What's New in SuperPro Designer v9.5

1. General

2. New Unit Procedures

3. New Operations

4. Improvements in Operations

5. Bug Fixes

6. Improvements Since Original Release

a. General

a1. Add and Manage Documentation / Comments Behind Every Object in a Process Simulation.

Up until this release (v9.5) SuperPro Designer allowed users to include comments behind many objects used as part of a simulation file (e.g. Procedure, Equipment, Operation, Stream, etc.). For all such objects, there has been a tab dedicated to entering and/or viewing comments (see below the "Comments" tab from an Equipment Data dialog).

However, once such comments are entered, it is difficult to know where they are unless a user looks for them by opening one-by-one all objects in file and looking under the "Comments" tab. Clearly that is not very productive, especially if the creator of the process file passes along the file to another coworker. Starting with this version, SuperPro Designer now has a dedicated interface for managing such comments. This interface is part of the Process Explorer (PE) display of information about the currently open flowsheet. The PE can be made visible by clicking on the Show/Hide PE button of the main toolbar:

There's now a new tab ("Doc") under the Process Explorer (PE). When selected, it displays information related to all comments included under any object in the flowsheet:

Using this interface users can quickly notice where comments are present in the flowsheet, and read them. Also, users can use the search toolbar (highlighted in blue above) to search for a particular text pattern in all comments.

a2. Receiving Storage Units Can Now Display Their Composition and How It Changes During a Batch.

A receiving unit is a convenient way for a user to collect material coming from several sources across the whole process without having to include an actual receiving vessel and corresponding streams from the locations where material is exiting to the collecting vessel. For example, all aqueous waste stream outlet from buffer washes in chromatography columns can be collected in a single receiving unit. Simple right-click on an output stream allows the user to make the assignment easily (see below):

Even though SuperPro Designer could keep track of amounts of material collected in a receiving unit up until this version, users could not see the evolving composition of the contents of a receiving units as several material deposits would come in the span of a complete process batch execution. Starting with this version, this is now possible. This can be accomplished when clicking the

button, when viewing the list of existing receiving units, either from the dialog that appears when selecting Other Resources / Material Storage Units ... (from the main menu or the flowsheet's context menu) - see below -

or from the Process Explorer tab below:

In response a dialog is shown (like the one below):

The interface is similar to what is shown for the equipment contents. In fact, right-clicking over the above table and selecting the Edit Contents option, allows the user to customize the content of the displayed grid:

a3. Registration of Ingredients Straight from Input Stream Interface.

When attempting to initialize the composition of an input streams, a user may recognize that a certain component (or mixture) necessary to do the initialization is not yet registered. Instead of having to exit this interface, enter the Component Registration interface (and may be later the Mixture Registration interface) then return to the original input stream dialog, SuperPro now offers the option to visit those other ingredient registration interfaces without ever leaving the original context of stream initialization.

Clicking on one of the two buttons shown above, will present you with either the component or the mixture registration interface and upon returning to the input stream interface, the list of available components (or mixtures) will reflect whatever changes were made.

a4. Density Calculation Options Are Now Part of a Unit Procedure's Default PS Toolbox Settings.

Just like the toolbox options to be used by all operations in a unit procedure is set from the unit procedure's "Default PS Toolbox" option (part of the UP's context menu), now, the corresponding options that are used to calculate densities (for the liquid/solid phase, as well as the gaseous phase) can now be set in the same dialog (see below):

By default, all such options follow the settings of the process (document), but should there be a need to change them within the scope of the calculations inside a unit procedure, then this is place to do it. Note that if the procedure is a (by nature) batch procedure, then changing the settings on this dialog (PS Toolbox and/or density calculations) will automatically change the settings for all states (equipment contents) after all operations included in the procedure, as well as all output streams attached to the procedure. If the unit procedure is continuous, then it will affect the options used for the calculations of the (only one) operation that is part of the procedure as well as the output streams attached to the procedure.  

a5. A Decision on Shortcut vs Rigorous PS Calculation Toolbox Can Be Made Globally.

For versions up to 9.0, the process kept two sets of toolbox settings:
a) A choice for the (default) shortcut toolbox, and
b) A choice for the (default) rigorous toolbox.
The first toolbox (shortcut) is essentially a collection of component-by-component criteria that determines the state of each component based on the temperature and pressure of the mixture it is in, without concern on the presence or absence of other components, and without consideration of its own mass (or mole) percentage.
The second toolbox (rigorous) is a choice for one of mixture-based (fugacity) models that can be used to more accurately estimate the relative portions of components in the vapor and liquid phase.

So far, SuperPro Designer assumed that by and large in the majority of locations where a decision had to be made regarding the V/L state of a component (such as in equipment contents, streams, etc.) the (default) shortcut model was used. Only in few occasions, such as a Flash or Condensation procedure where the simulation calculations require the existence of a rigorous toolbox, the choice was made automatically to engage the (default) rigorous toolbox.

Of course, a user could intervene and overwrite the (default) choices made by the program (of shortcut vs rigorous, as well the choices for each of the two toolboxes). Starting with this version, even the choice between (default) shortcut vs (default) rigorous can now be made globally, i.e., for all locations in the process. The user's choice can be made by visiting the dialog under the PS Calculation Options / Shortcut vs Rigorous ... menu option (from the process context menu). The following dialog will appear:

Note that from this dialog not only can a user change the global choice between shortcut vs rigorous, but he/she can also change the detailed choices for each toolbox: clicking on the green-highlighted button above, will present the current choices of the default shortcut toolbox (see below):

On the other hand, clicking on the purple-highlighted button of the shortcut vs rigorous dialog, the following dialog will appear:

From this dialog, a user can change the choice for the mixture model to be used for V/L equilibria (Raoult's Law, Modified Raoult's Law, Equation of State, or Gamma-Phi), decide which components will be excluded from such calculations all the time and considered as a separate liquid phase (click on the blue button above) and finally, decide the priority order between database sources that SuperPro Designer will use to pull out binary coefficients needed for the non-ideal models (purple button above).

a6. Environmental Impact Assessment and Related Information Are Now Shown Optionally.

SuperPro Designer has been used not only to simulate a process in terms of its mass and energy balances, economic assessment, emission calculations, etc. but it can also be used in applications requiring the use and reporting of appropriate environmental indice, such "TOC" (total organic carbon), "TP" (total phosphorous), "BOD", "TS" etc. There's a tab on all streams dedicated to the reporting of such values (see below).

Also, components need to have certain properties defined in order for SuperPro to property calculate their contribution to a stream's total index value (see below).

However, in several applications such values are not considered. In order to reduce unnecessary and unwanted complexity in such interfaces, now a user may opt to not view any such information at all. This option can be accessed from the document's right-click (command) menu : Preferences / Miscellaneous:

a7. Support Has Been Added for Access of PPDS Databases.

Up until this major release of SuperPro Designer, users could rely on three different sources for component properties:
- The "System DB" that is populated and updated by Intelligen (supplied with the software).
- The "User DB" that comes with the same backbone (relations, or tables) as the "System DB" but is to be populated and maintained by our users, and

- The "DIPPR DB" that has been developed under the auspices of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (www.aiche.org/dippr) users should purchase on their own. SuperPro Designer comes with a small 5-component sample of DIPPR serving a simple demonstration of the link to DIPPR. Users who wish to gain access to all DIPPR component properties should make arrangements to purchase a licensed copy on their own.

Starting with this version of SuperPro Designer, we provide support for accessing component property data in a format known as "PPDS" (available from TUV SUD, a British company that can be accessed on the web at: www.tuv-sud.co.uk). It should be made very clear that purchasing a license to SuperPro Designer does NOT include purchasing the rights to own and use the PPDS database. Intelligen, Inc. merely provides the means to import data from a PPDS database, provided that the owner of SuperPro Designer has purchased and maintains an active license for the use of PPDS databases. There are two databases that come from TUV SUD: One that contains single (pure) component properties (such as Tb, Cp(T), Tc, Pc etc.) and another that contains binary coefficients amongst components (such Wilson coefficients, SRK parameters, etc.) that can be used by corresponding models to predict vapor-liquid equilibrium compositions at various temperatures and pressures.

Before gaining access to such component properties, a user must connect to the corresponding database files through the Database / Availability, Passwords and Locations dialog (see below):

After clicking on the orange highlighted button above, the user must locate and select the .mdb file (MS-Access formatted file) that contains the single component properties of PDDS. Then, after clicking on the green highlighted button above, the user must locate and select the .mdb file that contains the binary coefficient information. After that, when registering a component, a fourth option will appear as a 'Source DB' (see below):

Selecting the "PPDS" option will present all the components that are currently included in that database.

a8. Thermodynamic Properties (like Liquid/Solid Cp, Gaseous Cp, Enthalpy of Vaporization, etc.) Support More Accurate Correlations.

The Liquid/Solid Cp for a pure component is now calculated using a polynomial expression with up to 5 constants (see yellow highlight below). Gaseous Cp can be calculated using 5 constants instead of 4 constants (see green highlight below):

Heat of Vaporization a,b calculation constants can be either set by the user or calculated with Watson’s correlation using DHvap at normal boiling point. The normal (at 1 atm) heat of vaporization can be estimated using Chen’s correlation (using critical properties) or it can be set by the user (see blue highlight above).

a9. Consumption (or Engagement) Locations for All Resources Can Be Viewed in a Common, Dedicated Dialog.

Even though such information was previously available for most resources (as part of the resource definition / properties dialog), the new version of SuperPro Designer provides a consistent and more transparent way to be viewed. The following icon:

 
that is available either as part of the resource's definition dialog (see below for a heat transfer agent),

or, as part of the toolbar on the corresponding Process Explorer tab (see below for a labor types).

Clicking on that button, a dialog is presented that displays where the selected resource is being engaged or consumed in the current process. The following dialog displays information about locations where "Operator" labor is being engaged.

a10. Intra/Extra Cellular Percentages of Components and Activity Values Are Only Shown if Applicable.

SuperPro Designer allows users to model components (e.g. fermentation products) to have a portion kept as part of the cell growth (intra-cellular) as well as secreted (or released) outside the cell (extra-cellular). Water commonly may appear both inside cells as well as part of the fermentation froth. Should users decide to represent components in such a way, it is important to define: a) A Primary Biomass component and b) The component that represents "Water" as well as it's typical percentage in the above biomass. Such definitions can be made on the Component Registration dialog (see below).

If such definitions are NOT made, then when describing the composition of an input stream the last column shown is the concentration column. The intra/extra cellular percent column is no longer shown (empty yellow area below).

Also, the activity values is hidden (green area above), if no activity-definition component has been specified.

a11. Heat Recovery: A Single Heat Source Can Now Be Matched with Multiple Sinks.

Heat recovery is a simplified heat integration tool that allows users to introduce cost benefits by recovering heat from streams in one part of a process and utilize it to reduce heating costs in another part of the process. Up until this version, SuperPro Designer allowed a user to match a heat source (a stream/operation being cooled, or where heat was being released) to a single candidate (stream / operation) where heat was required. Starting with this version, users may take advantage of large cooling loads (e.g. as they may appear in distillation column condensers, possibly operating at relatively high temperatures), to save in heating agents in several other spots in the process where heating may be needed. Consider the example below (taken from Ethanol example of SuperPro):

P-21a:DISTILL-1 represents such a large condenser load. In this case, we've chosen to match it out with two candidates: the reboiler duty of P-21b column and another heating spot (P-30). The interface that allows us to express the multiple matches appears when we click on the orange highlighted button above. The following dialog appears:

Notice that we have chosen to pair the heating load of P-21a, with two matches that are completely satisfied; in fact, there's still 8,271,450.7 kcal/h remaining.

a12. Prioritize Database Sources for Binary Coefficient Lookup.

As soon as a new component is introduced in a process simulation (registered), SuperPro Designer quietly prepares itself for handling this component in a non-ideal Vapor-Liquid equilibrium flash calculation. Since most such models require some binary coefficients to accommodate for the departure from ideality (Wilson coefficients, SRK parameters, etc.) SuperPro Designer scans its available data sources to pick any such values (if available). Since binary coefficients may be included in more than one location ("System DB", "User DB" or "PPDS") it is important for users to have control as to which database should be given priority. Of course, this will only make a difference if a given binary coefficient value is included in multiple places. To accommodate user's preference, SuperPro Designer keeps an ordered list of such sources. The order can be viewed from the dialog that appears when selecting the PS Calculation Options / Default Rigorous PS Toolbox... from the flowsheet's context menu.

After clicking on the "View / Edit source for binary coefficients", the popup list shows the order. You can click and drag up and down any of the three sources to move it up or down the priority list.

a13. CIP & SIP Report: New Tables for Cleaning Material (CIP) and Utility Consumptions (SIP) Are Now Included.

