Aspen Custom Modeler TM

CUSTOM MODELING SYSTEM

Version

10.1-0

Getting Started AspenTech7

 COPYRIGHT 1982–1999 Aspen Technology, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The flowsheet graphics and plot components of Aspen Plus were developed by MY-Tech, Inc.

ADSIM , Aspen Custom Modeler, Aspen Dynamics, Aspen Engineering Suite, Aspen Plus ,
® ®

AspenTech , Aspen Zyqad, DynaPLUS, ModelManager, Plantelligence, the Plantelligence logo,

®

® ® ®
Polymers Plus , Properties Plus , SPEEDUP , and the aspen leaf logo are either registered
trademarks, or trademarks of Aspen Technology, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries.

Activator is a trademark of Software Security, Inc.

Élan License Manager is a trademark of Élan Computer Group, Inc., Mountain View, California, USA.

Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, and Windows 95 are either registered trademarks or trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
companies.

The License Manager portion of this product is based on:

Élan License Manager

© 1989-1993 Élan Computer Group, Inc.
All rights reserved

Use of Aspen Custom Modeler and This Manual

This manual is intended as a guide to using Aspen Custom Modeler process modeling software. This
documentation contains AspenTech proprietary and confidential information and may not be disclosed, used, or
copied without the prior consent of AspenTech or as set forth in the applicable license agreement. Users are
solely responsible for the proper use of Aspen Custom Modeler and the application of the results obtained.

Although AspenTech has tested the software and reviewed the documentation, the sole warranty for Aspen
Custom Modeler may be found in the applicable license agreement between AspenTech and the user.
ASPENTECH MAKES NO WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
WITH RESPECT TO THIS DOCUMENTATION, ITS QUALITY, PERFORMANCE,
MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
 Contents
Introduction
What You Need To Use This Book .....................................................................................v
Tutorials in this Book.........................................................................................................v
For More Information....................................................................................................... vi
Online Help.................................................................................................................. vii
Printed Manuals ......................................................................................................... viii
Portable Document Format Files (PDFs) ................................................................... viii
World Wide Web ......................................................................................................... viii
Technical Support......................................................................................................... ix

1 Flowsheeting Tutorial
Starting Aspen Custom Modeler .................................................................................... 1-2
Understanding the Aspen Custom Modeler Windows ................................................... 1-2
The Simulation Explorer ............................................................................................ 1-3
Review of Understanding the Aspen Custom Modeler Windows............................... 1-4
Placing a Model on the Flowsheet.................................................................................. 1-4
Loading the Flowsheeting Tutorial File..................................................................... 1-4
Placing a Model on the Flowsheet.............................................................................. 1-5
Fixing the Feed Flow Rate for One Tank................................................................... 1-6
Running the Simulation in Steady State ................................................................... 1-6
Viewing Results .......................................................................................................... 1-7
Review of Placing a Model on the Flowsheet ............................................................. 1-7
Building Your Own Flowsheet ....................................................................................... 1-7
Connecting Tanks on the Flowsheet .......................................................................... 1-8
Review of Building Your Own Flowsheet................................................................... 1-9
Running a Dynamic Simulation....................................................................................1-10
Setting up a Dynamic Run ........................................................................................1-10
Defining a Plot...........................................................................................................1-11
Running the Dynamic Simulation.............................................................................1-12
Review of Running a Dynamic Simulation ...............................................................1-12
Tutorial Review .............................................................................................................1-13

2 Modeling Tutorial
Starting Aspen Custom Modeler .................................................................................... 2-2
About the Aspen Custom Modeler Windows.................................................................. 2-2
Understanding the Simulation Explorer.................................................................... 2-3
Review of About the Aspen Custom Modeler Windows ............................................. 2-4
Building Your Own Model.............................................................................................. 2-4
Loading the Modeling Tutorial File ........................................................................... 2-4
Accessing the Tank Model .......................................................................................... 2-5
Completing the Tank Model ....................................................................................... 2-6

