture rendition of the copied objects will be pasted instead. Users should copy-and-paste before issuing an undo/redo command to avoid losing the copied data.
B02, SBN 2075: The File Size of the Saved Document Would Increase after an "Undo/Redo" Command Was Issued. (Bug Fix)
If a user issued an Undo/Redo command, and then saved the simulation file, its size would increase. This behavior would increase again for every time the Undo/Redo command was issued eventually leading to very bloated files. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 2050, Release Date (02/24/2017)
B02, SBN 2050: Improved Overview Navigator. (Improvement)
Staring with this release we revamped the Overview Navigator utility. This is a popup window that can be very useful when inspecting/navigating very large flowsheets.
A bright transparent rectangle now easily highlights the area of the flowsheet that is currently visible in the main view area. User can pan around by dragging the bright yellow rectangle on the navigator or by using the scroll bars of the main view.
If your drawing size area changes (e.g. after inserting the contents of another .spf file), the size and proportion of the overview navigator will be automatically adjusted.
B02, SBN 2050: Leftover Warning/Error Messages May Lead to a Crash. (Bug Fix)
After deleting one or more unit procedures, it is possible that the warning/error pane may end up echoing information related to one (or more) objects that by now have been deleted. If that had happened, attempting to display the warning/error pane may lead to a crash. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 2050: Adding a Pure Component and/or Stock Mixture from the Interface of Discrete Input Streams or Initial Equipment Contents Could Lead to a Crash. (Bug Fix)
While editing the composition of a discrete input stream, users can now add a pure component or stock mixture without leaving the input stream dialog. This interface could lead to a crash if invoked while editing the composition of a discrete input stream, or if invoked while editing the initial contents of equipment. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 2050: Application Could Freeze after Detecting Settings from a Prior Major Release. (Bug Fix)
When running v10 for the first time on a PC that in the past was running a previous version of SuperPro Designer, the application would give you the chance to copy over any settings saved with the previous release. Such settings include preferred prefixes to be used for names of streams, procedures, equipment etc. Under some circumstances, this process may fail to complete. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 2050: Help Context May Be Lost. (Bug Fix)
After displaying a warning / error message (as a popup), if the user hit F1 to invoke a context-sensitive help for a selected object, the help facility may fail to load. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 2050: Biomass Extra-Cellular Percentage Can't be Less than 100% unless a Biomass Component is Present. (Bug Fix)
When editing the composition of an input stream, a user could specify a component's extra-cellular percentage to be any number (even less than 100%) without including the 'Biomass' designated component in the composition list. This definition does not make sense, and it is no longer allowed.
B02, SBN 2050: Selecting a 'Default Currency' didn't Change the Currency Settings in the User DB. (Bug Fix)
If a user chose a new currency (e.g. "Aus $") as the new default currency, the application then asks if the user wants to convert all monetary values saved in the User DB into the new default (using the current exchange rate). However, due to a bug, this conversion was not made. This has been fixed.
B02, SBN 2050: Dead-End Filter No Longer Complains about Insufficient Volume. (Bug Fix)
When executing a wash in a Dead-End Filter, the program would complain about insufficient volume. This was incorrect, since the DE Filter does not really have a volume (it is sized based on area and has no vertical size property to convert into volume - like Nutsche Filters do). This has been fixed.
B02, SBN 2050: Ultrafilters, Microfilters Can't Be Shared unless Operating in Same Mode. (Bug Fix)
Up until now, users could share a Feed-and-Bleed operating microfilter with a batch microfilter. Such sharing shouldn't be allowed and if applied it would eventually lead to a crash. This is now no longer allowed. The same for Ultrafilters and Reverse-Osmosis filters.
B02, SBN 2050: When Exporting Scheduling Data to SchedulePro the Start-Time Mode was (in rare cases) Incorrectly Set. (Bug Fix)
This has been fixed.
B02, SBN 2000, Release Date (02/01/2017)
B02, SBN 2000: A New Example Process Model Has Been Added: "Xanthan Gum". (Improvement)
Staring with this release we have added a new process model that comes with the set of examples that demonstrate how to use the software to simulate production of xanthan gum through fermentation. The global xanthan gum market demand is expanding rapidly. This trend is mainly due to the evolution of eating habits as people in developed and developing countries are starting to prefer processed foods with particular textures.
