E X A M P L E S

Examples:

The examples below show standard equipment. It should be emphasized, that AHTL can rigorously model nonstandard equipment, too. Moreover, it is its main area of application. Taking standard equipment as an example however has the advantage that the results can be easily verified. The time required to do these simulations is compatible with engineering purposes.

A refinery heater (reboiler) example, with API-560 data sheets and complete AHTL output can be found here, together with additional data that allows full check-calculations by others.
AHTL has been used to model an Alstom Transfer Line Exchanger, including the thermosyphon system of an ethylene cracking furnace. Excellent agreement with vendor data was achieved. AHTL can also model air preheat systems, ducting and piping including heat losses. In fact, AHTL could model a complete cracking furnace, except the radiant section.
A plate heat exchanger example, with full explanation of geometry, operating conditions, transient response and steady-state solution can be found here.
An example of a spiral plate heat exchanger, with full explanation of geometry, operating conditions and steady-state solution can be found here.
Simulations have been done in cooperation with the Johannes Kepler university in Linz (Austria), related to thermoplastic material property research. This resulted in a publication in International Polymer Processing (Volume XXI, issue 1, March 2006). Examples can be found here.


Possible further applications:

AHTL can also be applied to thermo-hydraulic calculation of piping, ducting, burners, preheat systems and many more unit operations. Since all conservation laws are fully implemented, AHTL gives exact solutions in cases where otherwise one would resort to hand calculations and spreadsheets (because existing software cannot handle the situation).

Because AHTL does heat transfer calculations in a generic way, it can be successully applied also in unexpected situations.