Getting Started Using Aspen Custom Modeler iii

Version 10.1
 Compiling the Equations ............................................................................................ 2-7
Placing your Model on the Flowsheet ........................................................................ 2-8
Checking the Simulation is Correctly Specified......................................................... 2-8
Using Specification Analysis to Recommend Which Variables to Fix ....................... 2-9
Running the Simulation ............................................................................................2-10
Reviewing Results .....................................................................................................2-10
Review of Building Your Own Model ........................................................................2-10
Building Your Own Flowsheet ......................................................................................2-11
Defining a Port .........................................................................................................2-12
Placing the Ports in Your Model ...............................................................................2-14
Replacing the Flow Rate Variables with the Port Variables ....................................2-15
Correcting the Underspecification ............................................................................2-16
Connecting Tanks on the Flowsheet .........................................................................2-17
Fixing the Model Variables .......................................................................................2-19
Review of Building Your Own Flowsheet..................................................................2-20
Running a Dynamic Simulation....................................................................................2-20
Setting up a Dynamic Run ........................................................................................2-20
Defining Initial Variables..........................................................................................2-21
Defining a Plot...........................................................................................................2-23
Defining a Step Change.............................................................................................2-24
Activating the Task ..................................................................................................2-25
Running the Dynamic Simulation.............................................................................2-26
Review of Running a Dynamic Simulation ...............................................................2-27
Modeling Tutorial Review .............................................................................................2-27

iv Getting Started Using Aspen Custom Modeler

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Introduction

Introduction

What You Need To Use This Book

To use this book, you need Aspen Custom Modeler™ installed on PC or PC file
server running Windows 95 or Windows NT. For information on how to do this,
read the Aspen Custom Modeler and Aspen Dynamics Installation Guide or
contact your system administrator.

Tutorials in this Book

There are two tutorials in this book. The hands-on sessions guide you through all
the steps needed to run a successful dynamic simulation using Aspen Custom
Modeler.

To Complete
• Become familiar with Aspen Custom Modeler Tutorial 1
• Define and specify a flowsheet
• Control the running of your simulation
• Become familiar with Aspen Custom Modeler Tutorial 2
• Build your own models
• Define and specify your own flowsheet
• Control the running of your simulation

Getting Started Using Aspen Custom Modeler v

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 Introduction

For More Information

1
You can obtain information on Aspen Modeler products by:
• Accessing the comprehensive online Help system
• Reading the printed manuals supplied with your product
• Printing the Portable Document Format (PDF) files supplied on the
installation CD
• Accessing Aspen Technology's web page
If you need more detailed assistance than that provided in the online Help and
the PDF files, you can contact Technical Support.

This section explains how to use the online help, print PDF files, find Aspen
Technology on the web, and contact Technical Support.

1
Aspen Modeler products include Aspen Custom Modeler™, Aspen Dynamics™, Aspen
ADSIM™, and Aspen Chromatography™.

vi Getting Started Using Aspen Custom Modeler

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Introduction

Online Help
The Aspen Modeler online Help includes:

Description To access this Help

Step-by-step instructions for From the application's Help menu, click Contents, and then on the Contents tab, double-
completing common click the required title beginning Using…
procedures
Detailed reference From the application's Help menu, click Contents, and then on the Contents tab, double-
information click the required Reference title

Using Online Help

To access online Help:

➤ From the Help menu, click Contents and then do one of the following:

To Do this
Display a hierarchy of topics by category Click the Contents tab
Display an index of all Help topics Click the Index tab and then type the word you require
Search for words or phrases within the Help topics Click the Find tab and then type the word or phrase you
require

Tip To display Help on buttons, fields, menu commands, and other screen
elements, click the What's This button: or , at the top of the window, and
then click the element.

Printing Online Help

To display information on how to print online Help:
1. Open your Aspen Modeler product and from the Help menu, click Contents.
2. On the Contents tab, double-click Using Help and then double-click Print
Help Topics.

Improving Help
We value your comments, suggestions, and criticisms. If you could not find the
information you wanted, needed more assistance, or have any suggestions for
improvements to our online information, we want to know.

Please email your comments to:

Docs@AspenTech.com

Getting Started Using Aspen Custom Modeler vii

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 Introduction

Printed Manuals
The following printed manuals are supplied with your product:
• Installation Guide This guide provides instructions on installing the
product(s) under Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT.
• Getting Started guide These tutorials include several basic hands-on
sessions to familiarize you with Aspen Modeler products.

Portable Document Format Files (PDFs)

In addition to the printed manuals supplied with your product, you can also print
copies of all of the Reference manuals and the Getting Started tutorials. To do
this, you must install the Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files and
Adobe Acrobat Reader onto your machine from the installation CD. If you chose
not to install the manuals and the Reader when you installed the product, you
can install them afterwards. To do this:
1. Place the installation CD in the CD ROM drive.
2. Click the Start button and then click Run.
3. In the Run dialog box, enter:
D:\Docs\setup.exe

Where D is the letter of your CD ROM drive.