Xanthan gum is produced by fermentation of bacteria of the Xanthomonas genus. Glucose or sucrose is typically used as the carbon source for the fermentation process. The nitrogen sources can be either organic or inorganic compounds. The fermentation process is aerobic typical aeration rates in the range of 0.5 - 1 volumes of air per volume of liquid per minute (VVM).
More details about the process and the actual .spf file that captures the production process can be found in the pertinent folder under the "Food Processing" category of examples. Note that the "Examples" folder is placed by the installation script under public area of your PC. The default exact location depends on your Windows version.
B02, SBN 2000: Adjusting for Variable Resolutions Can be Fine-Tuned by the User. (Improvement)
When opening an .spf file within a graphics settings (display driver and/or display resolution) different from the settings during the saving of the document, it is possible that the physical sizes of icons (representing the process steps in simulation) and/or any text labels (under the icons, streams, or self-standing comments) may be different in height and width from their size in the original settings. For this reason, unless some adjustments in the relative location of icons is made, it is possible that either the icons and text appears "squeezed together" or "spread apart". In prior releases, SuperPro Designer will make a decision to either separate or bring together icons and text using squeeze/spread factor along the x- and y- direction that was 'guestimated' based on some heuristics. Even though the results in most cases were a marked improvement over leaving the icons/text labels unmoved, in some cases, the stretch factor didn't yield pleasing results. For that reason, and starting with this release, the application now presents those factors to the user (if desired) and if he/she doesn't approve, a different (user-provided) can be applied in an effort to yield better results.
If you simply click on "OK" (or hit ENTER) then the application continues to behave as before (i.e., it applies the stretching factors it calculated to best adjust the flowsheet drawing). Please note that when the dialog is shown, the flowsheet is already drawn without any relative icon/text adjustments, so hitting "Cancel" will leave everything unmoved. If you want to see the stretching factors in the x- and y- direction, click on "More>>>". Then the dialog expands into the following:
You can either accept the x- and y- factors or simply overwrite them with your values. After clicking on OK (or hitting ENTER), the dialog will close and the flowsheet will be redrawn with adjusted icon locations. The following dialog will appear:
If you answer "Yes" then the newly drawn flowsheet is kept. If you answer "No" then the previous action is undone, the flowsheet is redrawn as it was previously, and the dialog shown previously will prompt you for a new set of x- and y- factors.
Please note, that this relative relocation of icons and/or text labels can be adjusted later using a new flowsheet command added under the Preferences/Adjust Icon and Text Label Locations... submenu of the right-click (command) menu of the document. When selected at any time, the following dialog appears:Setting a factor of less than 1, will result in reducing space between icons / text labels, thereby resulting in a the drawing taking less space in the x- direction (will be closer together). Please notice that the actual icons will NOT be shrunk, so this is not like a zoom out effect. On the other hand, an application of a factor greater than 1 (as it shows in the y-direction above) will result in icons moving apart from each other, thereby occupying more space in the y-direction (with more empty space between them). Once again, this is not the same as a zoom-in effect; the icons themselves will still have the same size, it's just that the space between them (vertically) will increase.
B02, SBN 2000: CIP Operation, Cleaning Agent Consumption Options Appearing Incorrectly. (Bug Fix)
When viewing the consumption specification options for the cleaning agent during a step of a CIP cleaning operation, some of the choices appeared disabled when they shouldn't. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 2000: Vacuum Emissions for MACT/EPA Reporting Corrected. (Bug Fix)
When generating the emission levels as prescribed by the MACT/EPA guidelines for a vacuuming operation (or vacuum present during another operation, e.g. drying) the calculations could produce erroneous numbers under some conditions. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 2000: Pasted Location of Icons Was Incorrect. (Bug Fix)
In order to copy-and-paste one or more icons and/or streams, the user is suppose to select them first, then hit Ctrl+C (or select Edit/Copy) then before issuing a "Paste" command (Edit/Paste, or Ctrl+V), the user is suppose to move the mouse and click where he/she wants to have the pasted icons to appear. Due to a bug the location of the pasted icons and/or streams was miscalculated and it often resulted in icons being pasted close to the edges of the flowsheet. This has been fixed.