When CIP skids and SIP panels are engaged in a process, SuperPro Designer can now report a detailed explanation of where and how much cleaning agents are spent (during the CIP operations with step-by-step details) and utility agents are spent (as part of SIP operations). The consumption amount can be summed up (or broken down) on a per-process, per-section or per-procedure level.

a14. New Example Has Been Added: Algal Oil Production.

A new example process model has been added in this release: Algal Oil Production. The SuperPro Designer (.spf) file as well as detailed documentation and background information regarding this process can be found under the subfolder "AlgalOil" included under the "Examples" folder that is copied onto your installation auxiliary directory for SuperPro Designer. Here's a brief background/description:

In recent years, the scope of research on microalgae has expanded from merely improving production of traditional products (e.g., nutrients for the food supplement industry) to developing new products such as biofuels. In fact, algae are now considered one of the most promising feed stocks for biofuels. The interest in algae as a fuel source is partly due to environmental motives (e.g., reduction in non-renewable fuel use, reduction in net CO2 production, and efficient use of farmland) and partly due to technological improvements related to cheaper and more-efficient genetic modification of algae, which has the potential to greatly improve its productivity.

Microalgae can be used to produce a number of different biofuel products, such as ethanol, butanol, and fatty acids (lipids) which can be converted into biodiesel. Alternatively, the whole algae biomass may be processed into crude oil, although this process is relatively inefficient. As a result, production of lipids or direct production of ethanol and butanol are considered to be more promising than conversion of algal biomass into crude oil.[1] Furthermore, although production costs of commodity products synthesized from algae in photobioreactors are currently much too high to achieve profitability, there is great potential for algae to be used for production of fuels and chemicals as the related technology (including the productivity of genetically-engineered strains) continues to develop.

a15. Several COM Engine Enhancements for Accessing More Variables in More Objects of a Process.

COM Engine is a extremely flexible way for users to poke into the internal variables of a simulation to either:
a) Present outputs as their end user prefers to see it (and our built-in reports don't accommodate that view) or,
b) Set values of key parameter 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 (about operations, equipment, procedures, streams, and the process itself) that are available to be accessed from other applications (Excel, C#/C++ etc.). Our engineering team, constantly re-evaluates what is available and constantly adds more options to satisfy SuperPro users.

In this version, some of the most important additions are:
For Equipment: the busy & occupancy time, the size utilization and time utilization indices.

For All Vessel Operations: the thermal mode setting (isothermal, adiabatic, set duty), the final (or exit) temperature, heating/cooling duty.

For Chromatography Operations:loading volume, relative loading volume, capacity per area/volume, capacity utilization.

For Streams: stream enthalpy, specific enthalpy, specific heat capacity.

For the Process: installation cost, direct/indirect cost, 'other' cost, working capital, startup capital, up-front R&D and royalties, adjusted basic cost rate.

b. New Unit Procedures

b1. Centrifugal Sieving

This new option (available under Procedures / Centrifugation / in a Centrifugal Sieve ) is supposed to model separation of solids through a centrifugal sieve.

A new operation and a new equipment type has been created to support the above procedure. This operation simulates the separation of oversize solids from undersize solids in a slurry using a centrifugal sieve. Centrifugal sieves are used widely in the starch industry for starch extraction and fiber dewatering.

b2. Continuous Stoichiometric Reaction in a Raceway Pond.

This new host for carrying our a stoichiometric photobioreaction has been added: A Raceway Pond.

This new unit procedure can be found under Continuous Reaction / Stoichiometric / in a Raceway Pond. The contained default operation is supposed to model a photo-bioreaction (fermentation) that is being carried out in open ponds (as opposed to the confines of a fermentor). A new operation (Continuous Stoichiometric Photo-bioreaction) and a new equipment type (Raceway Pond) have been created to support the above procedure.

c. New Unit Operations

c1. New Vessel Operation: Rigorous Batch Vaporization.

A new operation has been added in the list of vessel operations (i.e. operations available to be carried out in a vessel like a fermentor, reactor, etc.): Rigorous Vaporization with the option to Switch Solvent.  This unit operation model simulates batch evaporation in a stirred vessel by employing formal VLE models for the determination of the physical state of the vessel contents (as opposed the average vaporization heat calculations upon which the shortcut vaporization model is based). The operation is dynamic in the sense that it captures the time evolution of the vessel contents until a specified vaporization target is achieved.

The user must initially identify the problem to be solved by selecting an operating mode (i.e., concentrate or solvent switch) and a vaporization target (i.e., a specification for the vessel contents at the end of the operation). In the Concentration mode, one of the following vaporization targets can be specified: (a) final molar percentage volume, (b) final volumetric percentage, (c) final liquid volume, or (d) final amount of a key component, either as molar percentage or mass concentration. In the Solvent Switch Mode, the user can specify either (a) the final amount of the key component or (b) the total amount of solvent to be added in the vessel. When the solvent amount is specified, the program assumes that the solvent is uniformly added to the vessel i.e., an equal amount of solvent is added at every time step throughout the duration of the vaporization. Also, in this case, the heating rate cannot be specified by the user and is always calculated.

Finally, there is also the option for a condenser which is assumed to be downstream of the evaporator (identically to the shortcut vaporization). If the condenser is on, the total vapor stream (i.e, after the vaporization target has been achieved) is condensed and the liquid part is transferred to an individual stream.

As the temperature, composition and volume of the contents change dynamically (in time) the operation offers the option to record the evolution (profiles) of those parameters in time. Users who are interested in plotting such evolution, must request the recording of the profiles before the simulation starts.

After the simulation has concluded, users can request to view those profiles by right-clicking over the procedure where the above operation belongs, then select Dynamic Data Records  / <Operation-Name> / View ... (one of three options):

a) View as a Table
b) View in an Ascii Formatted Table (easy to export to other applications)
c) View in an Excel Formatted Table

c2. Centrifugal Sieving Operation (Main Operation in the Centrifugal Sieving Procedure).

For the (new) Centrifugation in Centrifugal Sieve Procedure (under Unit Procedures / Centrifugaion / in Centrifugal Sieve ). This operation simulates the separation of oversize solids from undersize solids in a slurry using a centrifugal sieve. Centrifugal sieves are used widely in the starch industry for starch extraction and fiber dewatering.

c3. Continuous Stoichiometric Photobioreaction (Available in Continuous Stoichiometric Reaction Procedure in a Raceway Pond).

This new stoichiometric photobioreaction model can be used to simulate a sequence of continuous reactions that take place in a photobioreactor (e.g., a Raceway Pond) when the reaction kinetics are unknown or unimportant but the mass stoichiometry is known and the extent of reaction can be specified or calculated based on the concentration of a reference component. The extent of reaction is defined as the fractional conversion of the limiting component.

d. Improvements in Operations

d1. Improvement in Efficiency and Robustness in All Flash Calculations.

The flash algorithms have been revised and improved in order to achieve faster convergence and more robust behavior (in unusual conditions) when the vapor-liquid equilibria calculations are performed using non-ideal models.

d2. Pull-in Operation: When Targeting a Final Temperature the Pressure Effect is Taken into Account.

When utilizing a Pull-in operation and set as a target to achieve a given temperature (in the equipment contents), it is possible that as the contents heat up (for instance), and the vent is off, the pressure built-up affects which component is in the vapor phase and which in the liquid phase.

Previously, the effect that final contents had on the pressure and therefore on the distribution of components between vapor and liquid phase was not taken into account.

d3. Vent Streams Are Considered as Vapors and Their PS Toolbox is Locked.

In previous versions of SuperPro Designer, it was possible for users to access the physical state (PS) toolbox of a stream that was attached to a vent port (emission) and set options that could imply that the state of components in the stream is either partially or totally liquid. Starting with this version, SuperPro assumes that all emission streams attached to vents are vapor and that PS toolbox is 'locked' (i.e., the user cannot overwrite it).  

Notice the message echoed in the dialog above (highlighted in yellow).

d4. Batch Vaporization Operation: Heat of Vaporization Can Now Be Estimated by the Program.

In previous versions of SuperPro Designer, when employing a batch vaporization operation, users had to provide an estimate of the (average) heat of vaporization for the boiling mixture in order for the program to be able to calculate the required duty. This is still possible (if desired) but users now also have the option to ask the program to estimate a value (based on the composition of the mixture and the heat of vaporization of each component).

d5. Reboiler and Condenser Operating Temperature and Duties in Cont. Distillation (Shortcut) Operation Are Now Calculated.

Instead of allowing the user to specify the operating temperature for the reboiler and the condenser (as part of the description of a shortcut distillation step) the application will now calculate it automatically (using a weighted average of the boiling points of the participating components at the operating pressure of the column). This prevents users from specifying unrealistic values where the distillate or bottoms that are beyond their two-phase region, and eventually leading to incorrect calculations for the reboiler and/or condenser loads.

d6. Cooling Operation Now Has the Abillity to Produce Emissions.

The cooling operation (in a vessel) now has an Emissions/Vent tab and the ability to (possibly) calculate emissions. It is possible that a new PS toolbox installed in the state after the operation or a depressurization of the vessel may lead to emissions leaving the area of the vessel. Prior versions ignored this possibility.

d7. More Accurate Results in Continuous Heating and Cooling Operations.

The continuous heating (or cooling) operation could yield surprising (or unexpected) temperature changes between inputs and outputs if the PS calculation toolboxes are not the same at the input and the output side. Calculations have been carefully reviewed to do the enthalpy balance properly and if an inconsistent temperature change is noted, a warning is issued.

d8. Output Streams from Continuous (by Nature) Operations Have Consistent Enthalpy Values.

The continuous heating (or cooling operations could yield surprising (or unexpected) temperature changes between inputs and outputs if the PS calculation toolboxes are not the same at the input and the output side. Calculations have been carefully reviewed to do the enthalpy balance properly and if an inconsistent temperature change is noted, a warning is issued.

d9. Improvements in Emission Calculations and Pressure Control in Vessels when Carrying out Batch (by Nature) Operations.

The amount emitted from batch operations is calculated with the aim to control the pressure inside the vessel (as prescribed on the Vent/Emissions tab of the corresponding operation). The displayed pressure is now consistent with the true pressure of the vessel contents when the rigorous toolbox is used for the determination of their physical state. Please note that when the user's choice for simulation is a shortcut PS toolbox some discrepancies may be noticed (especially when executing pressure-sensitive operations such as pressurize, purge or gas sweep - see next -).

d10. Improved Calculations in Purge, Gas Sweep and Pressurize Operations.

The amount of inert gas introduced into the vessel in order to achieve a certain pressure is now calculated more accurately based on the initial pressure of the vessel contents as calculated by the same PS toolbox as the final state (i.e. using the operation's PS toolbox) as opposed to relying the pressure value reported by the previous operation (that may or may not be fully accurate or consistent with this operation's PS toolbox).

d11. Maximum Liquid-to-Vessel Ratio is Now Limited to 99% (not 100%).

If 100% liquid-to-vessel ration was to be allowed, the newly installed pressure calculations inside a vessel would fail for all vessels in design mode and under the 100% L-to-V ratio. For that reason alone, the maximum L-to-V ratio is now curbed to 99%. Past files that included values of 100% will be modified upon conversion to current format (v9.5) automatically to prevent calculations from blowing up.

d12. Continuous Storage Operations Now Can Calculate Emissions.

All continuous storage operations now can separate gases (emissions) on an emission line (vent). Previously, gases were forced to leave along the main outlet.

d13. Batch Split (per Component) Operation, Now Features Added Flexibility on Separation Specification: Split Percentage or Split Amount. Similar Flexibility Is Also Available in 2-Way Component Splitting, Stationery & Vibrating Screening Operations.

Up until now, users had to set the separation percentage for each component. Starting with this version, SuperPro Designer allows you to specify also separation amount or separation percentage. Of course, if the amount requested is not available, the maximum possible will be taken.

d14. Reaction Enthalpy Specification Now Includes the Assumed State of Each Participant (Liquid/Solid or Gas).

Up until now, when a user included a value for a reaction enthalpy, the program was asking for a DHr (kcal/mol)value, a reference component and a reference temperature. The program assumed that each component participant (reactant or product), was at its 'natural' state at the reference temperature. However, sometimes, when finding the DHr of a reaction the reported values may assume states for components (e.g. Water) at a state other than one would expect. For instance, several combustion enthalpies may report their DHr at 25°C and water (a common product) to be assumed as gas, since all other participants are gases and it is expected that eventually, the combustion temperature will be much over 100°C where water will be gas. Starting with this version we have expanded the reaction specification interface to accommodate such information.