After you have installed the Adobe Acrobat Reader and the PDF files, you can
open the files to view and print the manuals. To do this:
➤ Click the Start button, point to Programs, AspenTech, AM Documentation
and then click the file you want to open. For a description of each file, see the
online Help or the Installation Guide.

Note Adobe and Acrobat are trademarks of Adobe Systems, Incorporated.

World Wide Web

For additional information about AspenTech products and services, check the
AspenTech World Wide Web home page on the Internet at:

http://www.aspentech.com/

viii Getting Started Using Aspen Custom Modeler

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Introduction

Technical Support
You can get help from AspenTech's technical support resources on the World Wide
Web, or by contacting an AspenTech office.

AspenTech Technical Support on the Internet

To obtain in-depth technical support information on the Internet, register at:

http://www.aspentech.com/ts

Approximately three days after registering, you will receive a confirmation e-mail
and you will then be able to access this information.

The most current Hotline contact information is listed. Other information

includes:
• Training course schedules
• Product updates
• Details of support services

AspenTech Hotline
If you need help from an AspenTech Customer Support engineer, contact the
Hotline at any of these locations:

Location Telephone Number Fax Number E-mail Address

North America & the +1-617/949-1021 +1-617/949-1724 support@aspentech.com

Caribbean
+1-888/996-7001
(toll free)
South America
(Argentina office) +54-11/4393-5308 +54-11/4394-8621 tecnoba@aspentech.com
(Brazil office) +55-11/5071-0595 +55-11/5071-0595 tecnosp@aspentech.com
Europe, Gulf Region, & atesupport@aspentech.com
Africa +32-2/724-0100 +32-2/705-4034
(Brussels office)
+44-1223/312220 +44-1223/366980
(UK office)
Japan +81-3/3262-1743 +81-3/3262-1744 atjsupport@aspentech.com
Asia & Australia atasupport@aspentech.com
(Hong Kong office) +85-2/2838-6077 +85-2/2833-5642
(Korea office) +82-2/761-5800 +82-2/761-5803

❖ ❖ ❖ ❖

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x Getting Started Using Aspen Custom Modeler

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 Chapter 1

1 Flowsheeting Tutorial
This tutorial helps you learn to use Aspen Custom Modeler™ to define a
flowsheet and run simulations.

This tutorial teaches you how to:

• Become familiar with Aspen Custom Modeler
• Define and specify your own flowsheet
• Control the running of your simulation
Allow about 15 minutes to complete this tutorial.

Aspen Custom Modeler 1-1

Getting Started Version 10.1
 Flowsheeting
Tutorial

Starting Aspen Custom Modeler

To start Aspen Custom Modeler:
➤ Double-click the Aspen Custom Modeler icon on your desktop.

Understanding the Aspen Custom

Modeler Windows
When you first start Aspen Custom Modeler, you will see that there is no
simulation information and you start with a blank simulation.

The main elements of the interface are:

• The Flowsheet window
• The Simulation Messages window
• The Simulation Explorer
The configuration indicator in the status bar shows whether you are running
simulations locally or remotely.

All Items pane

Flowshee
t window

Simulation
Explorer
window

Contents pane
Simulation
Messages
window

Configuration Indicator

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 Chapter 1

The Simulation Explorer

You do most of your work in the Simulation Explorer, so it is important that you
familiarize yourself with it.

The Simulation Explorer works just like Microsoft Windows Explorer.

Information is provided in two panes.

The default pane orientation displays the Simulation Explorer with the All Items
pane above the Contents pane.

If the pane orientation is set as Side by Side, with the All Items pane next to the
Contents pane, change it back to the default. All illustrations in this manual will
show the default pane orientation (Top to Bottom).

To change the orientation of the Simulation Explorer panes back to the default:
1. Make sure that the Simulation Explorer window is active by clicking in it.
2. From the View menu, point to Pane Orientation and then click Top To
Bottom.

This setting is saved between sessions.

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 Flowsheeting
Tutorial

Review of Understanding the Aspen Custom Modeler

Windows
In this session, you have learnt to recognize these Aspen Custom Modeler™
windows:
• Flowsheet
• Simulation Messages
• Simulation Explorer
The next step is to place a model on the flowsheet.