B02, SBN 2000: MACT/EPA Reporting Options Improved (Drying Model, Vacuum Model added). (Improvement)
When generating an emissions report based on MACT/EPA guidelines, oftentimes it is necessary to include a portion of emissions that is related to the storage of condensed emissions as collected from the emission-line condenser trap. This amount, typically is ignored (much smaller than the primary emissions controlled or uncontrolled) yet, in some circumstances needs to be reported on a separate column. Starting with this release, this option has been added (see below).
Users can check in the "Incl. Recvr" box for the step location where the storage emissions need to be accounted for. Furthermore, a name for the storage container can be provided (for documentation purposes).
Also, we have added two new models that calculate MACT emissions for drying and vacuuming operations.
B02, SBN 2000: New UP Family Introduced: Heaters/Coolers/Heat Exchangers. (Improvement)
SuperPro Designer v10 introduced the concept of "unit procedure (UP) families". Several unit procedures have been placed together into the same category based on their function (typically they all exist under the same submenu under the "Unit Procedures" main menu option). For example, all storage procedures are clustered together; all reaction procedures are clustered together. Users can take advantage of this by replacing one unit procedure (that already exists in their simulation file) with another from the same UP family. The swap happens without losing ANY operation data from any of the operation steps included in the unit procedure (if all operations can be transplanted to the new UP 'as-is'; if not, minimal changes are applied so they can transformed into equivalent operations under the new host unit procedure. The most important benefit of this transformation is that any other operations outside the transformed unit procedure that used to reference (for scheduling purposes or otherwise) any of the original operations, do not lose their references after the transformation. Previously, to accomplish such a transformation a new UP would have to be introduced, then all existing operations would have to be copied into the new UP and then the old UP would have to be deleted. This last step would force the reset of any scheduling references to the deleted operations. The first release with this feature of SPD included 12 such families:
- Batch Vessel UP
- Continuous Vessel UP
- Batch Fermentation UP
- Continuous Fermentation UP
- Inoculum Prep UP
- Batch Liquid Storage UP
- Continuous Liquid Storage UP
- Batch Solids Storage UP
- Continuous Solids Storage UP
- Bulk Mixing UP
- Bulk Splitting UP
- Discrete Mixing UP
- Discrete Splitting UP
With this release we've added one more: Heat Exchange UP. It includes the following members:
- Heating
- Electric Heating
- Cooling
- Electric Cooling
- Heat Exchanging
B02, SBN 2000: Copy-and-Paste Across Flowsheets Carries over Storage Unit Definitions. (Improvement)
When copying a set of procedures with their contained operations and/or their interconnected streams, if any of the copied input or output streams or operations had an assignment on a storage unit (supply or receiving), its assignment was not carried over to the pasted flowsheet. Starting with this definition, all such assignments are carried over and the supply/receiving unit is automatically introduced in the receiving document.
B02, SBN 2000: Input Stream / Equipment Contents External Initialization Carries Minimal Component/Mixture Definitions over to Destination Flowsheet. (Improvement)
Sometimes it is convenient to break a very large process into fragments and simulate each one in separate files. Then, to carry over the results from one file to another, the external initialization option for input streams or equipment contents is utilized. With this feature, a user can dictate to the simulation engine a source location (in another file) to use for initializing the particular input stream or initial contents before starting the M&E balances. In order for such a link to work, all components and/or mixtures that existed in the source documents need to also exist in the destination document. In prior releases, SPD made sure that the destination document had a super set of all components and mixture definitions between the source and destination simulation files. This policy could introduce many components, not involved in the composition of the stream (or contents) carried over from one file to another, into the destination file unnecessarily. Starting with this release, only the components and/or stock mixtures involved in the composition of the stream (or contents) are cross-registered to minimize the "pollution" of component / mixture definitions from one file into another.
B02, SBN 2000: Missing Help File is Now Announced. (Improvement)
When attempting to present help content for a specific topic (F1 or Help button on a dialog) or just hitting F1 to bring up the online help system of SuperPro Designer, if for some reason, the help file ("Designer.htm") was missing or inaccessible, previously no response was shown. Now, an appropriate message will come up to inform you about the issue.
