How to simulate perry ch.13 example 4: sloppy-butane three-cut splitter
A three-cut column with a side draw producing a deliberately 'sloppy' (off-spec, cheaper-to-make) butane cut between a propane overhead and a pentane-plus bottoms, from Chapter 13 of Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook.
- 1Open the ready-made model
Open the "Perry Ch.13 Example 4: sloppy-butane three-cut splitter" model in the MaximaLabs workspace — no install, no license. It loads live on the canvas, ready to edit and run.
- 2Confirm the thermodynamics
This process is modeled with the PENG-ROBINSON property package over propane, n_butane, n_pentane — already selected, so the phase equilibrium and enthalpy are physically consistent from the first run.
- 3Review the flowsheet
The flowsheet chains COL. Every block is a real, solvable unit op you can reconfigure on the canvas.
- 4Run 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.
- 5Read 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.
- Thermodynamics
- PENG-ROBINSON
- Components
- propane, n_butane, n_pentane
- Unit operations
- COL
Opens live on the canvas — free, no install.
Explore the model & flowsheetFrequently asked questions
- What does the Perry Ch.13 Example 4: sloppy-butane three-cut splitter model simulate?
- A three-cut column with a side draw producing a deliberately 'sloppy' (off-spec, cheaper-to-make) butane cut between a propane overhead and a pentane-plus bottoms, from Chapter 13 of Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook.
- Which thermodynamic method does it use?
- The PENG-ROBINSON property package, over propane, n_butane, n_pentane — already selected. You can switch the method on the canvas before running.
- Which unit operations are in the flowsheet?
- It chains COL. 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 4: sloppy-butane three-cut splitter runs entirely in your browser on MaximaLabs — free, no install, no license. Open the model to load it live and run the deterministic solver.
More guides like this
Perry Ch.13 Example 3: butane/pentane splitter
A simple two-cut distillation splitting butane overhead from pentane bottoms, from Chapter 13 of Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook.
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.
Perry Ch.13 Example 5: two-step absorber with intercooling
Two absorption stages in series with intercooling between them (removing the heat of absorption, which otherwise raises K-values and hurts recovery) to maximize LPG recovery, from Chapter 13 of Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook.
Perry Ch.13 Example 6: reboiled light-ends stripper
A reboiled stripper removing dissolved light gases (nitrogen, methane through propane) from a heavier liquid, using reboil vapor as the stripping gas, from Chapter 13 of Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook.
Aromatics column (Strigle)
A simple aromatics splitter recovering benzene overhead from a toluene/xylene-heavy feed, as described by R. Strigle (Gulf Publishing, 1987) — a classic packed-column textbook design case.
Depropanizer (Strigle)
A depropanizer recovering propylene and propane overhead from a C₄-and-heavier hydrocarbon feed, as described by R. Strigle (Gulf Publishing, 1987).