Placing a Model on the Flowsheet

In this session of the tutorial, you will learn how to:
• Load a predefined simulation into Aspen Custom Modeler.
• Place a tank model on the flowsheet
• Run a simulation
• Review results

Loading the Flowsheeting Tutorial File

To load the tutorial file:
1. From the File menu, click Open.
2. Locate the directory:

C:\program files\aspentech\modeler\10.1\examples\tutorial
3. In the Files of Type box, ensure that Aspen Custom Modeler Files (*.acmd;
*.acmf) is selected.
4. Click the file Flowsheeting Tutorial.acmf then click Open.

Wait for a few moments while Aspen Custom Modeler loads the file.

In this session, you will build a tank model and then build a flowsheet to form a
series of tanks. The file you have loaded contains a tank model.

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 Chapter 1

Placing a Model on the Flowsheet

To place the tank model on the flowsheet:
1. Click the expand button (+) next to Custom Modeling and then click the
expand button next to the Models folder.

2. Under Models, click the Tank icon and drag it onto the flowsheet.

Your flowsheet now contains a single tank icon, named B1.

The block has been automatically named and given the default icon.

The next step is to make sure your simulation is correctly specified.

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 Flowsheeting
Tutorial

Fixing the Feed Flow Rate for One Tank

If you look on the status bar, you will see the specification indicator. This is
currently a symbol like this , showing that the specification is underspecified.
Position the mouse pointer over the symbol and a tooltip tells you that the
simulation is underspecified by 1.

To correct this, you need to define one variable as a known value for the
simulation. In this case, you need to fix the feed flow rate:
1. In the flowsheet window, double-click the block.

The AllVariables table opens.

2. In the Spec column, click the cell for the variable In1.Flow.
3. From the drop down list in this cell, select Fixed.
Notice the status indicator is now a green square, indicating the simulation is
now correctly specified.

Running the Simulation in Steady State

Now you can run the simulation in steady state. To do this:

1. Click the Run button on the Run Control toolbar at the top of the Aspen
Custom Modeler window.

A dialog box appears, to tell you that your simulation has solved.

2. Click OK.

Congratulations! You have completed an Aspen Custom Modeler simulation.

You can now look at the results of your simulation.

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Viewing Results
To see the results of your simulation, look in the AllVariables table. This table
shows you information about all the variables in the block's equations.

If you have closed the AllVariables table, reopen it by double-clicking the block.

When you have finished viewing the table, click the Close button to close the
AllVariables table.

Review of Placing a Model on the Flowsheet

In this session you have:
• Placed your model on a flowsheet
• Run the simulation
• Viewed the results
You are now ready to build your own flowsheet.

Building Your Own Flowsheet

In the previous session, Placing a Model on the Flowsheet, you placed a tank
model on the flowsheet to test it.

The next step is to link a number of tank models together on your flowsheet.

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 Flowsheeting
Tutorial

Connecting Tanks on the Flowsheet

Now you can place several tanks on the flowsheet and connect them. To do this:
1. From the All Items pane of the Simulation Explorer, click the Tank icon
again, and drag two more tanks onto the flowsheet to the right of your
existing tank.

The flowsheet window now looks like this:

2. In the All Items pane of the Simulation Explorer, under Custom Modeling,
expand Stream Types.

3. Click Connection and drag it to the flowsheet. Release the mouse button on a
blank area of the flowsheet.
All the ports are shown as blue arrows.

4. Move the pointer over the blue input arrow for the tank B1.
The name of the port, In1, is displayed.
5. Click the port In1.
A stream is placed with the automatically defined name S1.
6. In the All Items pane, drag another Connection stream onto the flowsheet,
release the mouse button over the blue arrow coming out of the tank B1
(Out1) and then click the arrow going into the tank B2.

1-8 Aspen Custom Modeler

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 Chapter 1

7. Join B2 out to B3 in.

8. Drag the Connection stream again onto the blue arrow out of B3 and click an
empty region of the flowsheet.
Your flowsheet should now contain the three tanks and four streams:

Review of Building Your Own Flowsheet

In this session you have connected blocks together on the flowsheet. You are now
ready to run a dynamic simulation.

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 Flowsheeting
Tutorial

Running a Dynamic Simulation

In this session you will:
• Change the run mode
• Define a plot
• Run the simulation

Setting up a Dynamic Run

To change the run mode to dynamic:
➤ In the mode list box on the Run Control toolbar, click Dynamic. This changes
the run mode to dynamic.

