Case Studies Fluor Achieves Significant Time Savings in SRU Simulation

Edit This Case Study Record

	Fluor Achieves Significant Time Savings in SRU Simulation

Fluor Achieves Significant Time Savings in SRU Simulation

Technology Category	Analytics & Modeling - Process Analytics Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
Applicable Industries	Chemicals Oil & Gas
Applicable Functions	Process Manufacturing Quality Assurance
Use Cases	Process Control & Optimization Predictive Maintenance
Services	Software Design & Engineering Services System Integration
Challenge	Fluor, a leading engineering and construction company, faced a challenge in modeling sulfur recovery units (SRUs) with both liquid elemental sulfur and vapor allotropes. The process typically required several simulation files which were iterated manually to balance material and energy recycle loops required in the COPE II process. Multiple files were generally required because of an inability to use multiple property packages in a single simulation. This manual adjustment of the recycle streams was time-consuming and introduced room for error. Fluor needed a solution that could integrate multiple property packages into a single simulation and offer several other benefits for their SRU COPE II modeling. Read More
About Customer	Fluor is one of the world’s largest publicly traded engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction and maintenance companies. It is experienced in and licenses a whole portfolio of sulfur technologies to help their clients’ meet environmental requirements with a cost-effective solution. Fluor/GAA has developed their own patented COPE II process, which uses high levels of oxygen enrichment to increase processing capacity of a sulfur recovery unit (SRU) or tail gas treating unit (TGTU) and utilizes a recycle stream to moderate the temperature in the furnace. The company is always on the lookout for ways to increase efficiency and reduce costs for their clients. Read More
Solution	Fluor implemented Aspen HYSYS V10, a solution that allowed them to simulate the entire sulfur recovery unit, including recycle streams, in a single file. This solution integrated multiple property packages into a single simulation, offering several benefits for Fluor/GAA’s SRU COPE II modeling. It provided several empirical models for prediction of the reaction furnace temperature, based on feedstock composition, configuration and level of oxygen enrichment. It also offered unit operation blocks for critical specialized equipment such as sulfur condensers and updated estimations for dissolved H2S and H2Sx, for better prediction of the sulfur degassing system, especially for O2-enriched SRU. The solution also allowed easy incorporation of multiple recycle streams and integration of the SRU with upstream and downstream processing steps or units in one simulation. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Process Analytics

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration

Applicable Industries

Chemicals

Oil & Gas

Applicable Functions

Process Manufacturing

Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Process Control & Optimization

Predictive Maintenance

Services

Software Design & Engineering Services

System Integration

Challenge

Fluor, a leading engineering and construction company, faced a challenge in modeling sulfur recovery units (SRUs) with both liquid elemental sulfur and vapor allotropes. The process typically required several simulation files which were iterated manually to balance material and energy recycle loops required in the COPE II process. Multiple files were generally required because of an inability to use multiple property packages in a single simulation. This manual adjustment of the recycle streams was time-consuming and introduced room for error. Fluor needed a solution that could integrate multiple property packages into a single simulation and offer several other benefits for their SRU COPE II modeling.

About Customer

Fluor is one of the world’s largest publicly traded engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction and maintenance companies. It is experienced in and licenses a whole portfolio of sulfur technologies to help their clients’ meet environmental requirements with a cost-effective solution. Fluor/GAA has developed their own patented COPE II process, which uses high levels of oxygen enrichment to increase processing capacity of a sulfur recovery unit (SRU) or tail gas treating unit (TGTU) and utilizes a recycle stream to moderate the temperature in the furnace. The company is always on the lookout for ways to increase efficiency and reduce costs for their clients.

Solution

Fluor implemented Aspen HYSYS V10, a solution that allowed them to simulate the entire sulfur recovery unit, including recycle streams, in a single file. This solution integrated multiple property packages into a single simulation, offering several benefits for Fluor/GAA’s SRU COPE II modeling. It provided several empirical models for prediction of the reaction furnace temperature, based on feedstock composition, configuration and level of oxygen enrichment. It also offered unit operation blocks for critical specialized equipment such as sulfur condensers and updated estimations for dissolved H2S and H2Sx, for better prediction of the sulfur degassing system, especially for O2-enriched SRU. The solution also allowed easy incorporation of multiple recycle streams and integration of the SRU with upstream and downstream processing steps or units in one simulation.

Impact #1	Fluor was able to save a week’s worth of simulation effort, which they could pass on to their client.
Impact #2	The savings come from being able to converge more rapidly than if they were manually converging multiple recycle streams across simulations, while also reducing errors from the manual operation.
Impact #3	Fluor was able to evaluate different configurations of oxygen enrichment in the reactor model, with empirical correlations built in for more accurate modeling.

Impact #1

Fluor was able to save a week’s worth of simulation effort, which they could pass on to their client.

Impact #2

The savings come from being able to converge more rapidly than if they were manually converging multiple recycle streams across simulations, while also reducing errors from the manual operation.

Impact #3

Fluor was able to evaluate different configurations of oxygen enrichment in the reactor model, with empirical correlations built in for more accurate modeling.

Benefit #1	Saved a week of simulation effort
Benefit #2	Reduced errors from manual operation

Benefit #1

Saved a week of simulation effort

Benefit #2

Reduced errors from manual operation

Download PDF Version

Overview

Fluor Achieves Significant Time Savings in SRU Simulation

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit