Choosing a Property Method
This topic contains information about choosing the best property
method for your simulation including:
• Recommended property methods for different applications
• Guidelines for choosing a property method
• Specifying the global property method
• Specifying a property method for a flowsheet section
• Specifying a local property method
Recommended See the following topics to see a table showing the recommended
Property Methods for property methods for a simulation of that type.
Different Applications
Oil and Gas Production
Application Recommended Property Methods
Reservoir systems PR-BM, RKS-BM
Platform separation PR-BM, RKS-BM
Transportation of oil and gas by pipeline PR-BM, RKS-BM
Refinery
Application Recommended Property Methods
Low pressure applications BK10, CHAO-SEA, GRAYSON
(up to several atm)
Vacuum tower,
atmospheric crude tower
Medium pressure applications CHAO-SEA, GRAYSON, PENG-ROB, RK-SOAVE
(up to several tens of atm)
Coker main fractionator,
FCC main fractionator
Hydrogen-rich applications GRAYSON, PENG-ROB, RK-SOAVE
Reformer, Hydrofiner
Lube oil unit, De-asphalting unit PENG-ROB, RK-SOAVE
Gas Processing
Application Recommended Property Methods
Hydrocarbon separations PR-BM, RKS-BM, PENG-ROB, RK-SOAVE
Demethanizer
C3-splitter
Cryogenic gas processing PR-BM, RKS-BM, PENG-ROB, RK-SOAVE
Air separation
Gas dehydration with glycols PRWS, RKSWS, PRMHV2, RKSMHV2, PSRK,
SR-POLAR
Aspen Plus 12.1 User Guide Physical Property Methods • 7-5
Application Recommended Property Methods
Acid gas absorption with PRWS, RKSWS, PRMHV2, RKSMHV2, PSRK,
Methanol (RECTISOL) SR-POLAR
NMP (PURISOL)
Acid gas absorption with ELECNRTL
Water
Ammonia
Amines
Amines + methanol (AMISOL)
Caustic
Lime
Hot carbonate
Claus process PRWS, RKSWS, PRMHV2, RKSMHV2, PSRK,
SR-POLAR
Petrochemicals
Application Recommended Property Methods
Ethylene plant CHAO-SEA, GRAYSON
Primary fractionator
Light hydrocarbons PENG-ROB, RK-SOAVE
Separation train
Quench tower
Aromatics WILSON, NRTL, UNIQUAC and their variances
BTX extraction
Substituted hydrocarbons PENG-ROB, RK-SOAVE
VCM plant
Acrylonitrile plant
Ether production WILSON, NRTL, UNIQUAC and their variances
MTBE, ETBE, TAME
Ethylbenzene and styrene plants PENG-ROB, RK-SOAVE
or
WILSON, NRTL, UNIQUAC and their variances
Terephthalic acid WILSON, NRTL, UNIQUAC and their variances
(with dimerization in acetic acid section)
See Guidelines for Choosing a Property Method for Polar Non-
Electrolyte Systems to see diagrams for recommendations based on
pressure and vapor phase association.
Chemicals
Application Recommended Property Methods
Azeotropic separations WILSON, NRTL, UNIQUAC and their variances
Alcohol separation
Carboxylic acids WILS-HOC, NRTL-HOC, UNIQ-HOC
Acetic acid plant
Phenol plant WILSON, NRTL, UNIQUAC and their variances
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Application Recommended Property Methods
Liquid phase reactions WILSON, NRTL, UNIQUAC and their variances
Esterification
Ammonia plant PENG-ROB, RK-SOAVE
Fluorochemicals WILS-HF
Inorganic Chemicals ELECNRTL
Caustic
Acids
Phosphoric acid
Sulphuric acid
Nitric acid
Hydrochloric acid
Hydrofluoric acid ENRTL-HF
See Guidelines for Choosing a Property Method to see
recommendations based on pressure and vapor phase association.
