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In an energy conservation programme I'm focusing on steam calculation starting from the reboiler and the distribution lines in the refinery. Could you please tell me the first step to do this calculation, whether anyone has a relevant book or article, and can I use Hysys software?
 
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06/10/2020 A: Eric Vetters, ProCorr Consulting Services, ewvetters@yahoo.com
It's not clear exactly what you are trying to accomplish, which makes it difficult to recommend tools. If you are trying to do a basic mass & energy balance on your steam system, a spreadsheet is probably the easiest route. You can normally download data from your plant's data historian to use as the raw data for your balances.

If you are looking for ways to reduce steam usage in things like reboilers, you might need to use a process simulation tool to simulate the process side to look at things like the impact of reducing steam or changing distillation targets.

Bottom line is that it's really a matter of figuring out exactly what you are wanting to accomplish and then picking the best tools to help you get there.