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 Chapter 1

Defining a Plot
Before you run the dynamic simulation, define a plot so that you can view
simulation results. To do this:
1. From the Tools menu, click New Plot.
2. In the Enter Flowsheet Plot Name, type a name and click OK.
An empty plot appears:

3. To add variables to your plot, double-click block B1 on the flowsheet to open

the AllVariables table for tank B1.
4. Arrange the windows so you can see the AllVariables table and Plot windows.
5. Click the name of the variable you want to plot, in this case, Level.
6. Click and drag Level to the plot and release the mouse button.
Aspen Custom Modeler adds Level to the y axis on the plot.

7. Close the AllVariables table for B1 and open those for B2 and B3.
8. In the same way, add the Levels from tanks B2 and B3 to the plot, then close
these table windows.

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 Flowsheeting
Tutorial

Running the Dynamic Simulation

Now with the plot displayed, click the Run button on the Run Control toolbar.

You can change the value of a Fixed variable during a dynamic simulation, for
example the feed flow rate. To do this:
1. Open the AllVariables table for B1.
2. Click the Value cell for variable In1.Flow.
3. Type a new value of 2 for the flow rate, then press Enter.

You should see a plot similar to the following:

Tip If you want to run the simulation again from time zero, select the
Restart button on the Run Control toolbar.
4. When you have seen enough, click the Pause button.

Review of Running a Dynamic Simulation

In this session you have:
• Set up a dynamic run
• Defined a plot
• Run a dynamic simulation

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Tutorial Review
In this basic tutorial, you have learnt how to:
• Build a flowsheet
• Run dynamic simulations
• View results as plots
To view and run more complex examples, see Chapter 2, or the help on Examples.

❖ ❖ ❖ ❖

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 Flowsheeting
Tutorial

1-14 Aspen Custom Modeler

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 Chapter 2

2 Modeling Tutorial
In this tutorial, you will learn how to use Aspen Custom Modeler to build models
and run simulations.

This tutorial teaches you how to:

• Become familiar with Aspen Custom Modeler
• Build your own models
• Define and specify your own flowsheet
• Control the running of your simulation
Allow about 35 minutes to complete this tutorial. If you have already completed
the first tutorial, go to page 2-4.

Aspen Custom Modeler 2-1

Getting Started Version 10.1
 Modeling
Tutorial

Starting Aspen Custom Modeler

To start Aspen Custom Modeler:
➤ Double-click the Aspen Custom Modeler icon on your desktop.

About the Aspen Custom Modeler

Windows
When you first start Aspen Custom Modeler, you will see that there is no
simulation information and you start with a blank simulation.

The main elements of the interface are:

• The Flowsheet window
• The Simulation Messages window
• The Simulation Explorer

All Items pane Flowsheet

window

Simulation
Explorer
window

Contents pane

Simulation
Messages
window

Configuration Indicator showing you are running locally. If it says

anything other than local, you are running simulations remotely.

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 Chapter 2

Understanding the Simulation Explorer

You do most of your work in the Simulation Explorer, so it is important that you
familiarize yourself with it.

The Simulation Explorer works just like Microsoft Windows Explorer.

Information is provided in two panes.

The default pane orientation displays the Simulation Explorer with the All Items
pane above the Contents pane.

If the pane orientation is set as Side by Side, with the All Items pane next to the
Contents pane, change back to the default pane orientation. All illustrations will
show the default pane orientation (Top to Bottom).

To change back to the default pane orientation:

1. Make sure that the Simulation Explorer window is active by clicking in it.
2. From the View menu, point to Pane Orientation and then click Top to Bottom:

This setting is saved between sessions.

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 Modeling
Tutorial

Review of About the Aspen Custom Modeler Windows

In this session, you have learnt to recognize these Aspen Custom Modeler™
windows:
• Flowsheet
• Simulation Messages
• Simulation Explorer
The next step is to build your own model.

Building Your Own Model

In this session of the tutorial, you will learn how to:
• Load a predefined simulation into Aspen Custom Modeler.
• Access a tank model
• Complete the tank model
• Compile the equations
• Place your model on the flowsheet
• Check your simulation is correctly specified
• Fix underspecified variables
• Run a simulation
• Review results

Loading the Modeling Tutorial File

To load the tutorial file:
1. From the File menu, click Open.
2. Locate the directory:

C:\program files\aspentech\modeler\10.1\examples\tutorial
3. In the Files of Type box, ensure that Aspen Custom Modeler Files (*.acmd;
*.acmf) is selected.
4. Click the file Modeling Tutorial.acmf then click Open.