B02, SBN 2000: Input Streams Can Now Be Initialized by COM Calls. (Improvement)
After users' request, we have now introduced a set of COM calls that allow users of the "Designer" library to introduce or remove (by VBA code) ingredients in an input stream (or initial equipment contents).
- AddIngredientToInputStream(StreamName, IngredientName, VarID, value)
where VarID: componentMassFlow_VID, componentMoleFlow_VID, compMassFrac_VID
- RemoveIngredientFromInputStream(StreamName, IngredientName)
- IsInputStreamCompositionValid(StreamName)
To find out more details about the newly added COM calls, please consult the VBA online documentation (or in the E-Book).
Please note that if you incrementally installed this release over a previous v10 release, the E-Book and the online documentation are not included, so you will have to go to our ftp site to download them manually:
For the e-Book: www.intelligen.com/SPDDownloadCenter/LatestVersion/EBook.pdf
For the online help: www.intelligen.com/SPDDownloadCenter/LatestVersion/Designer.chm
B02, SBN 2000: Dead-End Filtration Operation: Added COM Calls for Filtrate Flux and Volume per Area. (Improvement)
After users' request, we have added the ability to set/get a dead-end filtration operation's filtrate flux and volume per area (when possible).
To find out more details about the newly added COM calls, please consult the VBA online documentation (or in the E-Book).
Please note that if you incrementally installed this release over a previous v10 release, the E-Book and the online documentation are not included, so you will have to go to our ftp site to download them manually:
For the e-Book: www.intelligen.com/SPDDownloadCenter/LatestRelease/EBook.pdf
For the online help: www.intelligen.com/SPDDownloadCenter/LatestRelease/Designer.chm
B02, SBN 2000: Evaluation Edition Settings Interfere with Regular Edition. (Bug Fix)
For users who had installed the Evaluation Ed. prior to installing the regular edition of the software, and due to glitch, the location remembered to access the Batch-Sheet related templates was that left by the evaluation edition, and not the correct as installed by the regular edition. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 2000: After Editing the Names of One or More Operations in the Add/Remove Operations Dialog and Exiting the Dialog with Cancel, New Names still Persist. (Bug Fix)
When visiting the Add/Remove Operations dialog of a unit procedure in batch mode, users have the ability besides adding, removing or changing the order of operations in the UP's queue, to also rename any of the current operations. If after changing the name of one or more operations, the user would exit with "Cancel", the program is suppose to restore all entities in their state prior to the start of the current editing session. Due to a bug, the name changes applied to the operations persisted, even after exiting the dialog with "Cancel". This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 2000: When Pasting a Design Spec UP to Another Flowsheet, Pasted Objects Were Corrupted. (Bug Fix)
If a user selected a unit procedure of the "Design Specification" group (Flow, Composition or Temperature), with an input (manipulated) variable already selected, and then pasted the unit procedure into another flowsheet, the pasted objects would not behave properly, as they carried with them the input specification which, of course, does not exist in the destination flowsheet. This has been fixed.
B02, SBN 2000: After Using the "Close All" Command to Close All Open Files, Application May Crash. (Bug Fix)
Under certain circumstances, when multiple design case files are open, after issuing a "Close All" command under the Windows menu, the application may crash if the user attempted to create a new document or open a new file afterwards. This has been fixed.
B02, SBN 2000: COM Users Can Enumerate over All Staggered Equipment Units. (Improvement)
For some users who wish to provide detailed equipment listing for all equipment resources engaged in a simulation, it was important that they access the number and names of all equipment units set to operate in staggered mode when hosting a procedure in a simulation. A new list-ID has been introduced ('staggeredEquip_LID') which can be used in the
- COMStartEnumeration (COleVariant* pStartPos, ListTypeID listID) &
- COMGetNextItemName (COleVariant* pPos, COleVariant* pItemName, ListTypeID listID)
set of calls.
B02, SBN 2000: Chemical Kinetic & Environmental Kinetic Reaction Models Improved Solution Strategy . (Improvement)
When solving a model that includes a set of reactions (chemical and/or environmental) that are based on kinetic rates, the solver previously treated them as a system of algebraic, non-linear equations. For high order kinetics such systems have multiple solutions and oftentimes, the solver will converge to a non-feasible solution thereby failing to produce the meaningful, steady-state answer. Starting with this release, we are now solving a set of differential equations (ODEs) that have a much better behavior and are much more robust in convergence. The only time such systems may fail to produce a meaningful result is when the reaction rate expression either does not depend on any of the reactants or it doesn not depend on the concentration of the reactant that get depleted first. Such situations are rare and with the current implementation will lead to negative concentrations (system will produce a failure of convergence).
