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Gas plant, Permian Basin, Texas, USA

How to simulate perry ch.13 example 2: lean-oil absorber

Simple absorber recovering butane and pentane from a process gas into a lean-oil (n-dodecane) absorbent, from Chapter 13 of Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook.

GAS FEED
LEAN OIL
liq
gas
gas
rich
ABS
Treated GAS
RICH OIL
  1. 1
    Open the ready-made model

    Open the "Perry Ch.13 Example 2: lean-oil absorber" model in the MaximaLabs workspace — no install, no license. It loads live on the canvas, ready to edit and run.

  2. 2
    Confirm the thermodynamics

    This process is modeled with the PENG-ROBINSON property package over methane, ethane, propane, n_butane, n_pentane, n_dodecane — already selected, so the phase equilibrium and enthalpy are physically consistent from the first run.

  3. 3
    Review the flowsheet

    The flowsheet chains ABS. Every block is a real, solvable unit op you can reconfigure on the canvas.

  4. 4
    Run the simulation

    Click Run. The deterministic solver converges the material and energy balances (recycles included) and fills the live stream table — the AI never invents a number.

  5. 5
    Read the results and iterate

    Inspect the converged streams, tweak a spec, and re-run — or ask the AI copilot to explain a result or diagnose a failed solve in plain English.

What you'll build
Thermodynamics
PENG-ROBINSON
Components
methane, ethane, propane, n_butane, n_pentane, n_dodecane
Unit operations
ABS
Open this model in the workspace

Opens live on the canvas — free, no install.

Explore the model & flowsheet

Frequently asked questions

What does the Perry Ch.13 Example 2: lean-oil absorber model simulate?
Simple absorber recovering butane and pentane from a process gas into a lean-oil (n-dodecane) absorbent, from Chapter 13 of Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook.
Which thermodynamic method does it use?
The PENG-ROBINSON property package, over methane, ethane, propane, n_butane, n_pentane, n_dodecane — already selected. You can switch the method on the canvas before running.
Which unit operations are in the flowsheet?
It chains ABS. Every block is a real, solvable unit operation you can reconfigure, add to, or remove.
Do I need to install software or buy a license?
No. Perry Ch.13 Example 2: lean-oil absorber runs entirely in your browser on MaximaLabs — free, no install, no license. Open the model to load it live and run the deterministic solver.

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