June 23, 2016 – Two Turkish chemical engineering students who used Honeywell’s simulation software to show how biodiesel byproduct can be utilized in an energy-efficient, integrated process to produce bio-gasoline, have been named the winners of Honeywell Process Solutions’ (HPS) annual UniSim Design Challenge. The students were recognized during the company’s annual customer symposium for the Americas held this week in San Antonio, Texas.
Ozgun Deliismail and Okan Akin from the Izmir Institute of Technology, under the supervision of Associate Professor Dr. Erol Seker, designed a unique solution to produce bio-gasoline using glycerol, a byproduct of biodiesel. With UniSim Design R440, Akin, Deliismail and Dr. Seker created a preliminary conceptual design and simulation of the production of synthesized bio-gasoline, which can be used for transportation without any additives used to boost the fuel performance.
“Environmental concerns and economic uncertainties are driving a global interest in alternative fuels that may provide us with more sustainable means of transportation,” said Ali Raza, vice president of HPS’ Advanced Solutions business. “We’re excited about the innovative ways that students around the world are using Unisim to tackle real-world challenges.”
Deliismail and Akin presented the winning entry this week during the Honeywell Users Group (HUG) Americas Symposium, the company’s largest gathering of customers in the process manufacturing industries.
The UniSim Design Challenge allows engineering students to propose solutions to real-world problems facing process manufacturers with Honeywell’s UniSim Design Suitesoftware, which is used to design and model processes in production facilities around the world.
“To our knowledge, this is the first reported simulation of glycerol conversion to bio-gasoline using UniSim Design Suite,” said Dr. Seker. “The software provided a unique simulation environment that helped us develop the two-step reaction process, which has proven to be economically feasible and worthy of further investigation.”
UniSim Design Suite provides an interactive process model that allows engineers to create steady-state and dynamic models and is used extensively for plant design, performance monitoring, troubleshooting, operational improvement, business planning, and asset management around the world. UniSim Design models may be leveraged into advanced training and optimization solutions provided by the UniSim Operations, UniSim Optimization, and UniSim Competencysuite.
About Honeywell Process Solutions
Honeywell Process Solutions is a pioneer in automation control, instrumentation and services for the oil and gas; refining; pulp and paper; industrial power generation; chemicals and petrochemicals; biofuels; life sciences; and metals, minerals and mining industries. It is also a leader in providing software solutions and instrumentation that help manufacturers find value and competitive advantage in digital transformation through the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).