Coal Processing
Application Recommended Property Methods
Size reduction crushing, grinding SOLIDS
Separation and cleaning sieving, SOLIDS
cyclones, precipitation, washing
Combustion PR-BM, RKS-BM (combustion databank)
Acid gas absorption with PRWS, RKSWS, PRMHV2, RKSMHV2, PSRK,
Methanol (RECTISOL) SR-POLAR
NMP (PURISOL)
Acid gas absorption with ELECNRTL
Water
Ammonia
Amines
Amines + methanol (AMISOL)
Caustic
Lime
Hot carbonate
Coal gasification and liquefaction See Synthetic Fuels table.
Power Generation
Application Recommended Property Methods
Combustion PR-BM, RKS-BM (combustion databank)
Coal
Oil
Steam cycles STEAMNBS, STEAM-TA
Compressors
Turbines
Acid gas absorption See gas processing.
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Synthetic Fuel
Application Recommended Property Methods
Synthesis gas PR-BM, RKS-BM
Coal gasification PR-BM, RKS-BM
Coal liquefaction PR-BM, RKS-BM, BWR-LS
Environmental
Application Recommended Property Methods
Solvent recovery WILSON, NRTL, UNIQUAC and their variances
(Substituted) hydrocarbon stripping WILSON, NRTL, UNIQUAC and their variances
Acid gas stripping from PRWS, RKSWS, PRMHV2, RKSMHV2, PSRK,
Methanol (RECTISOL) SR-POLAR
NMP (PURISOL)
Acid gas stripping from: ELECNRTL
Water
Ammonia
Amines
Amines + methanol (AMISOL)
Caustic
Lime
Hot carbonate
Acids ELECNRTL
Stripping
Neutralization
See Guidelines for Choosing a Property Method for Polar Non-
Electrolyte Systems to see diagrams for recommendations based on
pressure and vapor phase association.
Water and Steam
Application Recommended Property Methods
Steam systems STEAMNBS, STEAMTA
Coolant
Mineral and Metallurgical
Processes
Application Recommended Property Methods
Mechanical processing: SOLIDS
Crushing
Grinding
Sieving
Washing
Hydrometallurgy ELECNRTL
Mineral leaching
7-8 • Physical Property Methods Aspen Plus 12.1 User Guide
Application Recommended Property Methods
Pyrometallurgy SOLIDS
Smelter
Converter
Guidelines for The following diagrams show the process for choosing a property
Choosing a Property method.
Method
Non-electrolyte
*
Polar
Electrolyte
ELECNRTL
Real
PENG-ROB, RK-SOAVE,
LK-PLOCK, PR-BM,
RKS-BM
Nonpolar > 1atm
CHAO-SEA, GRAYSON,
BK10
Pseudo &
Real
Vacuum
BK10, IDEAL
Polarity Electrolyte
Real or Pseudocomponents Pressure
* See the next figure to continue.
Aspen Plus 12.1 User Guide Physical Property Methods • 7-9
Guidelines for Choosing
Y NRTL, UNIQUAC,
a Property Method for and their variances
Polar Non-Electrolyte
Y
Systems
N WILSON, NRTL, UNIQUAC,
P < 10 bar and their variances
Y
UNIF-LL
N
Polar,
non-electrolyte
N UNIFAC, UNIF-LBY,
UNIF-DMD
Y
SR-POLAR, PRWS,
RKSWS, PRMHV2,
P > 10 bar RKSMHV2
N
PSRK, RKSMHV2
Pressure Liquid-Liquid
Interaction parameters available
* See the next figure to continue.
Guidelines for Choosing
Hexamers
an Activity Coefficient WILS-HF
Property Method
DP?
WILS-NTH, WILS-HOC
Y Dimers NRTL-NTH, NRTL-HOC
UNIQ-NTH, UNIQ-HOC
WILSON UNIF-HOC
NRTL VAP?
UNIQUAC
UNIFAC
N
WILSON, WILS-RK,
WILS-LR, WILS-GLR,
NRTL, NRTL-RK, NRTL-2
UNIQUAC, UNIQ-RK,
UNIQ-2, UNIFAC, UNIF-LL,
UNIF-LBY, UNIF-DMD
Vapor phase association
Degrees of polymerization
Specifying the Global Aspen Plus uses the global property method for all property
Property Method calculations, unless you specify a different property method for a
specific flowsheet section, unit operation block, or property
analysis.
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