Czech

3

prof. Ing. Zdeněk Jegla, Ph.D.

Institute of Process Engineering

The student must be able to:

• set up mass and energy balances of a simple device;
• describe phase equilibria of pure substances and mixtures;
• calculate heat duty, log-mean temperature difference and exchanger area;
• calculate pipe pressure drop and determine the pump operating point;
• work with technical data tables and SI units.

These skills are acquired in Heat Transfer Processes, Hydraulic Processes, Engineering Thermodynamics and Balancing of Process and Energy Systems, which students have completed.

Course-unit credit (ungraded), conditional on regular attendance and a successful final test.

Requirements:

1. Attendance: attendance at the exercises is compulsory and checked by the instructor at every class. Two absences are allowed without making up. Every further absence must be duly justified and the student solves the problems that were missed.
2. Final practical test (week 13): the test consists of two problems which the student solves independently in ChemCAD (flowsheet setup, thermodynamic model selection, calculation, equipment design, interpretation of results). The first problem focuses on a heat exchanger and a piping network with a pump (learning outcomes 1–3 and 6), the second on mixture separation and distillation, including mixture properties and the distillation curve (learning outcomes 1, 2 and 4–6). The test demonstrates the ability to work with the software independently, and the two problems together verify all learning outcomes. Students may not use AI during the test. The pass mark is 50 % of the points. A student who fails at the regular date has two retakes until the end of the examination period.

Credit calculation

3 credits × 26 h = 78 h of student workload: 39 h of contact teaching (13 × 3 h) and approx. 39 h of independent work (finishing tasks from the exercises, practising ChemCAD procedures and preparing for the final practical test).

Upon completion of the course, the student is able to do the following in ChemCAD:

1. select a suitable thermodynamic model for a given mixture and operating conditions and justify the choice by comparing the results of alternative models,
2. build a flowsheet of a process line from basic units (heat exchanger, pump and piping, reactor, combustion unit, flash/separator, distillation column) and achieve convergence,
3. design the main dimensions of a heat exchanger, determine a suitable pipe diameter including pressure drop, select a pump for a given flow rate and pressure conditions and solve more complex piping networks using the Node unit,
4. design binary and multicomponent distillation (number of stages, feed stage, reflux ratio), determine column diameter, height and pressure drop, and estimate capital and operating costs,
5. obtain properties of substances and mixtures from the simulator and construct the distillation curve of a given hydrocarbon mixture,
6. interpret simulation results (mass and energy balance, temperatures, pressures, stream compositions) and assess their plausibility.

Exercise assignments and ChemCAD guides are provided by the instructor continuously during the semester on a shared drive accessible to enrolled students and in the course group in MS Teams. The core documentation consists of a collection of examples, the program manual (CHEMCAD User Guide) and the built-in help.

Programme N-PRI-P: Process Engineering, Master's, compulsory-optional

39 hours, compulsory

1. What process simulation is. Available simulation software and their comparison. Effect of the thermodynamic model on results. ChemCAD basics.


2. Heat exchanger unit and heat exchanger design in ChemCAD. Demonstration of connecting AI to ChemCAD and its use.


3. Piping networks: pipe diameter, pressure drop, pump design.


4. Chemical reactors and combustion.


5. Flue gas cleaning simulation.


6. Units for mixtures: separator and flash.


7. Condensation stabilisation unit and heat exchanger design.


8. Properties of substances and mixtures from the simulator, distillation curve.


9. Binary distillation.


10. Multicomponent distillation: column diameter, height, pressure drop, capital and operating costs.


11. Complex piping networks – solving piping networks using the Node unit.


12. Revision on simple problems, preparation for the test.


13. Final practical test in ChemCAD (two problems).