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Mid-Size EPC Reduces Cost of Innovative Ethanol Dehydration System By 18% with Aspen Custom Modeler
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Process Analytics
Applicable Industries
- Chemicals
Applicable Functions
- Process Manufacturing
- Product Research & Development
Use Cases
- Process Control & Optimization
- Predictive Quality Analytics
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
Hitachi Zosen Corporation, a Japan-based EPC, is committed to creating innovative products that are beneficial to society and technology. To stay competitive, the company needs to ensure that each product is not only innovative but also allows their clients to maintain a competitive edge with traditional products and other emerging technologies. One of the challenges the company faced was developing a zeolite membrane alternative to traditional ethanol dehydration. The removal of excess water from ethanol is an expensive and time-consuming step that limits ethanol competitiveness in the energy market. To be added to gasoline, a mixture needs to be at least 99.5% ethanol. With an azeotrope that limits water removal from mixtures to 95% ethanol, a cheap and effective means of reaching higher ethanol content is currently in high demand.
About The Customer
Hitachi Zosen Corporation is an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) company based in Japan. The company designs and constructs waste treatment plants, industrial plants, and machinery and equipment for industrial and construction purposes. Hitachi Zosen is committed to being at the forefront of innovative products that are useful to society and technology. The company has undertaken projects spanning from waste-to-energy plants to salt water desalination and earthquake protection for bridges. To remain competitive, Hitachi Zosen needs to ensure that each product is not only innovative, but also allows their client to retain a competitive edge with traditional products and other emerging technologies.
The Solution
Hitachi Zosen used Aspen Custom Modeler (ACM) and Aspen Process Economic Analyzer (APEA) to model novel processes integrated into larger systems while also keeping track of the bottom line. This allowed the company to consider the cost while simultaneously designing a new technology, leading to a better solution with fewer iterations in the conceptual stage, saving time and money. The company was able to produce a solution, the Hitz Dehydration System (HDS), using a zeolite membrane. Prior to using ACM, Hitachi Zosen ran into an issue with physical property consistency using a home-grown segmented model of the membrane. Programming with ACM provided a program that not only allowed for consistent physical properties, but was easier to understand, maintain, and troubleshoot.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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