Wait for a few moments while Aspen Custom Modeler loads the file.

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 Chapter 2

Accessing the Tank Model

In this session, you will build a tank model and then build a flowsheet to form a
series of tanks. The file you have loaded contains a partly-finished tank model.

To access the tank model:

1. In the All Items pane of the Simulation Explorer, click the expand button (+)
next to Custom Modeling and then click the expand button next to the Models
folder.

2. Under Models, click the Tank icon.

The Contents pane now contains objects related to the tank model.
3. Double-click the 3-D equals sign labeled Tank.

Tank
model
icon

A text editor window opens and you can edit the equations and variables
contained in the tank model.

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 Modeling
Tutorial

Completing the Tank Model

The model is currently incomplete. You need to add an equation for the material
balance Accumulation = Input - Output. To do this:
1. Under the line // Material Balance, type the following line:
$Vol = InFlow - OutFlow;

Now the model is complete.

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Compiling the Equations

Before you can use the model, you need to compile the equations. To do this:
1. In the Text Editor window, click the right mouse button.
2. Point to Build and then click Compile.

When the model compiles successfully, you see a message in the Simulation
Messages Window that there are no errors or warnings.

Tip You can use the Windows menu to view the Simulation Messages
window.

If you see an error, check you have added the equation correctly. If you have
further problems, go back to the beginning of Completing the Tank Model on
page 2-6.
3. Close the Text Editor window by clicking the Close button .

You can now place your model on the flowsheet.

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 Modeling
Tutorial

Placing your Model on the Flowsheet

To place your model on the flowsheet:
1. Click the expand button (+) next to Custom Modeling and then click the
expand button next to the Models folder.

2. Under Models, click the Tank icon and drag it onto the flowsheet.
3. Release the mouse button on the flowsheet where you want to place the block.

Your flowsheet now contains a single tank icon, named B1.

The block has been automatically named and given the default icon.

The next step is to make sure your simulation is correctly specified.

Checking the Simulation is Correctly Specified

To check that your simulation is correctly specified:
➤ Look at the status bar at the bottom of the Aspen Custom Modeler window.

The symbol indicates that your simulation is underspecified.

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To solve, the number of equations must equal the number of unknowns in the
simulation.

To correct the problem of underspecification, you need to do one of the following:

• Add known variables
• Add equations
For this example, you need to make some of the variables in the tank known
values.

To find out how many variables need to be changed to known values:

➤ Position the mouse pointer over the symbol on the status bar.

The tooltip that appears tells you that you are underspecified by three
variables, so to correct the specifications, you need to fix three variables.

Using Specification Analysis to Recommend Which

Variables to Fix
To find out which variables need to be fixed to complete the specification, you can
use Specification Analysis to recommend a list of variables. To do this:
1. From the View menu, click Specification Analysis.
The Specification Analysis dialog box appears.
2. Click Analyze Now. A list of variables is shown in the Recommended Changes
to Specifications list.
Show Me
3. The output flow and the level should not be changed, so select B1.OutFlow
and B1.Level in the list and click Reject.
This transfers the variables to the Do Not Change Spec for These Variables
list and specification analysis no longer considers these variables for
recommendation.
Show Me
4. Click Analyze Now again.
5. Click Accept to accept these recommendations.
The Specification Indicator on the status bar changes to a green square.

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 Modeling
Tutorial

Running the Simulation

Now you can run the simulation in steady state. To do this:

1. Click the Run button on the Run Control toolbar at the top of the Aspen
Custom Modeler window.

A dialog box appears, to tell you that your simulation has solved.

2. Click OK.

Congratulations! You have completed an Aspen Custom Modeler simulation.

You can now look at the results of your simulation.

Reviewing Results
To see the results of your simulation, look in the AllVariables table. This table
displays information about all the variables in the block's equations.

If the AllVariables table is not open:

➤ In the flowsheet window, double-click the block.

When you have finished viewing the results, click the Close button to close the
AllVariables table.

Review of Building Your Own Model

In this session you have:
• Edited model equations
• Placed your model on a flowsheet
• Specified the model correctly
• Run the simulation
You are now ready to build your own flowsheet.

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Building Your Own Flowsheet

In the previous session, Building Your Own Model, you built and compiled a tank
model and placed it on the flowsheet to test it.

The next step is to link a number of tank models together on your flowsheet.

To link your tank model with other tank models, you need to add ports to your
model. (Ports define which variables are passed between blocks on the flowsheet.)

