Designing experiments with Aspen HYSYS simulation to improve distillation systems: Insights from a chemical engineering course

Designing experiments by simulation with process simulators, e.g. Aspen HYSYS, can be very effective in the optimization of several chemical engineering systems. It is important to enhance students' skills highlighting the value of applying problem specific knowledge, simulation tools and sound statistical techniques. This paper addresses the use of Aspen HYSYS by Portuguese chemical engineering master students to model distillation systems together with statistical experimental design techniques in order to optimize the systems. The paper presents a procedure followed in two projects beginning with the selection of two case studies from the literature, which the goal is to further improve with the help of design of experiments. The paper presents the work developed by the students in order to model steady-state and dynamic processes and optimize the distillation systems emphasizing the benefits of the simulation tools and statistical techniques in helping the students learn how to learn. Students strengthened their domain specific knowledge and became motivated to rethink and improve chemical processes in their future chemical engineering profession. The main results and conclusions provide a strong incentive from the teachers' perspective to a wider use of this kind of procedure by chemical engineering master students.