When the "Ignore" check-box is not checked, then users now have an extra button available (highlighted in green above) with the caption "PS" (for Physical State). Clicking on the button will bring the following interface:

Through the above interface, users can define the assumed state of each reaction participant when the reported DHr was measured.

d15. Stoichiometric Reactions: When a Reaction Extent is Specified and a Concentration Reference Component is Chosen, its Concentration is Updated.

When a stoichiometric reaction's calculations are set to be based on a reaction extent, then if the user had chosen a reference component, its concentration (at the end of the reaction) is updated. This can provide useful insight into how the progress of a reaction can affect a key component present in the reaction mixture (reactant or product).

d16. Centritech Centrifugation Operation: Power per Unit Has Been Added as Means to Calculate Total Power Requirement.

Upon request from users, we have now included a new way to calculate total power requirement (consistent with how it is allowed in other operations): a user can specify the power per unit consumption and the system will calculate total power consumed, possibly accounting for the engagement of multiple units.

d17. Continuous Crystallization Operation: Improved Mass & Energy Balance Calculations and Error/Warning Messages.

When a stoichiometric reaction's calculations are set to be based on a reaction extent, then if the user has chosen a reference component, its concentration (at the end of the reaction) is updated.

d18. Continuous Multi-Effect Evaporation : Ambient Pressure is Now Assumed for Liquor & Condensed Vapor Streams.

If there are two or more effects or if vapor recompression is used, the program now mixes the (implicit) individual condensed vapor streams coming out of each effect adiabatically. Both outlet streams are assumed to be at ambient pressure.

d19. Hydrocycloning Operation: Energy Calculations Now Account for Power Dissipated.

The user can now specify the percentage of power consumed for this operation that turns into heat (“Power Dissipation to Heat”), thereby raising the temperature of the equipment contents at the outlet.

d20. INX Column Wash Operation now Shares its Input Stream with Other Operations in the Column.

It used to be that the INX column wash operation demanded exclusive use of its input stream and that restricted the number of operations included in such a column. Starting with this version, multiple operations in the column can pull material from the same stream and the program will cumulatively calculated the demand from all operations together (and if needed, back-propagate it to an appropriate BPG terminal, such as a Pull-out operation or an input stream with adjustable feed flow).

d21. Improvements in Batch Concentration, Diafiltration, Feed and Bleed Concentration Operations.

The M&E balance calculations in batch concentration, diafiltration and Feed & Bleed Concentration operations have been improved to consistently consider the chosen PS calculation toolbox for the procedure / operation.

d22. Comments Can Now Be Stored Behind All Operations (incl. Design Specs and Transportations).

The M&E balance calculations in batch concentration, diafiltration and Feed & Bleed Concentration operations have been improved to consistently consider the chosen PS calculation toolbox for the procedure / operation.

e. Bug Fixes

e1. Detailed PBA Chromatography Procedure in Flow-Through Mode: Operation Type Included for an Equilibration Step Has Now Been Fixed.

Prior to this release, a user was allowed to introduce a pure component in a process simulation (or in the User database) and set its normal boiling point to any positive value (in deg. K). However, if the value set was higher than the critical temperature it used to lead to calculational issues if this component was involved in rigorous VLE modeling. Since this is an impossible situation, it is now prevented by the interface.

e2. Fanning Operation: Power per Unit Variable Is Now Updated.

When attempting to connect streams to the ports of a Freeze-Thaw procedure, the ports were incorrectly detected and therefore the end points of streams starting from or terminating at such procedures generated a gap. This has been fixed.

e3. Continuous Crystallization Operation: Output Streams' Pressure Is Now Set Properly.

When attempting to connect streams to the ports of a Freeze-Thaw procedure, the ports were incorrectly detected and therefore the end points of streams starting from or terminating at such procedures generated a gap. This has been fixed.

e4. Continuous Crystallization Operation: Heating/Cooling Requirements Are Now Properly Calculated even if Feed Stream Contains Gaseous Components.

When attempting to connect streams to the ports of a Freeze-Thaw procedure, the ports were incorrectly detected and therefore the end points of streams starting from or terminating at such procedures generated a gap. This has been fixed.

e5. Absorption Operation: The "Ignore Rxn" Option Is Now Properly Considered.

When attempting to connect streams to the ports of a Freeze-Thaw procedure, the ports were incorrectly detected and therefore the end points of streams starting from or terminating at such procedures generated a gap. This has been fixed.

e6. Continuous Multi-Effect Evaporation: Fixed a Bug in Reported Flow of De-Superheating Agent.

When attempting to connect streams to the ports of a Freeze-Thaw procedure, the ports were incorrectly detected and therefore the end points of streams starting from or terminating at such procedures generated a gap. This has been fixed.

e7. Flotation Tank: Length and Width Were Not Correctly Calculated at Times.

When attempting to connect streams to the ports of a Freeze-Thaw procedure, the ports were incorrectly detected and therefore the end points of streams starting from or terminating at such procedures generated a gap. This has been fixed.

e8. Continuous Kinetic Fermentation Operation: Cryptic Message May Appear when M&E Balances Didn't Conclude Properly.

When attempting to connect streams to the ports of a Freeze-Thaw procedure, the ports were incorrectly detected and therefore the end points of streams starting from or terminating at such procedures generated a gap. This has been fixed.

e9. Continuous Kinetic Reaction Operations: Initial Guess for Extent Is No Longer Based on Rate Reference Component.

When attempting to connect streams to the ports of a Freeze-Thaw procedure, the ports were incorrectly detected and therefore the end points of streams starting from or terminating at such procedures generated a gap. This has been fixed.

e10. Plug Flow Kinetic Reaction Operation: The Limiting Component and its Extent Were Not Updated Properly.

When attempting to connect streams to the ports of a Freeze-Thaw procedure, the ports were incorrectly detected and therefore the end points of streams starting from or terminating at such procedures generated a gap. This has been fixed.

e11. Hydrocycloning Operation: Could Fail without Proper Warning if No Component Was Set to Be Removed.

When attempting to connect streams to the ports of a Freeze-Thaw procedure, the ports were incorrectly detected and therefore the end points of streams starting from or terminating at such procedures generated a gap. This has been fixed.

e12. Hydrocycloning Operation: Output Streams Have Now Pressure Settings to Match the Pressure Drop of the Preceding Operation.

When attempting to connect streams to the ports of a Freeze-Thaw procedure, the ports were incorrectly detected and therefore the end points of streams starting from or terminating at such procedures generated a gap. This has been fixed.

e13. Batch Concentration Operation (Feed & Bleed): The Recovery Percentage Is Now Updated When the Concentration Factor Is Set.

When attempting to connect streams to the ports of a Freeze-Thaw procedure, the ports were incorrectly detected and therefore the end points of streams starting from or terminating at such procedures generated a gap. This has been fixed.

e14. Diafiltration Operation: A Feasible Concentration Sometimes Was Inadvertently Reported as Infeasible (Due to Truncation Errors).

In previous versions, the pressure setting of the hydrocloning operation was not conveyed onto the output streams. This has been fixed.

e15. Cooling in a Cooling Tower: Fan Power Calculation Corrected.

When calculating the fan power requirement as part of a cooling operation in a cooling tower, there were some inaccurate results in certain cases. This has been fixed.

e16. Shared Equipment in Design Mode: Possibly Erroneous Size-Dependent Calculations.

When there is equipment shared by multiple procedures, and the equipment's size is to be determined by the requirements of the operations hosted, then if the equipment is shared by multiple procedures, it is possible that the procedure that is solved later (in the sequence of calculations) may end up being the one sizing the equipment (i.e., needs the 'largest' size to satisfy its requirements). If that is the case, the simulation needs to be run once more, where now the first simulated procedure utilizes the larger size and based on that, calculates its outputs. This 'correction' phase was not imposed earlier, resulting in possibly slightly incorrect size-dependent output variables in such cases. This has been fixed.

e17. Inappropriate Pure Component Physical Property Values Are Now Caught and Corrected.

When there is equipment shared by multiple procedures, and the equipment's size is to be determined by the requirements of the operations hosted, then if the equipment is shared by multiple procedures, it is possible that the procedure that is solved later (in the sequence of calculations) may end up being the one sizing the equipment (i.e., needs the 'largest' size to satisfy its requirements). If that is the case, the simulation needs to be run once more, where now the first simulated procedure utilizes the larger size and based on that, calculates its outputs. This 'correction' phase was not imposed earlier, resulting in possibly slightly incorrect size-dependent output variables in such cases. This has been fixed.

e18. Bogus Messages About Missing Reactants Are Eliminated.

When a component is set as a reactant in the stoichiometry description of a reaction in a multi-reaction scheme and the component is not present in the original mix, but it is expected as a product from another preceding reaction, it is now not reported as an erroneous reaction specification (it used to in previous releases).

e19. 'Doc' Tab of the Process Explorer Respects Option of Showing/Hiding Branch Level.

When viewing the contents of the "Doc" tab of the process explorer view, previous releases will always show the nodes of all places where comments have been inserted but without regard on whether the user has requested to see the branch level or not. This has been fixed.

e20. Design Specs and Transportation Unit Procedures Have Reduced Options for Info Label Values.

When specifying (as part of the a unit procedure's icon style) what to be included in the info label of the procedure, previously, all options were allowed for all procedure icons. Since some procedures do not have an equipment resource associated with them, some options (e.g. those pertaining to scheduling related values like cycle time) should not be available (an non-applicable). This has been fixed.

f. Improvements After Original v9.5 Release

This topic lists all new features, improvements and bug fixes, since the original release of this major version of SuperPro Designer (v9.5, Build 02).

B03, SBN 1700 RELEASE (5/20/2016)

1. B03, SBN 1700: A New Example Process Model Has Been Added: "Beet Sugar".  (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 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.
   The model file can be found in the "BeetSugar" subfolder under the "Examples" folder. 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.

2. B03, SBN 1700: Exporting Material Consumption Information to SchedulePro DB Failed to Record Proper Material Names. (Bug Fix)
   When exporting a complete recipe to the SchedulePro database in order to be imported later by SchedulePro to compose a production schedule, there used to be some issues related with the material composition of streams associated with CIP steps and Purging operations. This has now been fixed.

3. B03, SBN 1700: Registering a Component from PPDS May Yield to a Crash. (Bug Fix)
   When listing the contents of the PPDS database by formula, in order to select one for registration in a process model, the application used to crash if the formal name of the component was very long. This has now been fixed.

4. B03, SBN 1700: Default value for liquid volume to total ratio is set to 90% by default for all new consumables that have this property.  (Improvement)
   When introducing a new consumable in the User DB that has a "Liquid-to-Total Volume Ratio" property (e.g. a disposable bag, or a can, etc.) its initial (default) value used to be 100% when this property is NOT allowed to be exactly 100% forcing users to change it before the program accepted it. This has now been fixed (the initial value is set to 90%).

5. B03, SBN 1700: One of the display options for the composition of streams didn't respond properly.  (Bug Fix)
   When displaying the composition of steams, users can decide to display the value in percentage (%) units (most common choice), or fractions (0-1), or parts-per-million (PPM) or parts-per-billion (PPB). When choosing the fraction option, the program didn't respond properly to convert the values from 0-100% to 0-1. This has now been fixed.

6. B03, SBN 1700: Attempting to edit any multi-outlet splitter (4 and above) Leads to a Crash.  (Bug Fix)
   When attempting to edit the operation data in a 4-, 5-, etc. multi-splitter procedure, the application would crash. This was a glitch introduced in the previous release (v9.0). This has now been fixed.

7. B03, SBN 1700: When Displaying Stream Composition in Different Ranges, Decimal Points Are Adjusted for Consistent Accuracy.  (Improvement)
   When displaying the composition of steams, the user's options for viewing (and setting, in the case of input streams) are: 0-1 fractions, percent (%, range 0-100), ppm, and ppb. Since the range of values vary significantly, we are now adjusting the decimal points viewed according to the user's choice.

8. B03, SBN 1700: Erroneous warnings about overlapping times in use of equipment designated to be shared across batches.  (Bug Fix)
   When equipment has been designated for across batch use, and it is shared with multi-cycle procedures, the M&E balances would sometimes echo a warning about simultaneous use of the equipment even though that was not the case. The EOC would not produce any such violations (so all calculations were done correctly), so the warning was unnecessarily issued. This has now been fixed.

9. B03, SBN 1700: Another example case study has been included in the set of sample processes supplied with the software: the production of spray-dried sorbitol.  (Improvement)
   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 that chemical production 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). The model file can be found in the "Sorbitol" subfolder under the "Examples" folder. 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.
   
   

B03, SBN 1610 RELEASE (5/1/2016)

1. B03, SBN 1610: A New Example Process Model Has Been Added: "Corn Refinery".  (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 a corn refinery process. The process model captures the process of corn wet-milling integrated with the production of glucose and fructose syrups. It can be found in the "Corn Refinery" subfolder under the "Examples" folder. 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.

