CHEE2030

Process
Engineering
Project
Dr. Hainam Do and Dr. Di Hu
Non-Steady State
Processes
Lecture II
 Learning Objectives

• Understand unsteady state conditions and able to give

examples where this condition occurs

• Able to describe possible cause of unsteady state condition

• Understand process fluctuations

• Understand relationship between input fluctuation and

output response

• Importance of process control

Content

1) Chemical processes

2) Recall: steady state processes

3) Introduce: Non-steady state processes

4) Start-up and shut-down

5) Importance of process dynamics and control

 Lab Scale

Reaction: A + B à C

We need:
Automated
process, increased
efficiency,
environmentally
friendly method

Delivery Heat Transfer Chemical Reaction Mass Transfer

Engineering (Separation)
 Industrial Scale

Efficient

Effective

Safe

Environmentally friendly

H81FLM H81HMT H83RED H82SP1

 Steady State vs Non Steady State

A plant containing a reactor is being put into operation.

In the start-up phase, with fluid flowing in all of the streams, the
temperatures of the reactor and some of the streams are changing with
time as they move toward the values at which they will eventually be
held.

The chemical composition of the material coming from the reactor

(output) is also changing with time in response to the changing reactor
conditions.

You can classify the start-up phase and the period after this phase in
terms of being:
* batch or continuous and
* steady state or unsteady-state.
Steady State

Steady:

All variables of the process remain constant with time

(relative to a given time)

although they may vary with location inside the system

 Steady State

• Steady state applies to continuous processes

• Key feature of oil & gas processing, fertiliser manufacture, monomer and
acids production, water treatment, mineral processing and power
generation.

• No accumulation terms in mass and energy balance

calculations
• Calculations covered in H81PEF
 Non-Steady State

• Batch processes are inherently non-steady state

• Fermentation, drug manufacture, healthcare products

• Processes are time-dependent

• e.g. at time T1, concentration is X
at time T2, concentration is Y

• Mass and energy balances require accumulation terms

• Process dynamics are generally more complicated for batch processes
compared to continuous processes
 Non-Steady State

• Continuous processes can also exhibit non-steady state

conditions:
• Fluctuations in feed conditions (pressure, temperature, composition,
flowrate)
• Fluctuations in heating and cooling media
• Change in set-point (e.g. a desired change in product specification)
• Start-up
• Shut-down
 Common Process Fluctuations

• Ambient air temperature and humidity

– Temperature cycles over 24 hours
– Humidity depends on weather

• Steam pressure
– Steam mains usually serve multiple process plants on a single site

• Cooling water
– Temperature depends on wet-bulb temperature of air if cooling towers
are used
Common Process Fluctuations

• Feedstock flowrate and composition

• Especially if linked to one or more upstream processes

• Product flowrate
• Especially if linked to downstream processes

• Fluctuations can be expected or unexpected

• Operator decision/intervention
• ‘Natural’ occurrence or fault
Common Process Fluctuations

• Fluctuations can be expected or unexpected

• Operator decision/intervention
• ‘Natural’ occurrence
• fault or accidents
 Input and Output Fluctuations

• Fluctuations can occur with the ‘input’ parameters to a

process
– Usually the feed streams
– Could also be controls that operators can influence, e.g. flow valves

• Output fluctuations occur as a result of the input fluctuations

– This is the ‘response’ of the process to the change that is imposed
upon it.
Types of Input Fluctuation

Input
parameter
(e.g. Temp.)

Steady-state value

Time
Types of Input Fluctuation

Input
parameter 1. Step-change or ‘spike’
(e.g. Temp.)

Time
Types of Input Fluctuation

Input 2. Drift
parameter
(e.g. Temp.)

Time
Types of Input Fluctuation

Input 3. Transient
parameter
(e.g. Temp.)

Time
 Output (Process) Fluctuations

• A process will ‘respond’ to the change in the input parameter

• Process response can be stable

• Achieves a new steady-state
• Oscillates with constant frequency and amplitude

• Response can be unstable

 Types of Process Response

Output
parameter 1. Input fluctuation may have a
(e.g. Temp.) negligible effect on the process
(stable)

Time
Types of Output Fluctuation

Output 2. New output value reached (stable)

parameter
(e.g. Temp.)

Time
Types of Output Fluctuation

Output 3. Cyclical (stable)

parameter
(e.g. Temp.)

time
Types of Output Fluctuation

Input 4. Runaway (unstable)

parameter
(e.g. Temp.)

time
 Input and Output Fluctuations

• Relationship between the input and output is determined by the

process dynamics

• Steady-state processes need to be altered/modified so that input

fluctuations can be tolerated
• Outputs need to be stable
• Unstable outputs to be avoided at all costs

• Input fluctuations cannot be avoided, but output fluctuations

must be avoided.
 Start-up and Shut-down

• Steady state processes must operate safely at non-steady state

during start-up and shut-down
• Large number of, and a range of input fluctuations during these
phases of plant operation
• Probability of unstable outputs increases dramatically during these
times

• How do we maintain stable outputs in all phases of process

operation?
 Process Dynamics and Control

• Design process to limit unstable responses (outputs)

• Adjust the process dynamics by adding control systems

• Process control allows us to adjust the process dynamics to

mitigate input fluctuations
• i.e. respond safely to input fluctuations
• Essential for safe operation, start-up and shut-down of any process
 Summary

• Non-steady state is unavoidable in the real plant running

continuously. This normally occurs during start-up, shut-
down and deliberate change of input.