B02, SBN 2000: Company ID May Now Be Displayed as the Key Index of Pure Components and/or Stock Mixtures. (Improvement)
When viewing the contents of the pure component databank, you can now view the list of components whose properties are included in the system and/or user databank and order them by "Company ID" if so desired (see below):
The same applies for Stock Mixtures (see below):
Also, when viewing the list of registered components and/or stock mixtures, while the first column will always be the token by which the component (or mixture) is referenced everywhere in the simulation file ("Local Name"), the next column that serves as the reference to the actual identification of the component or mixture can now be either the Full Name or the Company ID of that component (or mixture). The choice can be set by the user (see below the registration table for Stock Mixtures):
B02, SBN 2000: Pure Components / Stock Mixtures Aren't Tagged as "Modified" based on Comments. (Improvement)
When displaying the list of registered components or stock mixtures in a simulation file, SuperPro Designer presents for each component (or stock mixture) its original source (i.e. which database it was copied from - if any -); it's the column labeled "Source". Values can be:
- System
- User
- DIPPR
- PPDS
It also adds an asterisk (*) next to the source name if the current properties of the component (or stock mixture) are different from what it now exists in the database (if there). In previous releases, this tagging would have appeared even if the discrepancy was in the "Comments" property of the component (or stock mixture). We have now excluded this property from the decision since we don't think that is appropriate.
B02, SBN 2000: Component Splitting Operations now Display Entire Grid of Output Streams/Components. (Improvement)
When specifying the component separation (split factors) on 3 or more output lines, the interface has now been upgraded in order to see the entire grid of values in one window (see below)
B02, SBN 2000: COM Users Can Set / Get Component Split Fractions. (Improvement)
For users who wish to either get or set the component split fraction of a component spliting operation (of any kind 3-way, 4-way, etc.) now it can be done by using the componentSplits_VID (varID) and the name of the component and the name of output stream as extra arguments.
B02, SBN 2000: ME Evaporation: Fix Thermal Vapor Recompression Option. (Bug Fix)
If the thermal vapor recompression option was used together If the thermal vapor recompression option was used together with the option to calculate the mean temperature difference in each effect (based on the assumption that all effects have the same heat transfer area), the program might fail to return a solution of the M&E balances for the specified entrainment ratio (although one might exist). This issue has now been fixed (the program will now return a solution if one exists). If, however, a solution doesn’t exist for the specified entrainment ratio (because the specified entrainment ratio is too high), the program will calculate the maximum entrainment ratio that can be used to solve the M&E balances and display its value in an error message.
B02, SBN 2000: Close All May Lead to a Crash. (Bug Fix)
Under rare circumstances, when multiple design case files are open, after issuing a "Close All" command under the Windows menu, the application may crash either right away, or after the user attempted to create a new document or open a new file afterwards. This has been fixed.
B02, SBN 3010, Release Date (04/09/2017)
B02, SBN 3010: Requesting Total Material Output Fails to Display Correct Amounts in Material Exiting Charts. (Bug Fix)
When viewing the Material Exiting chart (with or without inventory), and requesting to view "All" material output, the displayed chart didn't produce the correct amounts. This has been fixed.