2. B03, SBN 1610: Component Splitters Don't Force User to Specify Distribution of All Components.  (Improvement)
   When defining the distribution of a component across 3 or more split streams (in a component splitter) the application now will allow to exit the i/o operation dialog leaving a component's distribution percentages all 0.0 (see below).
   
   
   This allows the user to skip the specifications for components that he/she does not expect them 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 you must leave ALL of the split fractions to zero for the operation's dialog to allow to exit. If one of them is non-zero, then they must all be set to values that add up to 100%.
   

3. B03, SBN 1610: Improved Copy-And-Paste When Resources Exist. (Bug Fix)
   When pasting a unit procedure (or more) 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 they don't exist, it creates them (e.g. it will create component that don't exist in the destination process file), or heat transfer agents, etc. This part used to work fine. However, when a heat transfer agent was found to exist and match by name and type (e.g. "Super Hot 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". Of course, if the same process repeated itself, multiple such heat transfer agents would be created (all named "Super Hot Steam 02") and was a bug. This has now been fixed. If consecutive pastes result in resources "almost" matching the destination process 's list, then uniquely 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.

4. B03, SBN 1610: Minor Issues During Depositing of a Resource in the User DB. (Bug Fix)
   When attempting to deposit a resource (heat transfer agent, labor, etc.) that currently does not exist in the User's DB (e.g. when receiving a file from someone else who had this resource in his/her user databank), then the program gives you a chance rename the resource (as it will reside in the databank). The new name was inadvertently carried over to the process file. This has been fixed.

5. B03, SBN 1610: When Viewing the Locations Where a Resource is Engaged Now You Can Choose to View them All or Just Where the Consumption is Non-Zero.  (Improvement)
   When viewing the locations where a selected resource (e.g. Heat Transfer Agent) is engaged, previously, the list only included the operations that used the resource and the consumption was non-zero. Sometimes, it is useful to know where a resource is selected (and hence, it shows in the list of all such resources) even though currently the operating parameters determine zero usage. For that reason, we've added the option to see the location of the resource usage, EVEN IF the actual consumption is currently zero (see below).
   
   
   

6. B03, SBN 1610: Rare Bug Appearing When Copying the Properties of a CIP Operation. (Bug Fix)
   When attempting to copy the properties of a CIP operation via the interface shown below, it was possible (in some rare circumstances) to result in a state where the program may crash after the dialog was exited.
   
   
   This has been fixed.

7. B03, SBN 1610: Unit Conversions for Consumable Properties Were Not Done Properly. (Bug Fix)
   In rare circumstances, some user-defined resources would not convert their property values correctly in the user-chosen units. This has been fixed.

B03, SBN 1601 RELEASE (4/15/2016)

1. B03, SBN 1601: Interface Glitch on Environmental Kinetic Reaction Rate Dialog is Fixed. (Bug Fix)
   When displaying the kinetic reaction rate dialog for an environmental model (e.g. Aerobic Bio-Oxidation), the drop-down controls that allowed the selection of the rate reference component or the substrate component didn't properly include all component names. This glitch was introduced in v9.5 original release but has now been fixed.
   

2. B03, SBN 1601: Process Time Was (Inadvertently) Displayed. (Bug Fix)
   When showing the operating conditions tab of a continuous operation (functioning in a semi-continuous mode) normally the process time is irrelevant and therefore hidden from the tab. However, when the user opted to have the first occurrence of the operation on the scheduling charts have an offset, then due to a bug, the operating time was displayed. This has now been fixed.

B03, SBN 1600 RELEASE (3/15/2016)

1. B03, SBN 1600: The Reaction-Limiting Component (and Conversion) Is Now Updated and Displayed in Kinetic Reactions. (Improvement)
   Similar to what is being done for stoichiometric reactions, the application will now display the reaction-limiting component when engaging kinetic reactions. For equilibrium reactions the corresponding controls are hidden (as they don't apply).
   
   
   
   

2. B03, SBN 1600: Verifying Validity of Parallel Reaction Schemes. (Improvement)
   When defining a reaction scheme that involves multiple reactions, users can designate a "P" or "S" for each reaction in the list to indicate if the reaction is supposed to be considered as happening in sequence "S" (i.e, after the previous one is finished and before the next one is started) or "P" in parallel with at least one more reaction (following or preceding in the reaction order). The difference, has to do with how the simulation engine will apply the transformations of reactants to products (based on reaction extents): in the case of sequential reactions, each transformation will be performed on the mixture as left from the previous reaction; in case of parallel reactions, the transformations will be performed on the original composition (at the beginning of the scheme). For a parallel scheme to even make a difference, there must be at least one reactant shared (competing) between two of the reactions in the parallel scheme. The reaction's validation code, didn't used to check for such constraints in a parallel scheme. Now it does and it will complain if a user attempts to exit the interface definition of a reaction scheme that includes reactions with no common reactants. Furthermore, previously, if the parallel scheme is:
   (Rxn-1).....   A è B  
   (Rxn-2).....   A + B è C
   Unless there was some B present, the second reaction wouldn't be allowed to proceed. This is now handled properly and both reactions are allowed to proceed to their specified extents and no error will be generated as long as the amount of "B" produced from the first reaction is at least as much as needed to be consumed by the second reaction (based on the user-provided extent of reaction).

3. B03, SBN 1600: Determining the Limiting Component in Parallel Reaction Schemes. (Improvement)
   When deciding what the limiting component is in parallel reaction schemes, an overall consumption factor is considered for each component that considers:
   a) Multiple reaction participation as a reactant, and
   b) Possible presence of that component as a product.

4. B03, SBN 1600: Time Utilization for Procedures Sharing Equipment Was Not Properly Displayed in the Throughput Indices Chart.  (Bug Fix)
   When considering the contribution to overall throughput of a process, for each step (procedure) we calculate two indices of interest:
   a) Time Utilization: what portion of time available to the utilized equipment resource is taken by this step and,
   b) Capacity Utilization: what portion of the total available equipment capacity (or throughput) is currently utilized by the events in the procedure.
   The time utilization for procedures sharing an equipment resource was displayed correctly on the Procedure Data Dialog, but presented incorrectly on the Throughput Indices chart. This has been fixed.

5. B03, SBN 1600: All Times Associated with the Utilization of an Equipment Resource Are Now Displayed on the Scheduling Tab of the Equipment Dialog. (Improvement)
   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.

6. B03, SBN 1600: Equipment Contents Initialization Amount Calculated Based on Available Size (Improvement)
   When specifying the initial contents of equipment, users typically can set either a default agent to be used everywhere (e.g. "Air", or "Nitrogen") or they can set a special composition for just one equipment resource. Either way, the View/Edit Initial Contents... dialog will display the contents (as shown before)but ONLY the temperature and pressure will be editable. Starting with this release, those settings will also determine the amount of gaseous material kept initially in the vessel (e.g. if you specify 5 bar as the initial pressure, then roughly 5 times more air will be used to fill up the vessel versus the default 1.1013 bar setting). In previous releases, the initial temperature and pressure where only used as "settings" describing the contents but the amount of contents was always calculated to match a 1 atm. pressure level.
   
   
   

7. B03, SBN 1600: Several Extensions to the COM Engine's API Added. (Improvement)
   As promised we continue to expand the services of SuperPro Designer's COM engine services based on our users' feedback and requests. Some new "VID" variable IDs were added in order to fetch properties common to all procedures, equipment, etc. Some, have been added to make properties specific to a particular operation type or equipment type. Here's a list of what we added in this release:
   (Please note that unless specifically mentioned, the following Variable IDs (or VIDs for short) can be used to fetch and set the corresponding variable.)
   
   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)
   

8. B03, SBN 1600: When Exporting Recipe Information to SchedulePro Sweeping Gas Consumption from a Supply Units Was Not Reported. (Bug Fix)
   When "Gas Sweeping" is applied during venting and as part of the emission calculations an amount of sweeping agent is calculated. Even though the amount of consumption was properly exported to SchedulePro, if the consumption point was assigned to a Material Source, this link was missed. This has been fixed.

9. B03, SBN 1600: If chosen During Export, CIP Steps can be Exported as Individual Tasks.  (Improvement)
   When exporting the recipe information to SchedulePro, a user may opt to export a CIP operation with, say, 4 steps, as 4 independent tasks. This option needs to be checked at the time of the exporting. In response, 4 separate tasks will be created in the SchedulePro representation of the recipe.

10. B03, SBN 1600: Drying Operations : Energy Balance Fix.  (Bug Fix)
    When carrying out the energy balance in all drying operations, there was a minor mistake in the overall energy balance calculations, and thus the utilities demand was calculated incorrectly. This has been fixed.

11. B03, SBN 1600: Better Handling of Indirect Component Registration.  (Bug Fix)
    Starting with the previous release (SBN 1500), SuperPro Designer had the added the flexibility of being able to add (register) a pure component (or a stock mixture) just when needed (e.g. in the midst of defining the composition of an input stream, or the stoichiometry of a reaction, or the composition of a wash stream that is to be used by a "Column Wash" operation).
    
    
    Such action would expand the process's list of components (and needs to notify all other operations / equipment) about it. In prior releases, some component-related information was not updated properly when such an indirect change of registered component happened. This has now been fixed.

12. B03, SBN 1600: Heat Integration Utility: When Deleting an Operation Involved in a Heat Integration Match, a Crash May Occur.  (Bug Fix)
    When an operation that has been matched up with another through the heat integration facility of SuperPro Designer was deleted, due to a glitch in the code, the match was not deleted and when visiting the Heat Recovery interface (after the deletion) a crash could occur. This has now been fixed.

13. B03, SBN 1600: Cycle (or Holdup) Time Displayed on a Batch Procedure in a Continuous Flowsheet Does Not Show on the Info Tab.  (Bug Fix)
    When requesting to see the holdup time of a batch procedure in a continuous flowsheet (same as the 'cycle time' of the procedure), due to a glitch in the code, the value would not show up. This has been fixed.

14. B03, SBN 1600: "Exclude from Scheduling" is not Affecting "Include in Scheduling Charts".   (Improvement)
    When requesting to have an equipment resource (and all of its contained procedures) excluded from scheduling calculations (check the yellow highlighted box below), we essentially ask SuperPro Designer to ignore the timing of all the procedures in the equipment resource and not report any conflicts as well as to ignore their durations from the calculation of minimum recipe cycle time. It is conceivable that this may be a transient status for the equipment, and still wish to see its contained procedures on scheduling charts (e.g. the Equipment Occupancy chart, or the Operation Gantt chart). Previously, checking the "Omit from Scheduling Charts" flag, automatically forced the contained procedures (and their operations) to be excluded from any charts. This restriction is now lifted.
    
    
    

15. B03, SBN 1600: The Mixture Making Operation's "Oper. Cond" tab Has Been Modified (Improvement)
    It is customary to SuperPro Designer users, when selecting an input stream to an operation, to also be able to see (and perhaps change) the stream's composition (if the stream of course currently exists). Typically this is done by clicking on the     button that appears next to the selection of the input port (stream) to be used (see below the interface for a "Column Wash" operation).
    
    
    
    The same principle has now been applied to the interface for the Mixture Making operation (see below).
    
    
    
    The highlighted box at the bottom right of the above dialog, allows the user to visit the composition of the stream attached to any of the five input ports and view and/or edit it. No port selection here is needed, but still the gateway to viewing/editing each input stream's composition has been made to be the same as in the rest of the operations.

16. B03, SBN 1600: Centrifuge Sigma Factor is Updated When Throughput is Specified (and vice versa).  (Bug Fix)
    When specifying the "size" of a centrifuge, a user can choose to either set the Sigma factor or the Rated Throughput. Clearly the two properties are related. Starting with this release when one of them is set, the other is calculated and displayed.

17. B03, SBN 1600: Sedimentation Efficiency in a Centrifugation Operation does NOT Affect the Removal Fraction of Components (and vice versa).  (Bug Fix)
    Previously, if you increased the sedimentation efficiency of a centrifugation operation, the removal fraction of all components was reduced. This was incorrect and it has now been fixed (so they stay unaffected). The efficiency only affects the calculation of the required sigma factor (or required throughput) for centrifuges in design mode.

18. B03, SBN 1600: A New Example (Sample Simulation File) Has Been Added. (Improvement)
    Starting with this release, a new simulation example has been added: The related files can be found under the "Examples/Carrageenan" folder. 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.

19. B03, SBN 1600: Tooltips with Values on Bar Charts Are not Shown over the Cursor.   (Improvement)
    When showing a bar chart (e.g. the Throughput Utilization Indices chart), the application shows the exact value of a bar height when the mouse hover over the top edge of it. Previously the tooltip shown was partially hidden by the cursor. This has now been fixed (tooltip is shown up and away from the cursor).
    
