Leveraging IF97 Property Data to Optimize Batch Cycle Time

Christopher Harp, Process Engineer, Chevron Oronite

For a fully utilized batch reactor line, any improvement we can make in batch cycle time results in more product available to sell and, thus, increased profit. One of the rate-limiting steps in the batch process is a distillation, governed by complex first-principles calculations and physical property data. In this presentation, I’ll explain how we were able to leverage the IF97 Water and Steam Properties functionality in Seeq Workbench to shave 60 minutes off the distillation step, a ~12% reduction in batch cycle time.