In this session, you will learn how to:

• Define a port
• Add ports to the model
• Connect blocks on the flowsheet
• Make the simulation square by fixing variables in a model

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Defining a Port
To define a port, you need to:
• Define the port name
• Define the variables carried by the port

Defining a Port Name

To define a port name:
1. In the All Items pane of the Simulation Explorer, under Custom Modeling,
click Port Types.
2. In the Contents pane, double-click the Add Port Type icon.

3. In the Create Port Type dialog box, type a name for the port, for example,
Material, and click OK.
The Text Editor window opens, showing the new port.

You are now ready to define the port variables.

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Defining the Port Variables

You need to create a port variable to pass the value of volumetric flow between
tanks. To do this:
1. In the Text Editor for the new port, add a new variable name Flow and give it
a variable type Flow_Vol.

Note Flow_Vol is a predefined type. If you want to view it, in the Simulation
Explorer, under Modeler, click Variable Types. In the Contents pane, double-
click the Flow_Vol icon.

2. Compile the new port in the same way as you did for the tank model on page
2-7.

3. Close the Text Editor window by clicking the Close button .

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Placing the Ports in Your Model

Now that you have defined a port type, you need to place ports in your tank
model. You need two ports:
• One input
• One output
To add the ports to your tank model:
1. In the All Items pane of the Simulation Explorer, make sure the Custom
Modeling library is expanded, and then expand the Models folder and click
Tank.
2. In the Contents pane of the Simulation Explorer, double-click the Tank equals
sign icon to access the Tank model equations.
3. Add the two ports to the tank. To do this, add the lines shown in this diagram:

Note the following points:

• The ports provide values of input and output flow rate to the model.
• You already have variables that represent the input and output flow rates:
InFlow, OutFlow.
You now need to comment out the lines that define InFlow and OutFlow.

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Replacing the Flow Rate Variables with the Port

Variables
You now need to change the equations to replace the variables InFlow and
OutFlow with the port variables.

To do this:
1. Comment out the line that defines InFlow and OutFlow, using //.
2. The syntax for the port variables is PortName.PortVariableName. Therefore,
in the Material Balance and Flow Out equations, replace InFlow with
In1.Flow and OutFlow with Out1.Flow (your new port variables).
3. Compile the model. That is, in the Text Editor window, click the right mouse
button. Point to Build and then click Compile.

If there are errors or warnings, check that you have replaced all instances of
InFlow and OutFlow then check your model against the following full
description:

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4. When the compilation is successful, the specification indicator, , shows that

the simulation is underspecified. This is because the name of the input flow
variable has changed.
5. Close the Text Editor window by clicking the Close button .

You now need to correct the underspecification.

Correcting the Underspecification

To correct the underspecification:
1. Double-click the Tank block on the flowsheet.
2. In the AllVariables table, change the port variable In1.Flow from Free to
Fixed.

The simulation is now correctly specified.

3. Close the AllVariables table by clicking the Close button .

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Connecting Tanks on the Flowsheet

Now you can place several tanks on the flowsheet and connect them, using the
ports you defined. To do this:
1. From the All Items pane of the Simulation Explorer, click the Tank icon
again, and drag two more tanks onto the flowsheet to the right of your
existing tank.

The flowsheet window now looks like this:

2. In the All Items pane of the Simulation Explorer, under Custom Modeling,
expand Stream Types.
3. Click Connection and drag it to a blank area of the flowsheet.

All the ports are shown as blue arrows.

4. Move the pointer over the blue input arrow for the tank B1.
The name of the port, In1, is displayed.
5. Click the port In1.
A stream is placed with the automatically defined name S1.
6. In the All Items pane, drag another Connection stream onto the flowsheet,
release the mouse button over the blue arrow coming out of the tank B1 and
then click the arrow going into the tank B2.
7. Join B2 out to B3 in.

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8. Drag the Connection stream again onto the blue arrow out of B3 and click an
empty region of the flowsheet.
Your flowsheet should now contain the three tanks and four streams.

The flowsheet is now complete, but you need to fix some of the variables.

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Fixing the Model Variables

Although the flowsheet is complete, the simulation is again underspecified. The
following variables need to be fixed:
• B2.K
• B2.Radius
• B3.K
• B3.Radius
You can fix these variables in either of the following ways:
• In the AllVariables table for blocks B2 and B3
• In a model definition
For most simulations, these variables are fixed. Fixing in models is more efficient
for these variables.