    
    

20. B03, SBN 1600: Process Explorer's Columns Cannot be Shrunk Down to Zero. (Improvement)
    There has been a minium width restriction applied to all the columns (for each tab) of the process explorer so that a user cannot inadvertently reduce them down to zero and give the appearance of them being disappeared.

B03, SBN 1500 RELEASE (12/15/2015)

1. B03, SBN 1500: Reaction Stoichiometry Dialog Provides Quick Access to Add New Component Registration Interface (Improvement)
   When visiting the reaction stoichiometry dialog in order to define the stoichiometric coefficients for a reaction, oftentimes, there's a need to introduce a new component (reaction participant).
   
   
   A new button has been introduced to that interface (see yellow highlight above) that provides a quick access to the component registration interface to make it easy to add a new component and return to the stoichiometry definition. The newly added component is immediately available to be included in the stoichiometry table either as a reactant or a product. Please not that the component registration interface, when invoked from this context, will not allow you to delete a component (see below, the "Delete" button is missing - yellow highlight - ).
   
   
   You can still view and edit any component property by clicking on the View/Edit button (blue highlight above), or double-clicking on the row representing the component.

2. B03, SBN 1500: The Component Registration Dialog Can Now Be Invoked from the Stock Mixture Definition Interface. (Improvement)
   Similar to the spirit of the above improvement added to the reaction table interface, we have also expanded the options available to a user when creating or editing the composition of a stock mixture. Previously, only registered pure components or registered stock mixtures could be used to participate in the definition of a new stock mixture registered in the current design case. We have now added the flexibility to include components and mixtures not only from the pool or registered ingredients (in the design case that you are working on) but also to draw from the pool of pure components in any of the component databases available to your software ("System", "User", "DIPPR", or "PPDS").
   
   
   Similarly, one can include in the composition definition a stock mixture from your "System" or "User" DB.

3. B03, SBN 1500: Update Pure Component Properties Dialog Now Shows Original Source DB. (Improvement)
   Occasionally users may wish to realign the component properties in their design case, with the (possibly updated) values of the properties in the database. Or, perhaps, they may want to have a given component that was pulled from the "System DB" to assume property values and estimation models from the same component as it exists in "DIPPR" (if available to them). In order to do this, they need to invoke the interface shown below by selecting Tasks / Pure Components / Update Properties from DB ...
   
   
   This table has been improved to convey more accurately the history of each component as well as the possible sources for pulling updated property values. The column "Source" shown in green highlight above, displays the original source DB of the component (when it was originally introduced to the simulation file). The next column, labelled "DBases", shows all DB sources that currently have that component in their databank. A user can pick to either simply refresh the values of his/her component from the same databank as originally pulled, or by selecting a different entry in the "DBases" column, can update the component properties to now reflect the data as kept in the alternative databank. Please note that the green column shown above ("Source") is the exact same column as shown in the Component Registration interface.

4. B03, SBN 1500: Update Stock Mixture Properties Dialog Now Shows Original Source DB. (Improvement)
   Occasionally users may wish to realign the stock properties in their design case, with the (possibly updated) values of the properties in the database. In order to do this, they need to invoke the interface shown below by selecting Tasks / Stock Mixtures / Update Properties from DB ... and the following interface will come up:
   
   
   
   This table has been improved to convey more accurately the history of each stock mixture as well as the possible sources for pulling updated property values. The column "Source" shown in green highlight above, displays the original source DB of the stock mixture (when it was originally introduced to the simulation file). The next column, labelled "DBases", shows all DB sources (can only be "System" or "User") that currently have that stock mixture in their databank. A user can pick to either simply refresh the values of his/her stock mixture from the same databank as originally pulled, or by selecting a different entry in the "DBases" column, can update the stock mixture properties to now reflect the data as kept in the alternative databank. Please note that the green column shown above ("Source") is the exact same column as shown in the Stock Mixture Registration interface.

5. B03, SBN 1500: Purge Operation Didn't Calculate Correctly Amounts of Agent Needed (Based on User's Specification and Equipment Size).  (Bug Fix)
   When executing a purge in a vessel (of given size) the amount of agent (and therefore its rate of use) was incorrectly calculated. This has now been fixed.

6. B03, SBN 1500: CIP / SIP Operation Didn't Properly Maintain the Operating Pressure.  (Bug Fix)
   When executing a CIP or SIP operation, after a previous operation left the vessel in an elevated pressure, the program didn't carry the previous pressure setting to the next step. This has now been fixed.

7. B03, SBN 1500: Fermentation Operation Over-Estimated Heating/Cooling Duties.  (Bug Fix)
   Due to an error in the calculations, when the inlet streams to a fermentor were not at the fermentation temperature, the heating or cooling duty required to bring the reactants to the operating temperature was included twice in the estimation of total duty. This has now been fixed.

8. B03, SBN 1500: Reports Didn't Show Property in Windows with Locale Set to Japanese / Chinese / Korean.  (Bug Fix)
   When attempting generate any report (EER, SR, etc.) with the application running on a Windows installation with the Locale setting matching any countries in the Far East (China, Japan, Korea, etc.) the character set was not properly set and as a result the reports were not generated correctly. This has been fixed.

9. B03, SBN 1500: Crash Experienced When Attempting to View "Locations Used" for a Supply Unit with No Engagements.  (Bug Fix)
   When attempting to view the locations where a supply unit (SU unit) was engaged, when none existed, a crash resulted. This has now been fixed.

10. B03, SBN 1500: Different Behavior of "System DB" Components vs "PPDS" Components in Utilizing the Normal Boiling Point Parameter.  (Bug Fix)
    SuperPro Designer will account for the pressure effect on the boiling point of a single component by utilizing the Antoine model ( Tb = f(P) ). However, if the simulation requested the boiling point of a component at 1 atm (1.013 bar) then instead of using the estimation that the Antoine model would produce, it will use instead the "Normal Boiling Point" value as provided by the user (since such values are usually much more accurate). Previously, this behavior was enforced for all components pulled from the "System" or "User" database, but not for components pulled from other databases (DIPPR and/or PPDS). This has now been fixed.

11. B03, SBN 1500: Concentration to Composition Calculator Would Not Produce Accurate Results When Used In the Context of Stock Mixture Definition.  (Bug Fix)
    The concentration to composition calculator is a very useful tool that has been added to help users who want to introduced an input stream or define a stock mixture based on molar concentrations (and not molar fractions). Since the definition interface for input streams and stock mixtures requires the user to enter molar (or mass) fractions, we have added this tool that takes the user's desired molar (or mass) concentration targets and converts them automatically to mass (or mole) fractions. This tool is available as button on both the input stream definition interface and the stock mixture definition interface (shown below):
    
    
    When the calculator was invoked from the Stock Mixture definition interface, and the displayed composition was in Mole% (see purple highlight above), then after returning from the calculator, the mole % calculated from the previous interface was not properly carried over. This didn't happen if the user engaged the calculator with the Mass% showing the current composition of the mixture (only when the Mole % was showing). This has now been fixed.

12. B03, SBN 1500: Component Registration Interface May Crash (in Very Rare Occasions).  (Bug Fix)
    When displaying the pure component registration interface, if a user set an illegal (negative) value for the activity basis (strength) parameter, and at least one component has been deleted when attempting to exit the dialog with "OK", the program would crash. This has now been fixed.

13. B03, SBN 1500: Continuous Multi-Effect Evaporation Operation Incorrectly Assumed Temperature of Vapors Had Different Value from Temperature of Liquor in Each Effect.  (Bug Fix)
    The vapor temperature used to be assumed as the same as the vapor boiling point for each effect (i.e., the bubble point of a mixture with the composition of the vapor in each effect). Now, the vapor temperature is set equal to the liquor boiling point (same as the liquid temperature) for each effect.  Variable "Liquid Temp." shown on the Effects tab was renamed to "Liquid BP" to indicate that this variable shows the values of liquor boiling point per effect. Similarly the variable "Vapor Temp." shown on the same tab, was relabelled to "Vapor BP" to indicate that this variable displays the vapor boiling point for each effect.

14. B03, SBN 1500: Component Splitter's Amount Specification Didn't Work As Expected.  (Bug Fix)
    When specifying the amount (and not the percentage) of a component that is supposed to split to the bottom stream, the split calculations didn't conclude properly. This has been fixed.

15. B03, SBN 1500: Flotation Operation: Message Appearing Incorrectly about Solids Concentration in the Feed is now Eliminated.  (Bug Fix)
    The simulation engine used to display an error when the solids concentration in the feed stream was higher than the user-supplied "Particulate Concentration in Floating Sludge". This conditions should not be reported as "abnormal" and the related message has now been removed.

16. B03, SBN 1500: UV Radiation Operation: Several Issues Fixed.  (Bug Fix)
    When utilizing a UV-Radiation operation, the power dissipated was calculated properly from the number of lamps engaged by the equipment times the power per lamp. However, the specific power displayed was incorrect as a value as a units. It has now been corrected to show as "specific power" the wattage of each lamp and the units simply to be units of power (understood that is it per lamp). Furthermore, the effect of this power on the final temperature of the outlet stream was improperly calculated (engaging Cp values and not proper enthalpy calculations). Finally, the duty units were always disabled (bug); this has now been fixed.

17. B03, SBN 1500: Help Content for Reactions Revised.  (Improvement)
    Some of the help content displayed previously when a user is viewing the reaction stoichiometry tab was outdated. More specifically, it was incorrectly mentioned that reaction enthalpy values can only be positive. That is of course, incorrect. Negative values indicate an exothermic reaction and are allowed.

18. B03, SBN 1500: Automatic Transfer of Material Into Equipment in Rating Mode With Insufficient Volume Didn't Trigger Warning. (Bug Fix)
    When material is set to automatically transferred into a vessel (through the default input port and in the absence of any other operations that transfer material into a vessel) if the amount added couldn't fit into the vessel (with given volume - ie., in rating mode) the program did not complain about the overfill. This has now been fixed. Of course, if the equipment is set in Designer Mode, then no complain is generated but instead the volume requirement is used to place a bid in the sizing of the vessel.

19. B03, SBN 1500: User-Specified Initial Equipment Interface Improved. (Bug Fix)
    When specifying the initial contents of equipment (like a vessel) the interface dialog labels for amounts mentioned "Flows" when in actuality amounts (per batch) where displayed. Also, we no longer allow the user to specify the total amount of material present in a vessel (see dialog below - yellow highlights). Just the composition, T and P (and we enforce that at least one ingredient with a gaseous phase - even partially - must exist). The program will determine the amount that would "fit" in the available volume to reach the set pressure (see dialog below - blue highlight).
    
    
    
    Please note that in case of equipment in design mode, this material will be adjusted for the calculated volume of the vessel, so even if the interface showing the "Initial Equipment Contents" may show values that are not correct before the M&E balances are executed, at the end of M&E balances, revisiting the dialog will show the correct amounts.

20. B3, SBN 1500: Centrifugation Operating Parameters Can Now Be Accessed from COM Engine's API (Improvement)
    As requested from our users, several of the operating parameters of a centrifugation operation can now be accessed by the COM engine APIs. More specifically the following new constants have been added:
    - oilConcertation_VID
    - solidsConcentration_VID
    - oilComponentRemovalFrac_VID
    - solidComponentRemovalFrac_VID.
    The above constants can be used to set or fetch values in any centrifugation operation that is apart of a SuperPro Designer simulated process.

21. B3, SBN 1500: Reaction Operations' Thermal-Mode Related Parameters Can Now Be Accessed from COM Engine's API (Improvement)
    As requested from our users, all parameters related to the thermal mode settings of reaction operations can now be accessed by the COM engine APIs. More specifically the following new constants have been added:
    - thermalMode_VID (values are 1 for isothermal, 2 for adiabatic, 3 for duty set by user).
    - heatingDuty_VID
    - coolingDuty_VID
    - exitTemperature_VID
    The above constants can be used to set or fetch values in any reaction operation that is apart of a SuperPro Designer simulated process.

22. B3 SBN 1500: Power Dissipation Fraction (part of several operations) Can Now Be Accessed from COM Engine's API (Improvement)
    As requested from our users, the power dissipation fraction (an operating parameter related to many operations) can now be accessed by the COM engine's API:
    - powerDissipationFrac_VID
    The above constants can be used to set or fetch values in any operation that is apart of a SuperPro Designer simulated process.

23. B3, SBN 1500: All Pump Operations:  Pump Efficiency Parameter Can Now Be Accessed from COM Engine's API (Improvement)
    As requested from our users, the pump efficiency parameter can now be accessed by the COM engine's API.
    - pumpingEfficiency_VID
    The above constants can be used to set or fetch values in any pumping operation (centrifugal, reciprocal, etc.) that is apart of a SuperPro Designer simulated process.

