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Development of computer models for the simulation of coal liquefaction processes
Author(s) -
Williams B. C.,
McMullan J. T.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
international journal of energy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.808
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1099-114X
pISSN - 0363-907X
DOI - 10.1002/er.4440180209
Subject(s) - suite , eclipse , process (computing) , microcomputer , coal , computer science , database , liquefaction , coal liquefaction , process engineering , computer program , data file , industrial engineering , systems engineering , engineering , waste management , operating system , geotechnical engineering , telecommunications , chip , physics , archaeology , astronomy , history
The objective of this program was to develop a portable microcomputer‐based simulation system to assess the techno‐economic viability of competing coal liquefaction technologies. The Eclipse suite of programs which has been developed to achieve this objective is called by a menu‐driven batch file, which guides the user logically through the simulation of a process. All the information which is required to simulate a given process is prompted by, and entered onto, user‐friendly screens. These screens restrict the input of information to sensible values only, and the program automatically checks that the information supplied is valid and complete. The storage of this information in flexible data structures, and the use of databases, ensure that manual data entry is minimized. The calculation routines within the programs use standard generic chemical engineering formulas. For coal‐liquids properties, the recommendations of Tsonopoulos are followed. The capital‐cost estimation package was developed for the European Commission under a previous contract, and it has been validated against known 1987 equipment costs. The Eclipse suite of programs has been successfully validated using information supplied by British Coal on the LSE process, and has also been used to simulate various coal‐fired power‐generation technologies.