TechTeach: SimView

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Heated Tank
Snapshot of the front panel of the simulator:

What is needed to run the the simulator? Read to get most recent information!
Tips for using the simulator.
The simulator: heated_tank.exe (click to download). The simulator runs immediately after
the download by clicking Open in the download window. Alternatively, you can first save a
copy of the exe-file on any directory (folder) on your PC and then run the exe-file, which
starts the simulator.

Description of the simulated system

In this simulator a thermal system is simulated. The system is a continuously stirred heated tank
with continuous mass (liquid) inflow and outflow. The front panel of the simulator shows the
system. The mathematical model can be derived from an energy balance for the liquid in the tank.
The energy balance can be expressed as the following first order differential equation:

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c VdT/dt = P + cw(Ti - T) + U(To - T)

der
T [oC] is the liquid temperature in the tank
Ti [oC] is the inlet temperature
To [oC] is the ambient temperature
c [J/(kg K)] is the specific heat capacity of the liquid
[kg/m3] is the liquid density.
w [kg/s] is the liquid mass flow through the tank
V [m3] is the tank volume
U [J/(s K)] is the total heat transfer coefficient (between the the tank and the environment)
The simulator is based on the model above.

Aims
The aim of the simulator and the tasks below is to develop the understanding of the dynamic
properties of a continuously stirred heated tank with continuous heating and inlet flow and outlet
flow. This system .

Motivation
Stirred tanks are common in industrial plants. The dynamic properties of heated tanks, heat
exchangers, and reactors have many similarities with stirred tanks.

Task
Unless otherwise stated, you should use the default values of the parameters (a default value is
retrieved via right-click on the element / Reinitialize to Default on the front panel).
1. Get familiar with the system/model: Observe in simulations how the temperature T of the
liquid in the tank depends qualitatively of the following variables and parameters:
Inlet temperature Ti (it can be changed e.g. as a step)
Mass flow w (e.g. increase it).
Environmental temperature Ti.
Heat transfer coefficient U (increase from e.g. U=500).

2. Static operating point: It is specified that the static value of the tank temperature, Ts, shall
be 40 degrees C. The inlet flow temperature is assumed to be Ti0 = 20 degrees C. Calculate
from the static version of the model the constant power, P0, neeeded. In this case use the
default values of the prosess parameters (as shown on the frontpanel). Confirm the calculated

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resultat in a simulation.

[SimView] [TechTeach]

Updated 12. March 2012. Developed by Finn Haugen. E-mail: finn@techteach.no.

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