Prop-005H

Revised: Nov 7, 2012

Hypothetical Components and Petroleum Assays

with Aspen HYSYS V8.0
1. Lesson Objectives

Create hypothetical components in Aspen HYSYS

Characterize a petroleum assay

2. Prerequisites

Aspen HYSYS V8.0

3. Background
Aspen HYSYS allows you to create non-library or Hypothetical components. These hypothetical components can
be pure components, defined mixtures, undefined mixtures, or solids. A wide selection of estimation methods
are provided for various Hypo groups to ensure the best representation of behavior for the Hypothetical
component in the simulation.
In order to accurately model a process containing a crude oil, such as a refinery operation, the oil properties
must be defined. It is nearly impossible to determine the exact composition of an oil assay, as there are far too
many components in the mixture. This is a situation where hypothetical components are useful. Boiling point
measurements of distillate fractions of an assay can be used to characterize the oil properties.
The examples presented are solely intended to illustrate specific concepts and principles. They may not
reflect an industrial application or real situation.

4. Problem Statement and Aspen HYSYS Solution

Problem Statement
Create a hypothetical component group in Aspen HYSYS and characteri ze a petroleum assay to be used in a
refinery simulation.

Aspen HYSYS Solution

4.01.

Start a new simulation in Aspen HYSYS V8.0.

4.02.

Create a component list. In the Component Lists folder select Add. Change the Select field to
Hypothetical and enter the Initial and Final Boiling Points for the hypothetical group shown below.
Click Generate Hypos when complete. This will generate a group of hypothetical components with
estimated properties based on the specified boiling point of each cut.

Prop-005H

4.03.

Revised: Nov 7, 2012

Click Add All to add the entire hypothetical group to the component list.

Prop-005H

Revised: Nov 7, 2012

4.04.

Define property package. In the Fluid Packages folder select Add. Select Peng-Robinson as the
property package.

4.05.

Enter the simulation environment by clicking the Simulation button in the bottom left of the screen.

Prop-005H

Revised: Nov 7, 2012

4.06.

Add a Material Stream to the flowsheet from the Model Palette. Double click the stream and go to the
Composition form under the Worksheet tab.

4.07.

You will notice that the mole fractions of all the components are empty. If you would like to assign an
oil assay to this stream go to the Petroleum Assay form under the Worksheet tab. Select the option
Create New Assay On Stream.

Prop-005H

4.08.

Revised: Nov 7, 2012

Click the Petroleum Assay Specifications button. This page allows you to enter assay distillation data or
import data from a known oil assay.

Prop-005H

Revised: Nov 7, 2012

4.09.

Click the Import From button and select Assay Library to import data from a known assay in the HYSYS
assay library.

4.10.

Say, for example, that we want to model a refinery process using Bachaquero heavy crude from
Venezuela. Scroll down the list of assays and select Bachaquero, Venezuela. Click Import Selected
Assay.

Prop-005H

Revised: Nov 7, 2012

4.11.

After a few moments the MacroCut Data window will be filled with distillation cut data for Bachaquero
heavy crude.

4.12.

Click the Calculate Assay button to assign mole fractions to the hypothetical components defined for
the stream. Exit the MacroCut Data window and view the Components form of the material stream.

Prop-005H
4.13.

Revised: Nov 7, 2012

The composition for the stream is now defined and will model the properties of the selected petroleum
assay through the use of hypothetical components.

5. Conclusions
This example demonstrates how to create hypothetical components and how to assign a petroleum assay to a
stream in order to model the assay properties in a simulation.

6. Copyright
Copyright 2012 by Aspen Technology, Inc. (AspenTech). All rights reserved. This work may not be
reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of
AspenTech. ASPENTECH MAKES NO WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, WITH
RESPECT TO THIS WORK and assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. In no event will AspenTech be
liable to you for damages, including any loss of profits, lost savings, or other incidental or consequential
damages arising out of the use of the information contained in, or the digital files supplied with or for use with,
this work. This work and its contents are provided for educational purposes only.

AspenTech, aspenONE, and the Aspen leaf logo, are trademarks of Aspen Technology, Inc.. Brands and
product names mentioned in this documentation are trademarks or service marks of their respective companies.