24. B3 SBN 1500: Cloth Filtration 's Several Operating Parameters Can Now Be Accessed from COM Engine's API (Improvement)
    As requested from our users, several parameters related to a cloth filtration operation (available in several unit procedures) can now be can now be accessed by the COM engine's API:
    - removalFraction_VID
    - LOD_VID
    - porosity_VID
    The above constants can be used to set or fetch values in a cloth filtration operation that is apart of a SuperPro Designer simulated process.

25. B3 SBN 1500: Cake Wash Operation's Several Operating Parameters Can Now Be Accessed from COM Engine's API (Improvement)
    As requested from our users, several parameters related to a cake wash operation (available in several unit procedures) can now be can now be accessed by the COM engine's API:
    - washVolume_VID
    - relativeWashVolume_VID
    The above constants can be used to set or fetch values in a cake wash operation that is apart of a SuperPro Designer simulated process.

26. B3 SBN 1500: Extrusion's Operating Parameters Can Now Be Accessed from COM Engine's API (Improvement)
    As requested from our users, some operating parameters related to an extrusion operation can now be can now be accessed by the COM engine's API:
    - angularVelocity_VID
    - exitTemperature_VID
    The above constants can be used to set or fetch values in an extrusion operation that is apart of a SuperPro Designer simulated process.

27. B3 SBN 1500: Concentrate & Diafiltration Operation's Operating Parameters Can Now Be Accessed from COM Engine's API (Improvement)
    As requested from our users, some operating parameters related to a concentrate and/or diafiltration operation can now be can now be accessed by the COM engine's API:
    - powerDissipationFrac_VID
    - solidsConcentration_VID
    - maxSolidsConcentration_VID
    The above constants can be used to set or fetch values in a concentration and/or diafiltration operation that is apart of a SuperPro Designer simulated process.

28. B3 SBN 1500: Flush Operation's Operating Parameters Can Now Be Accessed from COM Engine's API (Improvement)
    As requested from our users, some operating parameters related to a flush operation can now be can now be accessed by the COM engine's API:
    - flushVolume_VID
    - relativeFlushVolume_VID
    The above constants can be used to set or fetch values in a flush operation that is apart of a SuperPro Designer simulated process.
    
    

B03, SBN 1400 RELEASE (11/09/2015)

1. B03, SBN 1400: Component and Mixture Registration Dialog Now Reports Original Source of Ingredient. (Improvement)
   When visiting the Component Registration dialog, we have now added a new column that indicates which database the component was originally copied from ("Designer", "User", "DIPPR" or "PPDS"). This will remind users which DB they used to register each component, days or even months after developing a design case. Also, during the display of all registered components, besides mentioning the original source DB, the application now shows an asterisk "(*)" if at the time of display the component exists in the DB of reference but some of its data don't match with the DB counterpart. Please note that the properties of "Local Name", "Trade Name" and "CAS Number" are not consulted in determining if the "(*)" designation should appear. In a future release, the application will also mark specifically which of the component's property values do not currently match with the values of its counterpart in the DB. If the component no longer exists in the DB of record, or perhaps the DB is no longer accessible by SuperPro Designer during the viewing of the component registration dialog, a "(-)" will be displayed next to the DB name. For components that were created just to exist in a design case file (but were not pulled from a DB) the designation "Local" will appear.
   A similar approach has been followed for Stock Mixtures (and their ingredients). Of course, mixtures can only reside in the "User" database, but in the case of mixtures, one would like to know where the ingredients came from. Furthermore, when registering a stock mixture in a simulation file, the program will first check to verify that all of its ingredients are already registered (even if they have different origins than the originally intended ingredients). For example, if the original stock mixture in the User DB was defined with a "DIPPR" ACETONE and "DIPPR" Water, when registering this mixture in a simulation file that already has "Designer" Water, it will accept it and will not require you to re-introduce a DIPPR "WATER". If Acetone does not exist, it will offer to register it from "DIPPR" first (if available), but it can also accept "Acetone" from the Designer pure component DB.

2. B03, SBN 1400: If a Component Property Value is Missing from PPDS It Is Now Reported. (Improvement)
   When registering a component by pulling it from the PPDS database, if the component has property values that are missing (unknown) in the database, the value set by the PPDS developers is typically a slight negative value (when a positive one is expected). Such properties include, Freezing Temperature, or Critical Pressure, or Critical Pressure, etc. When a component imported from PPDS has such a 'missing' component property value for a property that can be used by SuperPro Designer, a warning is generated. Note that for properties that are not currently used by SuperPro Designer (e.g. Freezing Temperature), no such warning is generated.

3. B03, SBN 1400: Continuous (by Nature) Operations Adopt to the Procedure's Chosen PS Toolbox. (Improvement)
   All continuous (by nature) operation models have been carefully revisited to make sure that any user's choice expressed in the selection of the unit procedure's calculation toolbox, is used during any vapor-liquid calculations or enthalpy calculations during the operation's simulation module. Please note that we have made every effort to make sure that enthalpy is preserved during any M&E balance computations, even in the face of discontinuous PS Toolbox specifications to output streams. Any such discontinuity may be reflected in a jump in temperature but not enthalpy. Also, please note that if, by the nature of the operation, it can make no use of a PS toolbox (e.g. all valves), then the option of viewing / setting the PS toolbox has been removed from the list of context command for that procedure.

4. B03, SBN 1400: Components Pulled from the PPDS database Calculated Incorrect Gaseous Cp(T) values.  (Bug Fix)
   When registering into a design case a pure component using PPDS as the data source, the correlation provided by PPDS for the calculation of enthalpy at a given temperature, yielded incorrect results for gaseous enthalpy values as a function of temperature. The temperature integral correlation was replaced by a numerical integration method that yields much more accurate results.

5. B03, SBN 1400: Vent, Purge and Evacuate Operations Had a Minor Back-Compatibility Issue.  (Bug Fix)
   Due to a bug when reading older files containing an operation of type Vent, Purge or Evacuate, a pressure specification was not read correctly. This has been fixed.

6. B03, SBN 1400: Procedure Bitmap Indicators Didn't Show During Printing or After Copy-and-Pasting.  (Bug Fix)
   When attempting to print a flowsheet that included procedures with some bitmap indicators showing (e.g. for multiple units or sharing equipment, etc.) the bitmaps didn't print. The same behavior was reported when copying-and-pasting either the whole flowsheet (or parts of it that included such procedures). This has been fixed.

7. B03, SBN 1400: Components from DIPPR/PPDS with Long Formal Names Were Truncated to 32 Characters.  (Bug Fix)
   When introducing a new stock mixture with an ingredient from either DIPPR or PPDS, the actual full (formal) name of that component can contain up to 64 characters. Up to this release, only 32 characters were kept leading to possible mix-ups with other components that may have same (formal) names up to the first 32 characters. This has been fixed and the full name of the component is kept to avoid mismatches later.

8. B03, SBN 1400: Erroneous Warnings about Inappropriate Heat Transfer Agents Fixed.  (Bug Fix)
   When engaging a heat transfer agent (with given inlet and outlet temperatures), the program would check at the end of the simulation if the supply and return temperatures of the agent are appropriate to carry out the assigned heat transfer task. In some cases, specifically at continuous operations with exiting streams having their own PS Toolbox (different from the procedure's PS toolbox), the program used to engage the output stream's toolbox estimate for the outlet temperature in order to test for the appropriateness of the chosen heat transfer agent. This value would be different from what the simulation model would have predicted if the PS toolbox of the operation (procedure) is different from the toolbox of the outlet stream. Starting with this release, the correct value is used (the one based on the operation's toolbox). Please note that in some cases, the error reported may not make sense to a user who is checking the temperature of the outlet stream. Caution needs to be used for cases like this (where the outlet stream has an overwritten PS toolbox).

9. B03, SBN 1400: Heat Exchanging Operation Revamped.  (Bug Fix)
   The entire simulation model for a heat exchanging operation (continuous) has been re-written in order to better report troublesome matches (in case of operating specifications that cannot be achieved by the matched streams. Once again, caution needs to be used when users overwrite the PS calculation toolbox of either output stream and/or the PS calculation toolbox of the operation (procedure) itself, thereby having the temperature-enthalpy calculations done differently from the input streams. Also, prior to this release, when the equipment was set in rating mode, the simulation model would echo some unnecessary warnings/error messages. This has been fixed.

10. B03, SBN 1400: Erroneous Estimation of Shortcut Distillation's Top and/or Bottom Stage Outlet Streams.  (Bug Fix)
    The stream exiting the top stage in a distillation column is the feed to the condenser (total or partial) of the column. The bottom stage's outlet stream is the feed to the total reboiler. Both streams are supposed to be at their Vapor-Liquid equilibrium line (either complete vapor, for top outlet, or complete liquid for bottom outlet). Their temperatures can be estimated based on their composition and it is needed in order to estimate the loads of the condenser, and then the reboiler. When noncondensables are present, this calculation was in error, leading to incorrect load calculations. This has now been fixed.

11. B03, SBN 1400: PFR Pressure Setting Not Interpreted Correctly.  (Bug Fix)
    The Plug-Flow reaction's pressure setting was not taken correctly into consideration by the program. This has now been fixed.

12. B03, SBN 1400: User-Selected Error/Warning Filter Level Was Not Saved and Restored with the Document.  (Bug Fix)
    The warning or error level filter has a setting that allows users to see more or less warnings and/or errors. The setting was not saved with the file. This has now been fixed.

13. B03, SBN 1400: Drum Drying Operation Now Accurately Calculates the Temperature of the Outlet Vapor.  (Improvement)
    Instead of assuming that the outlet vapors from a drum drying operation, have the same temperature as the dried solids, the simulation model now calculates correctly the enthalpy and from there the temperature of the outlet vapor stream.

14. B03, SBN 1400: Kinetic Reaction Model Calculations Can Now Be Aborted By User (if needed.  (Improvement)
    When integrating the set of equations described by a complicated reaction modeling scheme, a numerical ODE integrator that uses a variable time step, is used. In case of steep kinetics, or kinetics that can change abruptly during the reaction time (e.g. because of imposed stop/start criteria, or a reactant becoming extinct during the reaction) the numerical algorithm could be 'stuck' for a while trying to figure out the "appropriate" time step.

15. B03, SBN 1400: Start/Stop Criteria in Reaction Kinetic Modeling Interpreted Concentrations Incorrectly.  (Bug Fix)
    The start/stop concentration criteria utilized a user-specified concentration threshold for a component. When utilized in the context of fermentations the concentrations were correctly used. But when utilized in the context of reaction kinetics, where the rate is supposed to be express on a per-mole basis, the concentration units were incorrectly interpreted as moles per volume (when were set as mass per volume). This has now been fixed. Furthermore, the option to specify the criteria on a per mol basis has been added.

16. B03, SBN 1400: Add New Consumable Button Is Always Inactive.  (Bug Fix)
    When viewing the interface for adding/removing consumables in the "Consumables Databank" (under Databanks/Consumables...), the button for adding a new consumable was never active. The only way to add a consumable was by right-clicking over the consumable category (on the left) and select "Add". This has now been fixed and the "Add New..." button is active when selecting (on the right-hand side pane) a consumable category.

17. B03, SBN 1400: Consumable Prices on the Equipment Consumables Tab Were Shown Incorrectly (in some cases).  (Bug Fix)
    In some cases, the price of a user-created consumable (added to the user database and engaged in a specific equipment) may be shown incorrectly (unit conversion error). This has now been fixed.

18. B03, SBN 1400: Heat Recovery Interface Cannot Be Exited (in rare cases).  (Bug Fix)
    In some cases, after some poor matches have been selected and as a result more energy is needed for heating up a selected high cooling load, the user could not exit the dialog (and no error message was shown). This has now been fixed.

19. B03, SBN 1400: Improved Rotary Drying Model. (Improvement)
    The enthalpy of the "Air-Out" stream is now calculated based on an overall enthalpy balance (instead of assumed to be the same as the dried solids). Also, the pressure of the "Air-Out" stream is now set to being equal to the pressure of the inlet stream when the operating pressure is set by user and it is furthermore assumed to be 100% vapor (so it's physical state toolbox cannot be set by the user). The temperature of that outlet stream is calculated based on this assumption and the assumed enthalpy (as it comes out of the overall energy balance in the operation).

20. B03, SBN 1400: Improved Context Menu Commands for All Time Charts. (Improvement)
    The order and grouping of all the commands that appear in a time chart (Equipment Occupancy Chart - EOC -, Resource Consumption chart and/or Auxiliary Equipment Demand Chart) have been re-organized to improve access by the user.