To fix these variables in the Tank model:

1. In the All Items pane of the Simulation Explorer, click Tank, and then in the
Contents pane double-click the Tank equals sign to open the model in the
Text Editor.
2. At the end of the text description, but before the word END, add these lines:
K: Fixed;
Radius: Fixed;

The syntax is now complete.

3. Compile the model again. The simulation is now square, shown by the
specification indicator, which has changed to a green square.
4. Click the Run button to perform another steady-state run.
5. In the Run Complete dialog box, click OK, and then close the Text Editor.

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Review of Building Your Own Flowsheet

In this session you have:
• Created a new port
• Added ports to a model
• Connected blocks together on the flowsheet
• Made the simulation square by fixing variables in a model
You are now ready to run a dynamic simulation.

Running a Dynamic Simulation

Before you run a dynamic simulation you need to define starting values at time =
0 for the differential equations.

You can also:

• Define a plot
• Define a step change in a fixed variable

Setting up a Dynamic Run

All differential equation require a starting condition at time=0 of a dynamic run.

To change the run mode to dynamic:

1. In the mode list box on the Run Control toolbar, click Dynamic. This changes
the run mode to dynamic.

2. With the run mode as Dynamic, you see that the specification indicator has
changed to a green square with a red arrow on top, like this:

This means you need to supply some initial conditions.

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Defining Initial Variables

The easiest way to define your initial conditions is to use the Status window. To
use the Status window to define initial conditions:
1. Double click the specification indicator.
2. In the Status window, click the Initial Changes tab.

3. Click the Steady State button. This automatically:

• Defines the derivatives of the volumes of the three tanks as the initial
values
• Defines the derivatives as zero at time=0 of the dynamic run
The Status window is now updated.

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4. Close the Status window.

The specification indicator on the Status bar changes and the dynamic simulation
is now ready to run.

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Defining a Plot
Before you run the dynamic simulation, define a plot so that you can view
simulation results. To do this:
1. From the Tools menu, click New Plot.
2. In the Enter Flowsheet Plot Name, type a name and click OK.
An empty plot appears.

3. To add variables to your plot, double-click block B1 on the flowsheet to open

the AllVariables table for tank B1.
4. Arrange the windows so you can see the AllVariables table and Plot windows.
5. Click the name of the variable you want to plot, in this case, Level.
6. Click and drag Level to the plot and release the mouse button.
Aspen Custom Modeler adds Level to the y axis on the plot.

7. Close the AllVariables table for B1 and open those for B2 and B3.
8. In the same way, add the Levels from tanks B2 and B3 to the plot, then close
these table windows.

Note You can change the appearance of the plot by double-clicking the main
plot area. A Plot Control Properties dialog box appears:

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Defining a Step Change

Next define a step change. To do this:
1. In the All Items pane of the Simulation Explorer, click Flowsheet.
2. In the Contents pane, double-click Add Task.

3. In the Create Task dialog box, type a name for the task, for example, Task1,
and click OK.
4. In the Text Editor, add text so your task looks like this:

5. Compile the task.

6. Close the Text Editor.

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Activating the Task

The next step is to activate Task1, to make it active during the current run.

To activate the task:

1. In the All Items pane of the Simulation Explorer, ensure Flowsheet is
selected.
2. In the Contents pane, click Task1 to select it.
3. Click Task1 with the right mouse button and then click Activate.
The task icon is shown with a blue check mark to show it is active for this
run.

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Running the Dynamic Simulation

Now with the plot displayed, click the Run button on the Run Control toolbar.

You can change the value of a Fixed variable during a dynamic simulation, for
example, the feed flow rate. To do this:
1. Open the AllVariables table for B1.

2. Click the Value cell for variable In1.Flow.

3. Type a new value of 2 for the flow rate, then press Enter.

You should see a plot similar to the following:

If you want to run the simulation again from time zero, click Pause then click
Rewind on the Run Control toolbar.

In the Rewind dialog box, select the initialization point to rewind to, then click
Rewind and run the simulation again.

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Review of Running a Dynamic Simulation

In this session you have:
• Set up a dynamic run
• Defined initial variables
• Defined a plot
• Defined a step change in a task
• Run a dynamic simulation

Modeling Tutorial Review

In this tutorial, you have learnt how to:
• Define a model
• Build a flowsheet
• Run dynamic simulations
• Input dynamic changes
• Get results as plots
To view and run more complex examples, see the help on Examples.

❖ ❖ ❖ ❖

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