Aspen Plus Bioethanol from Corn Model

Contents
1. Introduction................................................................................. 2
2. Components................................................................................ 2
3. Process Description....................................................................... 3
4. Physical Properties........................................................................ 3
5. Chemical Reactions.......................................................................4
6. Simulation Approach......................................................................5
7. Simulation Results........................................................................6
8. Conclusions................................................................................8
9. References.................................................................................. 9

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1. Introduction
This file is a model of a dry-grind corn-to-ethanol plant process and it is intended for the
following uses:
Understanding the relationships between key variables for producing bioethanol from
corn.
Provides an example of how to model the different areas of this process
Supply a starting set of components and physical property parameters for modeling
processes of this type
The model is not intended for equipment design or specifying other engineering documents
without further review by a process engineer with experience of corn-to-ethanol processes.
The bioethanol from corn model includes the following features:

A nominal set of chemical species and property parameters for this process.

Typical process areas including: liquefaction, saccharification, fermentation,

distillation, evaporation, dehydration, and the main streams connecting these units.

Key process control specifications such as backset flow, fermenter ethanol percent,
solids concentration, specifications for distillation columns and near-zero-net water
balance.

Usability features such as an Excel SCALE calculator which allows the user to scale
plant production rate and apply corns of varying starch content.

2. Components
The following components represent the chemical species present in the process:
ID

Type

Formula

Name

WATER
ETOH
CO2
GLUCOSE
STARCH
C5POLY
C6POLY
PROTINS
OIL
NFDS

CONV
CONV
CONV
CONV
SOLID
SOLID
SOLID
SOLID
SOLID
CONV

H2O
C2H6O-2
CO2
C6H12O6

WATER
ETHANOL
CARBON-DIOXIDE
DEXTROSE

C6H12O6

XYLOSE
PROTSOL

CONV
CONV

C6H12O6
C6H12O6

Non-fermentable
Dissolved Solids
C5 Sugars
Soluble Protein

SOLID component types represent non-library chemicals with user specified property
parameters. CONV components such as NFDS, XYLOSE, and PROTSOL originate as
clones of glucose and are later modified with their own property parameters. For example,

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the molecular weight of XYLOSE is modified to that of xylose (C5) in a Pure Component
Paragraph.

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3. Process Description
The process includes the following stages:

System

Purpose

Milling

Reduces corn kernels to the particle size distribution required for

further processing

Liquification

Primary step in starch hydrolysis to release poly-saccharides

Saccharification

Enzymatic hydrolysis of polysaccharides to fermentable sugars

Fermentation

Conversion of sugars to ethanol and CO2

Distillation

Concentration of ethanol to 190 proof

Dehydration

Concentration of ethanol to its final 200 proof

Centrifugation

Separate solids from liquid out of beer column bottoms stream

Evaporation

Concentrate dissolved solids in stillage

Drying

Achieve desired moisture in DDGS (dried distillers grains with

solubles) product

4. Physical Properties
This category includes the models and methods used to calculate the chemical and
thermodynamic equilibrium, and the physical properties of all streams. The models and
methods used in Aspen Plus are grouped into Option-Sets named after the central model,
e.g., Ideal, Redlich-Kwong-Soave, NRTL (Non-Random Two Liquid). The property Option-Set
used in this model is NRTL.
Physical Properties are usually the most important and often the most difficult part of a
simulation. The accuracy of physical property calculations strongly influences the reliability of
the results and ultimately affects the estimated cost of process equipment.

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5. Chemical Reactions
Dozens if not hundreds of chemical reactions occur in this process. These have been
simplified in this model to the following:
1. Saccharification
STARCH + WATER

GLUCOSE

99% conversion of STARCH

2. Fermentation
GLUCOSE
GLUCOSE

NFDS

25 mmgal/yr

1.9 ETOH + 1.9 CO2 + .06 NFDS

PROTSOL

100% conversion of
molar extent 3.31 lbmol/hr at

Saccharification and fermentation reactors are simplified to continuous operations.

Conversions and molar extents are adjustable parameters in the model. No attempt has been
made to model the action of enzymes and yeast in the reactors.

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6. Simulation Approach
Unit Operations - Major unit operations have been represented by Aspen Plus models as in
the table below.
Aspen Plus Unit Operation Models Used in the Bioethanol from Corn Model
Unit Operation

Aspen Plus model

Comments / Specifications

Saccharification and
Fermentation

RStoic

Simplified simulation with stoichiometric

reactions

Distillation / Scrubber

RadFrac

Rigorous multi-stage distillation model.

Beer Column with 9 theoretical stages
Rectifier with 18 theoretical stages

Dehydration

Sep

Simplified separation block, not a true

separation block based on adsorption

Dewatering

SSplit

Simplified separation block, not a true

separation block based on centrifugation

Heaters/Coolers

Heater

Simplified heater model.

DDGS Drying

Flash2

Flash calculation; calculates heat load

required to achieve desired moisture.

Evaporation

Flash2

Flash calculation; calculates heat load

required to achieve desired vapor fraction.

