CME 455
Fall 2025
Homework 2
50 points
What to submit: Word/PDF file with the answers and ASPEN file
The assignment is to simulate a more involved flowsheet including additional equipment
and recycle streams and answer the questions on page 4. The flowsheet is provided in
Figure 1.
The specifications are as follows:
Method: Peng-Robinson
Stream 1: 150 kmol/h toluene, 25°C, 2.8 bar
Stream 4: 420 kmol/h hydrogen, 22.5 kmol/h methane, 225°C, 26 bar
m1 mixer: 0.1 bar pressure drop
P-101: pumps toluene to 26 bar, efficiency 0.8 (skip driver box)
m2 mixer: 0.1 bar pressure drop
E-101 (under Exchangers tab - heater): outlet 225°C, 25.2 bar
H-101 (under Exchangers tab - furnace): outlet 600°C, 25 bar
R-101 (RStoic): adiabatic, 1 bar pressure drop, C7H8 + H2 C6H6 + CH4, 83% conversion of
toluene (enter this information under the Reactions tab)
E-102 (under exchangers – heater…even though you are cooling!): outlet 38°C, 0.1 bar
pressure drop
V-101 (Flash): no pressure drop, same temperature as E-102 outlet
E-103 (Heater): outlet 90°C, 0.3 bar pressure drop
T-101 (under Separators tab – Sep): model as component separator, split fraction to
Stream 13 is 0.99 benzene, 0.999 hydrogen, 0.01 toluene, 0.999 methane
s1 splitter: 95% to Stream 15
C-101 (under Pressure Changers tab – compressor): outlet 26 bar, isentropic, efficiency
80% (skip mechanical box)
The blocks are to be renamed as listed above per PFD requirements.
Whenever there is recycle involved, it is suggested that the process be simulated in the
following manner. You should do this for practice, even though this process is simple
enough to be done initially with both recycles.
1. First create a process where Stream 14, 15, and 16 (or 17) are outlet streams, i.e., there
are no recycles. Get that process to run.
2. Add one recycle. Recommended to add the toluene recycle first.
3. Add the second recycle.
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Figure 1: Unit 100 – Benzene Production Process
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When running an Aspen file, there may be “errors” or “warnings” in early steps in an iteration. They will
appear at the bottom of the control panel. However, as long as the lower-left corner shows “results
available,” the simulation is valid. The only issues arise when the lower-left corner shows “results
available with warnings” in yellow or “results available with errors” in red. Then, you must click on
“check status” for more information.
This does not mean anything as long as
this is not red or yellow.
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Assignment Questions:
1. What is the work input required for P-101 in kW? (5 pts)
a. Work input = 15.8284 kW
2. What is the heat duty on E-101 in kW? (5 pts)
a. Heat Duty= 3132.59 kW
3. What is the heat duty on H-101 in kW? (5 pts)
a. Heat Duty= 5577.82 kW
4. What is the outlet temperature of R-101? (5 pts)
a. Temperature= 722.399 °C
5. What is the heat duty on E-102 in kW? (5 pts)
a. Heat Duty= -10933.2 kW
6. What is the heat duty on E-103 in kW? (5 pts)
a. Heat Duty= 353.831 kW
7. What is the work input required for C-101 in kW? (5 pts)
a. Work= 1.78313 kW
8. Report the total mass and mole flowrates, the component mole flowrates, the vapor fraction, the
temperature, and the pressure of Streams 13 and 14. Only report these items, nothing else. (10
pts)
a. Stream 13:
i. Total Mass Flowrate: 11417.9 kg/hr
ii. Total Mole Flowrate: 150.05 kmol/hr
iii. Toluene Mole Flowrate: 0.302777 kmol/hr
iv. Benzene Mole Flowrate: 144.978 kmol/hr
v. Hydrogen Mole Flowrate: 0.806207 kmol/hr
vi. Methane Mole Flowrate: 3.96246 kmol/hr
vii. Vapor Fraction: 0.00313483
viii. Temperature: 90 °C
ix. Pressure: 23.6 bar
b. Stream 14:
i. Total Mass Flowrate: 2876.37 kg/hr
ii. Total Mole Flowrate: 31.4442 kmol/hr
iii. Toluene Mole Flowrate: 29.975 kmol/hr
iv. Benzene Mole Flowrate: 1.46443 kmol/hr
v. Hydrogen Mole Flowrate: 0.000807014 kmol/hr
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vi. Methane Mole Flowrate: 0.00396642 kmol/hr
vii. Vapor Fraction: 0
viii. Temperature: 90 °C
ix. Pressure: 23.6 bar
9. There is at least one thing wrong with this flowsheet. It is feasible but not recommended. Any
experienced engineer would find it to be unacceptable. Identify one issue and suggest a remedy.
(5 pts)
The current flowsheet requires stream 14, exiting the bottom of separator T-101 at 23.6 bar, to be
throttled down through a valve to 2.8 bar before mixing with stream 1. The combined stream is then sent
through pump P-101, which raises the pressure back up to 26 bar. This approach is inefficient and costly,
as significant energy is wasted by first reducing the pressure only to immediately increase it again.
A better solution would be to adjust stream 14 directly to 26 bar using a control valve and send it straight
to the second mixer (M2), bypassing the first mixer (M1) and pump P-101. This modification reduces
unnecessary pump load, lowers operating costs, and makes the overall process more efficient and
streamlined.
