Convergence behaviour of single stage flash calculations

dc.contributor.advisorHeidemann, Robert A.
dc.contributor.authorRijkers, M. P. W. (Marinus Petrus Wilhelmus), 1960-
dc.date.accessioned2005-07-21T21:14:40Z
dc.date.available2005-07-21T21:14:40Z
dc.date.issued1985
dc.descriptionBibliography: p. 100-103.en
dc.description.abstractIn this dissertation the convergence behaviour of single stage phase split calculations is investigated to determine which factors cause a flash routine (1) to converge to the trivial solution and (2) to converge very slowly or not at all. For four different mixtures, approximately 50,000 independent flash calculations were executed at variable temperatures, pressures and initial guesses for the phase distribution coefficients. For all four mixtures, the conventional successive substitution algorithm as described by Null (1970) was implemented. For one mixture the calculations were repeated using an accelerated version of the successive substitution algorithm proposed by Mehra et al (1983). At low pressures, convergence to a correct solution can readily be achieved by applying Raoult's law initial guesses, independent of the temperature and the algorithm used to converge the flash calculation, at least for the mixtures studied here. At pressures above the mixture critical pressure the trivial solution was encountered only rarely with Raoult's law initial guesses when the conventional successive substitution method was used. If an accelerated method was used, however, no trivial solutions occured. In order to test the speed of convergence and the computational efficiency of flash calculations, a large number of flash calculations were performed within the two-phase region of a 7 component mixture. Three different but related first order methods and one second order method (Newton-Raphson iteration) were used to solve flash calculations throughout the two-phase region, starting with a Raoult's law initial guess. Both in the low and high pressure regions points of slow convergence were observed. At low pressures, retardation in the speed of convergence was caused by the appearance of trivial roots in the Peng-Robinson equation of state. At high pressures slow convergence was apparently related to the nature of the free energy surface. In terms of computational efficiency the accelerated methods performed best. The Newton- Raphson method exhibited numerical problems in the critical and isobaric regions, which resulted in occurences of the trivial solution and convergence failures. Convergence problems also occured when poor guesses were provided for the phase distribution coefficients. In some cases an oscillatory behaviour of the iteration variables between the correct solution and the trivial solution was observed.
dc.description.notesThis title is not available online. Access options are: - consulting the copy from Archives in our reading room in person - https://asc.ucalgary.ca/visiting/ - borrowing a circulating copy from the Library catalogue – https://ucalgary.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?vid=01UCALG_INST:UCALGARY&lang=en
dc.format.extentxiii, 132 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.en
dc.identifier.citationRijkers, M. P. (1985). Convergence behaviour of single stage flash calculations (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/15764en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/15764
dc.identifier.isbn0315211423en
dc.identifier.lccQA 295 R53 1986en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/23450
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subject.lccQA 295 R53 1986en
dc.subject.lcshConvergence
dc.subject.lcshFluid dynamics
dc.subject.lcshThermodynamics
dc.subject.lcshAlgorithms
dc.titleConvergence behaviour of single stage flash calculations
dc.typemaster thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineChemical and Petroleum Engineering
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science (MSc)
ucalgary.thesis.accessionTheses Collection 58.002:Box 558 215772161
ucalgary.thesis.notesoffsiteen
ucalgary.thesis.uarcreleasenoen
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