Streams - Streams represent the material and energy flows in, out and around the process.
Streams can be of three types: Material, Heat, and Work. Feeds to the process are corn,
energy, water, acid, enzyme and yeast; the later three are represented by NFDS, WATER and
WATER components respectively for simplicity. There are several internal streams that
represent the crossover of material and heat between blocks. A key internal stream is 59BS
representing backset.
Design-Specs, Calculator Blocks and Convergence - The simulation is augmented with a
combination of flowsheeting capabilities such as Convergence, Design Specs and Calculator
Blocks.
Sequencing and Convergence paragraphs are included that produce a relatively stable model
at varied rates. The model has been tested at production capacities as low as 15 mmgal/yr
and as high as 180 mmgal/yr and has run successfully aided by these convergence elements.
The following tables outline key flowsheeting capabilities of this model:
Design Specs Used in the Corn to Ethanol Model
Spec Name

Spec (Target)

Manipulated Variable

DDGS

Dry DDGS to 9% moisture

FERM

gm ethanol/LT in Beer to 12%

PREVAP
SYRUP
WG

pct solids in feed to centrifuge

Concentrate evap6 liquid to 55% solids
"Wet Grains are 35% solids" out of
centrifuge

DRYDDGS pressure to calculateheat duty

SPLITPC flow-split. process
water export
PRE-EVAP vapor fraction
EVAP6 vapor fraction
Stream 55TS flow

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WWTR

Close water balance to 100 kg/hr (strm

EXTRAPC) excess

Adding scrubber water;

87WATER flow to SCRUBBER

Flowsheet Calculators Used in the Corn to Ethanol Model

Name
BACKSET

Purpose
Backset is 15% of final mash volume

DISSOLVE

Calculates starch heat of solution

EVALUATE

Compare key process results at different production rates. Use in

conjunction with Calculator SCALE. Uses Excel spreadsheet.
Scale production (up or down) to a new capacity. Adjusts all feeds and Tear
Streams based on new capacity. Use in conjunction with Calculator
EVALUATE. Uses Excel spreadsheet.
Set extent for reaction No. 2 in FERMENT block (see Section 4. Reactions
above) as a function of mass flow, glucose content and density of mash
feed to Fermenter (Stream 23MASH)

SCALE
YEAST

Calculator blocks SCALE and EVALUATE are Spreadsheets in Excel, and are both
embedded in the file with extension .apmbd. Use SCALE to change the characteristics of the
corn feed as follows:

150
0.15
0.7

Plant Capacity, MM Gallons per Year

Moisture in Corn
Starch in Corn

Calculator block EVALUATE may be easily modified to add more comparison variables that
are of interest.

7. Simulation Results
The Aspen Plus simulation flowsheet and key results are shown below:

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Key Simulation Results

Result
Plant capacity (pure ethanol)

100

Units
MM gal/yr

Corn feed (total wet)

249278

lb/hr

Corn moisture (fixed)

15%

Corn starch

70%

Enzyme flow
Yeast flow
Acid flow
Water make-up to SCRUBBER
Plant near-zero-net water discharge

63
5.2
124
18019
100

lb/hr
lb/hr
lb/hr
lb/hr
lb/hr

Fermenter ETOH Conc, gm/LT

Backset

120
15.0%

gm/ltr

Steam cost (6 $/MMBtu)

Steam cost (7920 hr/yr)

2845
2.25E+07

$/hr
$/yr

Beer column diameter (0.62 fract. approach to flooding)

Rectifier diameter (0.75 top fract. approach to flooding, 0.5 bottom)

14.1
13.4

ft
ft

Fermentation Efficiency (Glucose to ETOH conv.)

100.0%

Starch Efficiency

99.0%

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8. Conclusions
The bioethanol from corn model provides a useful description of the process. The simulation
has been developed using many of the capabilities of Aspen Plus including unit operation
models, physical property methods, models and data, and flowsheeting capabilities like
convergence design specs.
The model may be used as a guide for understanding the process and the economics, and
also as a starting point for more sophisticated models for plant design and specifying process
equipment.

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9. References
1. F. Taylor, A.J. McAloon, J.C. Craig, Jr., P. Yang, J. Wahjudi and S.R. Eckhoff
"Fermentation and Costs of Fuel Ethanol from Corn with Quick-Germ Process", Applied
Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 94:41-49, 2001.
2. F. Taylor, M.J. Kurantz, N. Goldberg, A.J. McAloon and J.C. Craig, Jr., "Dry-Grind Process
for Fuel Ethanol by Continuous Fermentation and Stripping", Biotechnology Progress,
16:541-547, 2000.
3. McAloon, F. Taylor, W. Yee, K. Ibsen and R. Wooley, "Determining the Cost of Producing
Ethanol from Corn Starch and Lignocellulosic Feedstocks", National Renewable Energy
Laboratory, Golden, CO, October, 2000.
http://www.osti.gov/bridge/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=766198
4. R.J. Wooley and V. Putsche, "Development of an ASPEN PLUS Physical Property
Database for Biofuels Components", National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden,
CO, April, 1996.
http://www.osti.gov/bridge/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=257362

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