21. B03, SBN 1400: Improved Continuous Crystallization Model. (Improvement)
    To account for the boiling point elevation the temperature of the vapor stream is no longer set equal to the boiling point of the solution ("Evaporation Temperature"). Instead, it is set equal to the boiling point of the heaviest volatile component that is present in the feed stream (at a pressure value taken from the crystallization operating pressure setting).

22. B03, SBN 1400: Negative Reboiler Duty Calculated in a Short-Cut Distillation Model (in rare cases).  (Bug Fix)
    Under a rare confluence of unfortunate specifications on the shortcut distillation model, and only when non-condensable substances are present, and the user imposed different physical state toolboxes between the feed stream and the outlets of the distillation, it was possible that the reboiler's duty (essentially the balance of enthalpy input from the feed and the estimate of the condenser duty) was calculated as negative! This case was missed in the pass, leading to further issues with the displayed values of heat transfer agent rates and possible choices for alternative selections (cooling agents instead of heating agents). This has now been fixed.

23. B03, SBN 1400: Critical Temperature Values for Several Components Updated in System DB.  (Improvement)
    Several pure components were missing their critical temperature property value from the System DB. After researching the open literature, values for following components were added:
    - Sodium Nitrate
    - Magnesium Sulfate
    - Ammonium Sulfate
    - Ammonium Hydroxide
    - Sodium Carbonate
    - Sodium Bicarbonate
    Also, the "Is Biomass" flag is now set for the "Yeast" component.
    Critical temperature values are important in the context of process simulation with SuperPro Designer, as the program will consider components at a given temperature T as non-condensables if the temperature is above their critical temperature.

24. B03, SBN 1400: Example Case Studies Have Component and/or Mixture Properties Updated.  (Improvement)
    Since some of the pure components and/or stock mixtures registered in our example case files have been pulled out of our databases long time ago, some of their physical properties used to show as "different" from their database counterparts (since their database counterparts have been updated). We have now re-aligned all component and mixture properties with our database entities (when in existence). Please note that some will still show as "Modified" (i.e., with an asterisk next to their database of origin) as either (a) their economic properties (such as price, waste treatment cost, etc.) may have been set, or (b) some particular property (such as particle diameter) may have been adjusted for the particular use in that design case file.

B03, SBN 1200 RELEASE (09/09/2015)

1. B03, SBN 1200: Component and Mixture Registration Dialog Now Reports Original Source of Ingredient. (Improvement)
   When visiting the Component Registration dialog, we have now added a new column that indicates which database the component was originally copied from ("Designer", "User", "DIPPR" or "PPDS"). This will help users (days or even months after developing a design case) to remember which DB they used to register each component. Also, during the display of all registered components, besides mentioning the original source DB, SuperPro now shows a mark or "(*)" if at the time of display the component exists in the DB of reference but some of its data don't match with the DB counterpart. If the component no longer exists in the DB of record, or perhaps the DB is no longer accessible by SuperPro Designer during the viewing of the component registration dialog, a "(-)" will be displayed next to the DB name. For components that were created just to exist in a design case file (but were not pulled from a DB, the designation "Local" will appear.
   A similar approach has been followed for Stock Mixtures (and their ingredients). Of course, mixtures can only reside in the "User" database, but in the case of mixtures, one would like to know where the ingredients came from. Furthermore, when registering a stock mixture in a simulation file, SuperPro will make first a check to see if all of its ingredients are already registered (even if they have different origins than the originally intended ingredients). For example, if the original stock mixture in the user DB was defined with a "DIPPR" ACETONE and "DIPPR" Water, when registering this mixture in a simulation file that already has "Designer" Water, it will accept it and will not require you to re-introduce a DIPPR "WATER". If Acetone does not exist, it will offer to register it from "DIPPR" first (if available), but it can also accept "Acetone" from the Designer pure component DB.

2. B03, SBN 1200: Academic, Single-User Edition Lifts the Limitation of Preventing External File Links. (Improvement)
   Up to this build, the Academic, Single-User Edition of SuperPro Designer, would prevent users from initializing the contents of equipment or input streams from counterparts in external files. This restriction has been lifted.
   Please note that this restriction still exists for the Demo, Lite, Academic Site, VR1 and VR2 editions of the software.

3. B03, SBN 1200: Continuous (by Nature) Operations Adopt to the Procedure's Chosen PS Toolbox. (Improvement)
   All continuous (by nature) operations have been carefully revisited to make sure that any user's choice expressed in the selection of the unit procedure's calculation toolbox, is used during any vapor-liquid calculations or enthalpy calculations during the operation's simulation module. Please note that we have made every effort to make sure that enthalpy is preserved during any M&E balance computations, even in the face of discontinuous PS Toolbox specifications to output streams. Any such discontinuity may be reflected in a jump in temperature but not enthalpy.

4. B03, SBN 1200: Degraded Situations (when inputs may be with zero flow) Are Better Handled.  (Bug Fix)
   Sometimes, (esp. when the flowsheet contains loops) calculations need to be carried through procedures where a stream with zero flow is one of the inputs. In such cases, previous builds didn't successfully carry over the effect to the outputs (i.e., produce zero outputs) leading to less stable iterative calculations. This has now been fixed.

5. B03, SBN 1200: Copy-and-Paste of Flowsheet (or Section thereof) Now Carries any Bitmap Indicators Around Procedure Icons.  (Bug Fix)
   When copying either the entire flowsheet (or part of it) and pasting the picture in another application (e.g. MS-Excel, or MS-Word) for reporting purposes, the bitmap indicators around procedure icons (e.g. for muliple-cycles, or equipment-sharing, etc.) did not print on the destination application. This has now been fixed.

6. B03, SBN 1200: PPDS Ideal Gas Cp Values Were Incorrectly Calculated.  (Bug Fix)
   Due to a bug in the calculation of Cp(T) as an ideal gas for components drawn from PPDS, their enthalpy (as gases) were also incorrectly calculated leading to incorrect energy balance results. This has now been fixed.
   
   B03, SBN 1100 RELEASE (8/1/2015)
   

7. B03, SBN 1100: Equipment Contents Initialization: Allow for User-Selectable Agent to be Used by Default for All Equipment. (Improvement)
   The equipment contents for vessel-type equipment (i.e. that have the ability to hold material) were previously always initialized with air, unless the user intervened and provided his/her own composition (or a link to other equipment contents in the same or other file that are to be used as the 'initial contents' before each simulation run. For cases where users would typically start with vessels filled with another agent (e.g. Nitrogen) the previous arrangement was not very user-friendly. Starting with this release, a user can provide (at the process level) an agent to be used as the default agent for 'filling-up' the initial contents of all such vessels. This agent must be in gaseous phase at ambient conditions (T & P).  Look for a new entry under the flowsheet's context (right-click) menu under Preferences / Equipment / Initial Contents. Furthermore, the procedure's context menu has been re-organized to provide easier access to the Equipment's Initial content options.

8. B03, SBN 1100: Batch-Mode Equipment in a Continuous Flowsheet Can Have Their Initial Contents Customizable. (Improvement)
   The equipment contents for vessel-type equipment (i.e. that have the ability to hold material) hosting a batch procedure (e.g. a batch reaction) in a flowsheet set to operate in a continuous mode, were previously always initialized by air. Starting with this release, the contents can be initialized with another agent (e.g. Nitrogen).

9. B03, SBN 1100: Proper Size/Location Adjustment of Icons / Text when Viewing Flowsheet in Different Resolutions. (Improvement)
   When creating and saving a file in one resolution (or hardware configuration) and then opening the flowsheet for viewing in the same or different PC that employes different hardware configuration for display, icons used to show (sometimes) too squeezed in with each other resulting in stream lines that were tangled up and text objects overlapping the icons. Starting with this release, a new strategy has been employed that attempts to scale the locations (and sizes) of procedure icons so that the flowsheet still shows as close to the originally designed configuration as possible.

10. B03, SBN 1100: Copying-and-Pasting Resulting in Renaming of Resources (e.g. Heat Transfer Agents) Employed by One or More of the Copied Operations. (Bug Fix)
    In rare cases, after copying-and-pasting one or multiple unit procedures (containing several operations), some resource names (e.g. heat transfer agents, or labor types, or power types, etc.) could end up having their names changed inadvertently. This would only happen if the resources involved did not exist in the user's database (at the time of pasting). This has been fixed. Also, in the unlikely case that the names of one or more of such resources existed in the user's database but for a different purpose, the conflicting resource's name is automatically changed to something unique (and the user is notified).

11. B03, SBN 1100: Multi-Effect Evaporation (MME): Final Liquor and Condensed Vapor Outlets Are Assumed to be at Ambient Pressure.   (Improvement)
    If the pressure of the liquor stream is less than the ambient pressure (common occurrence) previously the outlet stream would come out at a reduced pressure leading to issues when this stream was further handled downstream. Now, a pump is assumed to exist 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 pressure.

12. B03, SBN 1100: Energy Balances Across Valves Sometimes Did not Preserve the Total Enthalpy of the Stream.  (Bug Fix)
    When executing the energy balances around a valve, in some rare circumstances where the PS Calculation Toolbox was different for the input stream and the valve UP (or the output stream), the enthalpy of the output stream may have changed. This has been fixed.

13. B03, SBN 1100: Multi-Effect Evaporation: Improved Error Reporting.  (Improvement)
    The program used to display an error if the condensing temperature of steam in the first effect (“Condensing Temperature of Heating Fluid in First Effect”) was less than or equal to the temperature of the feed stream (E101.5075). This constraint did not make sense and it has been removed.

14. B03, SBN 1100: Kinetic Reaction Energy Balance: Now it Allows for Accounting of Phase Changes (conditionally).  (Improvement)
    The program used to carry out the integration of the energy balance equation and further calculation of either the temperature profile or the load requirement (in time), assuming that no phase changes existed from the beginning of the reaction and till completion. Also, if the heat of the reaction was to be considered, then the enthalpy of the reaction provided by the user (at reference conditions) must involve all components in physical states (liquid, solid or gas) matching the phase they exist in the reactor throughout (and not change). If any of these conditions were incorrect, then the results of the enthalpy balance was inaccurate. This has now been fixed, and the model is fully capable of handling phase changes. The interface has been expanded so that the user gives permission to the code to either assume or not assume phase changes (note that if the heat balance cannot make the assumption of 'no-phase-change', then it is more complex and may take longer time to be solved).

15. B03, SBN 1100: Plug Flow Kinetic Reaction Modeling : Now it Allows for Accounting of Phase Changes (conditionally).  (Improvement)
    Just like the solution of energy balance in kinetic reactions did not factor the possibility of phase changes, neither did the model for kinetic reaction in a PFR. In a manner similar to the above, this has now been improved.

16. B03, SBN 1100: Plug Flow Kinetic Reaction Modeling : Heating/Cooling Load and Heating/Cooling Load per Length Were Inaccurately Calculated.  (Bug Fix)
    When simulating a kinetic reaction in a PFR, under isothermal conditions, the heating (or cooling) load per unit length as well as the overall heating (or cooling) load was inaccurately calculated. This has been fixed.

17. B03, SBN 1100: Procedure 's Scheduling Tab.   (Bug Fix)
    For procedures whose cycle time could be either set by the user or calculated by the program (by checking or un-checking, respectively, the “Set by User” option that exists on the Scheduling tab of the procedure data dialog), the cycle time could no longer be calculated once it was set by the user.
    You could still un-check the “Set by User” option but as soon as you clicked OK to close the procedure data dialog, that option would become checked again. This issue has now been fixed.

18. B03, SBN 1100: Multi-Effect Evaporation: Unnecessary Error Report.  (Bug Fix)
    The program used to display an error if the condensing temperature of steam in the first effect (“Condensing Temperature of Heating Fluid in First Effect”) was less than or equal to the temperature of the feed stream (E101.5075). This constraint did not make sense and it has been removed.

19. B03, SBN 1100: Chemical Engineering Index Has Been Updated.   (Improvement)
    The values of Chemical Engineering Index, used by the program to carry over cash flows (or values) from the model estimated dollar values to today, has been updated based on values published in the literature.

20. B03, SBN 1100: Storage Units (SU) Display of Composition Changes in Time is Now Ordered based on Start of New Deposit.   (Improvement)
    Storage units are a convenient tool that can be used to accumulate material from different sources (washes, waste outputs, etc.) without actually drawing a connection line (as they may be from remote parts of the flowsheet). Users have had the ability to see how the composition of this collection unit changes in time (as more and more material gets deposited). The order of presentation is now based on time of arrival of new material.

21. B03, SBN 1100: Gasification Operation: Corrected an Issue with M&E Balances that (in rare circumstances) Could Lead to Unstable Solutions.  (Bug Fix)
    Due to an error in calculations related to the gasification operations, it was possible that the solution might be different depending on whether carbon conversion or gasification temperature was set. This has now been fixed.