B02, SBN 3010: Users Can Now Chart the Total Material Input to a Process. (Improvement)
Material charts used to display "total" amount of material exiting the process but only specific ingredient consumption as input to the process. As an added feature, now users can also plot the "total" material input to a process (see material consumption selection dialog below):
B02, SBN 3010: Interfaces for Selecting "Total" Labor Demand and "Total" Power Have Been Re-Designed for Clarity. (Improvement)
We've added the option to plot the total demand in labor (regardless of "type") in case one may want to see how many people need to be on the floor when the process is being run at any time (regardless of specialty). To display this chart, select the "All" option shown in the "Labor Demand / Type Selection" dialog that appears before the Labor Demand Chart is shown:
The same option is now also offered when requesting the charting of power. Instead of having to choose which "Power Type" the chart will be generated, users can select "All" to view total power consumption (regardless of type)
B02, SBN 3010: Calculation of Energy Savings when Engaging Heat Recovery and Under Certain Circumstances Was Incorrect (Bug Fix)
When matching a cooled down stream of a process to partially heat up another cold stream in the process and thereby avoiding (at least partially) the use of heating agent, the program would report an incorrect amount of agent savings. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3010: Matched Heating/Cooling Load Incorrectly Calculated (under some specific in/out temperature setup). (Bug Fix)
When selecting a counter-current match, and the hot stream inlet temperature was higher than the cold output temperature, and the hot outlet temperature was higher than the cold inlet temperature, then the recovered heating load was incorrectly calculated. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3010: COM Interface Improvements in Services Retrieving Vessel Contents. (Improvement)
You can now request to fetch the contents of a vessel at the beginning and/or at the end of a procedure hosted by the vessel, by simply designating the states as "Initial" and "Final" respectively, without referencing the specific operation(s) that either initiate or terminate the corresponding procedures. For example, assuming a vessel ("V-101") is hosting three procedures (P-1, P-2 and P-3, in that chronological order), you can fetch total contents of procedure state "P-2" when it starts (and as it is possibly inherited from "P-1"), you can call:
GetEquipContentsVarVal("V-101", massFlow_VID, "", "P-2", "Initial").
Similarly, if you simply want to find out the FINAL contents of the vessel, after all procedure(s) have been carried out you can simply call:
GetEquipContentsVarVal("V-101", massFlow_VID, "", "Final", "Final")
This provides a great flexibility in retrieving state material content properties during a multi-procedure execution in a vessel.
B02, SBN 3010: After Undo/Redo Is Issued, the Process Explorer Did not Update Its Contents Properly. (Bug Fix)
After an Undo/Redo command is issued, the application resets itself to a prior (or future) state as selected by the user based on the recorded reference event at that time (e.g. "Edit Registered Pure Components", or "Delete ..."). If the process explorer was/is visible at that time, and after the "Undo" is issued, its contents were not properly aligned with the restored state. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3010: Material Breakdown Interface Displayed Incorrect Rates for Continuous Processes. (Bug Fix)
When attempting to display the material breakdown in a continuous process, and the time units chosen for the process were anything other than hours, then the display of breakdown failed to make the proper adjustment and the rate values were not matching the displayed units in the dialog below:
B02, SBN 3010: Granulation i/o Dialog Failed to Display Properly. (Bug Fix)
When attempting to display the Drying / Granulation i/o simulation dialog interface, due to an error, the interface failed to display. This has now been fixed.
B02, SBN 3010: Procedure Activity Overview Table Did Not Display Multi-Use of Streams. (Bug Fix)
When displaying the activity overview of a procedure, the application is supposed to display for each activity (operation) the streams that carry amounts of material in and out of the host vessel. When a stream was used by multiple operations (e.g. a "Wash" stream can be utilized by multiple wash operations, or a transfer out stream can receive output amounts from multiple transfer out operations), the application reported only the first use of the stream(s). This has now been fixed (see below):
Stream "ProtA-Waste" above is utilized by several operations:
- LOAD-1
- WASH-1
- ELUTE-1
-REGENERATE-1
Now the table reports all of the above engagements of this stream, in all operations and of course, it displays the amounts received from EACH operation. Previous releases failed to mention the engagement of this stream in all operations but one.
B02, SBN 3010: Tooltip Displayed in Resource Consumption Charts May Not Appear. (Bug Fix)
In certain PCs, the display of tooltip that is supposed to show the operations contributing to a level of consumption of a resource (e.g. "Labor") was suppressed. This was happening in some deployments of the software but not others (hardware dependent). This has now been fixed and tooltip feedback should be displayed all the time.
B02, SBN 3010: Annual Consumable Amount for Batch Procedures in Continuous Plants Is Now Calculated Correctly. (Bug Fix)
When a batch unit procedure is set to simulate in continuously operating process, if any consumables were set to be calculated on a per-cycle basis, the annual amount for such consumables was calculated incorrectly, without engaging the unit procedure's cycle time. This has now been fixed.