• Plant is usually equipped with control system to adjust the

system within a safe region of operation
Assessment 1

Lecture II
Overview

• 20% of overall marks

• Objective is to develop your understanding of the
C2-C4 separation process
• You need to carry out complete mass and energy
balances around the entire process, using very
limited information
• Individual sets of data for each student
 Submission and Assessment

• You will have individual data to work with

• Submission will be via Moodle

– The deadline for submission is Friday 21st April @ 5pm
2023

• Use the template provided

– Do NOT change the format, nor add formulae to the
document that is submitted
The Process

• Key assumption: steady state

 The Process
XV105_10 Flare XV205_04 Flare XV305_04 Flare
PIC104_02 FI105_03
TI104_01
To propane PIC204_01 PIC304_01
PCV105A_01
compression PCV104_02
X204 X304
Flare
PCV204_01 Flare PCV304_01 Flare
PCV105B_01
X104
TI 205_01 TI 305_01
XV105_09 C2 Product FI 205_05 FI 305_05
LIC104_03 [5]
PIC105_01 XV205A_07
V205 LIC205_02
V305 LIC305_02
XV305A_07
FI105_02
Propane

[9] FCV104_03
LIC105_05 XV205A_06 [19]
V105 XV305A_06
[11] XV205B_07 P205A XV305B_07
TI 105_04 P305A
[2] TIC301_09
XV105A_07
TI 101_09 TIC201_09
FCV105_08 XV205B_06 PI 301_08 XV305B_06

P305B
PI 101_08 XV105A_06 PI 201_08 P205B [13] [21]
P105A LCV205_02 C3 Product LCV305_02 C4 Product
Steam FCV205_08 FCV305_08
XV105B_07 [10]
XV105B_06 FI 205_09
Steam
FIC205_08
[4] P105B [12] [18] [20]

Steam

[26]
FIC101_01

[1]
PI101_10 PI 201_10 PI 301_10
FEED

FCV101_01
C101 TI 101_11 TI 201_11 TI 301_11
C201 C301

[6] FIC202_05 FIC202_05

FIC102_05 [15] [23]

LIC101_04
FCV102_05 LIC201_04 FCV202_05 FCV302_05
FCV101_05 C102 C202 C302
FCV201_05 FCV301_05

FIC101_05
TI 101_02
FIC201_05 FIC301_05
TI 301_02
[3] PI102_03 TI 201_02 PI202_03 PI302_03
[14]
PI 101_03 XV101A_07
[22]
XV201A_07
LIC102_01 LIC202_01
XV101A_06 TIC102_04 TIC202_04 PI 301_03 TIC302_04
XV201A_06
PI 201_03 LIC302_01

XV301A_06

XV301A_07
P101A
P201A
XV101B_07 [8] [17] [25]
XV101B_06
XV201B_07 P301A
XV201B_06
XV301B_07

X103 X203 XV301B_06 X303

P101B LCV102_02 LCV202_02 LCV302_02

P201B
C101/102 – C2 separator Condensate Condensate Condensate
X103 – Reboiler P301B
FIC102_02
X104 – Partial condenser XV102_06 [7] FIC202_02
[16] FIC302_02
[24]
V105 – Phase separator
XV202_06 XV302_06 Heavies
C201/202 – C3 separator
X203 – Reboiler XV102_08

X204 – Air-cooled condenser

V205 – Reflux drum
C301/302 – C4 separator XV102_07 Drain XV202_07 Drain XV302_07 Drain
X303 – Reboiler
X304 – Air-cooled condenser
V305 – Reflux drum
Getting Started

• Consider Balances around each pair of columns,

plus the entire process

• Start with the extreme components within the

mixture
– Very heavy components
– Very light components

• Look carefully at the cut-off between each pair of

columns
More Advanced Calculations

• Distillation columns have large internal flows

relative to the inlet and outlet streams
– Similar to a recycle loop – adds complexity to your
calculations
– Some assumptions may be required

• Think carefully about the role of the condensers

and reboilers
– What happens to the composition at these stages of
the process?
 More Advanced Calculations

• Heating and Cooling duties (heat balance) can be

calculated once the flow and composition of each
stream is obtained
• Temperatures can be obtained using the De Priester
chart
• How are temperature and composition related in distillation
processes?
• In what state is the stream at each point, and how does this
influence the temperature calculation?