22. B03, SBN 1100: When Displaying Cp vs T chart for Liquid or Gaseous Cp, not All 5 Coefficients Were Taken Into Account.  (Bug Fix)
    In older releases, the Cp vs T correlation used to support only 3 parameters. In later implementations, and to support new links to PPDS databases that provided 5 parameters, the Cp relation supported up to 5 coefficients. However, when viewing the properties of a component, when asking to display a chart of Cp vs T only 3 parameters were used. This has been fixed.

23. B03, SBN 1100: When Displaying the User-Defined-User-Cost Interface for Some Equipment Types, Program Crashed.  (Bug Fix)
    In very few cases (e.g. Belt Conveyor) when displaying the interface that allows a user to provide their own user-defined cost model, the program crashed. This was an issue with equipment types whose sizing parameter (i.e., the parameter used to determine the number of units in design mode) was NOT the same as the costing This has now been fixed.

24. B03, SBN 1100: Screw Conveying Operation: Specific Power Units Were Incorrect.  (Bug Fix)
    In Screw Conveying operation, the units displayed for setting the specific power were incorrect. Instead of using volume-specific units, mass-specific units were used. This has now been fixed.

25. B03, SBN 1100: System DB Has Been Updated.   (Improvement)
    Several new components (along with their properties) have been added to the System DB. Also, the parameters associated with the enthalpy of vaporization of water have been fine-tuned to produce better enthalpy values for steam that are critical for turbine, steam generation, gasification, multi-effect evaporation operations (among others).

26. B03, SBN 1100: Flotation Operation: Air Solubility Units Were Incorrect.  (Bug Fix)
    In the flotation operation, and according to the instructions displayed on the interface of its i/o dialog, the user was supposed to provide the solubility of air in mL/L. However, the program used to interpret the values provided as "L/L". This has now been fixed.

27. B03, SBN 1100: When Displaying Table of Registered Components, Local Name Appears First (Consistent with Database Content Display).   (Improvement)
    Whereas in every other interface where a pure component (or stock mixture) is supposed to be chosen, the member list is filled by the local name, when displaying the registration table of components, the list was ordered by their Formal names (and were displayed first). This has now been fixed, and components (and mixtures) appear in an order consistent with their local names (and the local name appears first).

28. B03, SBN 1100: When Changing the Display Resolution of Windows, while the Application was Running, a Crush May Occur.  (Bug Fix)
    In the early release of v9.5, when the application was running and the user attempted to change the display resolution, the application would report a crash. This has now been fixed.

29. B03, SBN 1100: When Running the Help Facility, After Several Times of Alternating between the Help and the Program a Crash May Result.  (Bug Fix)
    In the early release of v9.5, if the user displayed the online (context-sensitive) help facility of the application, and kept it on, after switching back-and-forth between the application and the help, a crash may result. This has now been fixed.

30. B03, SBN 1100: Crystallization Operation: Error when Changing Units in the Crystallization Data Tab.  (Bug Fix)
    An error was displayed when the user tried to change the units of Crystallization Heat through the Crystal. Data tab of the Crystallization operation. This has now been fixed.

31. B03, SBN 1100: Multi-Input GBX Operations: Error in Heat Balance.  (Bug Fix)
    When performing energy balances in a GBX operation (e.g. reaction), only the enthalpy of the stream connected to the default input line was factored in. This has now been fixed.

32. B03, SBN 1100: Scheduling Tab (of any operation) May Lead to a Crash (under rare circumstances.  (Bug Fix)
    When activating the "Scheduling Tab" (of any batch operation), when the Reference was shown as "Beginning of the Batch", the drop-down control for switching from Start-to-Start, to Stat-to-Finish, etc. was still active (but showing "(none)"). If the user elected to switch to any other mode (from "(none"), the application would hang. This has been fixed.

33. B03, SBN 1100: Batch Vaporization (Rigorous): If an Infeasible Goal is Set, Operation Now Doesn't Spend Time Attempting to Achieve it.   (Improvement)
    When a user requests a batch vaporization operation to achieve an impossible goal (e.g. to attempt to concentrate a solution with respect to the most volatile component and without swapping solvent), the program used to keep trying to find a solution (e.g. an appropriate evaporation rate, or process time) for a very long time before it quit. There have been now some checks placed that can detect some obviously impossible goal assignments and will allow the operation to report it directly (without wasting time attempting to find a solution).

34. B03, SBN 1100: Multi-Input GBX Operations: Error in Heat Balance.  (Bug Fix)
    When the Operating Mode was set to Solvent Switch Mode, the replacement solvent volume units displayed on the “Mat. Balance” tab of the operation’s data dialog were not working properly. For example, changing the units selection did not automatically convert the replacement solvent volume value to the new units. Also, the choice of units was not saved after the dialog was closed. This has now been fixed.

35. B03, SBN 1100: Multi-Input GBX Operations: Error in Heat Balance.  (Bug Fix)
    When the Operating Mode was set to Solvent Switch Mode, and the replacement solvent volume was set by the user, and the fresh solvent component(s) happened to have the same relative evaporation as the evaporated solvent component(s), the mass balance calculations were wrong . This has now been fixed.

36. B03, SBN 1100: Steam Generation Operation: Several Improvements.   (Improvement)
    a) The use of the built-in steam calculator to estimate enthalpies for feed water and generated steam is now optional. The steam calculator was previously an option when the thermodynamic properties engine of the application was not accurate enough to produce acceptable results. This is no longer the case, and therefore, the use of steam calculator is optional (kept for historical reasons).
    b) An error generated when the feed water stream appears exclusively in the vapor phase has been removed to allow for more flexibility in use. For example, the feed water can now be all steam in order to be used to simulate steam generation in a separately fired superheater.

37. B03, SBN 1100: Shortcut Distillation Operation Now Allows for User to Set the Operating Temperatures for the Condenser and Reboiler of the Column.   (Improvement)
    Normally the condenser in a column is assumed to be the bubble point temperature of the distillate. In other words, the condenser assumed at the top of the column, is assumed to completely convert the vapor outlet of the top plate to liquid (but does not cool it down any further). Since the composition of the distillate (and the operating pressure) is known, the program used to calculate the condenser temperature. Some users needed more flexibility, starting with this release, the condenser temperature can be set (instead of calculated). A similar flexibility has been given for the reboiler operating temperature.

38. B03, SBN 1100: Shortcut Distillation Operation Now Displays alongside the Relative Volatilities the Boiling Point of Each Component.   (Improvement)
    The i/o dialog of the shortcut distillation operation displays a table that allows the user to provide the relative volatility of each component. This table now also displays for each component its boiling point (at the operating pressure of the column and based on its Antoinne coefficients). The user can elect to sort the components based on their boiling point in order to be assisted with their specification of a) the distillate percentages of each component and b) each component's relative volatility values.

39. B03, SBN 1100: Mixture Making Operation Allows for Pressure Settings.   (Improvement)
    The mixture making operation normally calculates the outlet pressure as the smallest of all input stream's pressures. However, in case a user need to overwrite this calculation, the appropriate controls have been added on the operation's i/o simulation dialog (in a manner analogous to other mixing operations).

40. B03, SBN 1100: Energy Recovery Interface Does Not Accommodate All Energy Units (in a batch mode flowsheet).  (Bug Fix)
    When the default energy units are set to kW (in a process set to operate in batch mode) the energy recovery interface did not used to appropriately accommodate that setting.  This has now been fixed.

41. B03, SBN 1100: Some i/o Operation Simulation Dialogs Were Showing Components in Random Order.  (Bug Fix)
    When a user is called upon to select a component from the list of registered components the list is always alphabetically ordered (based on the components' local name. There were few instances where the above rule was not followed. This has now been fixed.

42. B03, SBN 1100: Column Elution Operation: i/o Operation Didn't Deactivate the Selection of Eluant B (when such selection was unnecessary).  (Bug Fix)
    When opts for an isocratic elution, the button that brings up the selection of Eluant "B" should not be active. This has now been fixed.

43. B03, SBN 1100: When a HX Agent is Deemed Inappropriate a Warning is Issued but the Selection is Not Cancelled.   (Improvement)
    In previous releases, when the simulation engine detected that the selection of a heat transfer agent (for any operation that required heating or cooling) was inappropriate, a warning was issued, and the previously selected agent was removed. This was forcing the user to revisit the operation's i/o dialog and select his/her own choice for a replacement. Since the inappropriateness of the agent may have been the result of a previous operation, this behavior was forcing users to simply re-select the same agent. Starting with this release, the warning is issued, but the agent is not removed.

44. B03, SBN 1100: Heating and Cooling Operation Generated Inappropriate Error when HX Agent's Inlet and Outlet Temperatures were the Same.  (Bug Fix)
    Even though it is perfectly acceptable that a heat transfer agent may have been defined to have its supply and return temperatures the same (so its latent heat is used) the heating and the cooling operations reported an error when such a situation was encountered. This has now been fixed.

45. B03, SBN 1100: Heating and Cooling Operation Did Not Update the UA value.  (Bug Fix)
    Due to an error, the constant heating rate was not updated previously when the overall "UA" option was set. Reversely, when the UA option was set, the constant heating rate was not updated. This has now been fixed.

46. B03, SBN 1100: Excel Link between Grid Tables and Excel Spreadsheet Areas Didn't Work As Expected.  (Bug Fix)
    Due to an error, under some rare circumstances, the Excel link connection didn't work as expected. This has now been fixed.

47. B03, SBN 1100: Saving a File without OLE Objects Lead to Locking the File.  (Bug Fix)
    Due to an error, when saving a file without any OLE objects that are contained in it, the resulting file was left 'locked' and therefore if attempted to be opened, the only choice was to open it in a "Read-Only" mode. This has now been fixed.

48. B03, SBN 1100: When a Procedure's Physical State Toolbox Is not Used, then It is not Shown.   (Improvement)
    In some cases (e.g. a centrifugal pump) all the simulation results of their contained operations do not rely (at all) on the unit procedure's physical state toolbox. In those cases, the option of allowing the user to change it is not shown on the UP's context menu.

49. B03, SBN 1100: When the Operation's Scheduling Is with Respect to Beginning of Batch, the Nature of Dependency (start-to-start, start-to-finish, etc.) Is Disabled.  (Bug Fix)
    Due to an error, when the scheduling start of an operation is not set to be with respect to another operation but with respect to the start of the batch, the choice of the dependency (if it's start-to-start, or start-to-finish, or finish-to-start, etc.) should not be open for choice. Previously if such a choice was made, this lead to a crash. This has now been fixed.

50. B03, SBN 1100: Bug Fixes in Batch Vaporization Operation When Set in Solvent Switch Mode.  (Bug Fix)
    Two bug fixes were corrected when the batch vaporization operation was set to "Solvent Switch" mode:
    1) The choice for replacement volume units displayed on the "Mat Balance" tab of the operation's i/o dialog were not working properly.
    2) When the replacement solvent volume was set by the user and the fresh solvent component(s) happened to save the same relative evaporation as the evaporated solvent component(s), the mass balance calculations were wrong.

51. B03, SBN 1100: When Moving Icons and/or Streams Close to Edge of the Available Drawing Area, the Application Deemed it 'Out-of-Bounds'.  (Bug Fix)
    Due to an error, moving a set of unit procedure icons and/or streams near the edge of the drawing area the application refused to allow it, judging that the icons and/or streams were out-of-bounds. This has now been fixed.

52. B03, SBN 1100: After Suggestions from Users, More Variables Can Now Be Accessed by the COM Engine of the Application.   (Improvement)
    After user recommendations we have added more options for setting and retrieving values to more operation variables (e.g. Column Elution). As a standing commitment to our users, we will continue to add choices based on our users' requests.

53. B03, SBN 1100: Simplified the Interface for Users who May Choose to Ignore the Reaction Enthalpy.   (Improvement)
    If a user chooses to ignore the enthalpy of a reaction (stoichiometric, equilibrium or kinetic) previously the interface did not make explicit how this assumption was factored into the energy (enthalpy) calculations around the reaction model. Even worse, for users operating isothermally it was a little misleading, as one may have though that the setting of "Ignore Reaction Heat" implied zero heat at the reaction's (set) temperature. The new interface makes it explicit that when a user chooses to "Ignore the Reaction Heat", it implies that the enthalpy calculations will assume that the difference between the reactant and product enthalpies is 0.0, at the temperature where the enthalpy value of every substance is assumed to be 0.0. That is the ONLY assumption possible that will allow us to maintain enthalpy integrity. Please note that the enthalpy reference conditions are a user-selectable (default to 1 bar, 0°C and liquid state) but can be modified by the user the document's command menu.