Objective
This article explains the behavior of the Absorber unit in OLI Flowsheet: ESP, with a focus on solid phase considerations. It also provides guidance on displaying the solids exiting an Absorber block.
Disclaimer: The user interface, calculations, and results displayed in this article are from OLI Flowsheet: ESP Version 12.0. Other software versions may appear different due to continual developments to the software.
Does the Absorber in OLI Flowsheet: ESP calculate solids?
By design, the Absorber block does not calculate a solid phase. This is because the solid phase calculation is deactivated in the column unit by default. Therefore, even if solids are expected, the nature of the Absorber block is such that no solids will be directly calculated.
How to View Solids Exiting an Absorber
If you need to examine the solid phase leaving an Absorber, you can configure the simulation to include a Mixer downstream.
- Place a Mixer at the bottom of the Absorber column (referred to as "BASIN" in the example).
- Connect the exit stream of the Absorber to the Mixer.
- Review the exit stream from the Mixer to observe phase partitioning, including any solid phase present.
Conclusions
In this article, we reviewed why an Absorber’s exit stream will not calculate solids even if they are expected to be present, and a way to review the solids by adding a Mixer downstream of the Absorber.
For any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact the OLI Support team at support.olisystems.com.