Viewing The Flowsheet

If your flowsheet contains more than a few blocks, your workspace will soon be full.

Sometimes block and stream IDs appear off the screen, so it is difficult to locate a particular block or stream.

To display a block that is off the screen or a specific part of the flowsheet, you can use the:

Zoom level

Scrollbars

Data Browser

Bookmarks

Pan

Adjusting the Zoom Level

To change your view of the flowsheet by zooming:

From the View menu point to Zoom, then the option you require.

– or –

1 Position the mouse pointer in an empty area of the Process

Flowsheet window and click the right mouse button.

2 From the menu that appears, click:

This zoom option	To
Zoom In	Zoom in
Zoom out	Zoom out
Zoom Full	Show the full flowsheet

With the view zoomed in, you can display a specific part of the flowsheet by using the scroll bars.

Adjust the effect of Zoom In and Zoom Out by selecting Options from the Tools menu and changing the value of the Zoom Scale Factor on the Grid/Scale tab.

Using the Scrollbars

If you are working in a large flowsheet, the block you want to connect to may be off the screen. You can use the scrollbars to display:

A block that is off the screen

A specific part of the flowsheet

To use the Workspace scrollbars:

Click a scrollbar arrow.

The amount that this moves the view is determined by the Scroll Step Size on the Grid/Scale tab of the Tools Options dialog box.

– or –

Click between the slider and an arrow.

This moves the view by a set amount.

Using the Process Flowsheet Toolbar

You can change the grid options for the current run on the Process Flowsheet toolbar.

Using the Data Browser to Find Blocks in a Large Flowsheet

See Viewing Toolbars to see how to view this toolbar.

If you are working in a large flowsheet, it may be difficult to locate a particular block. You can use the Data Browser to find a block:

1 From the Data menu, click Data Browser.

2 Expand the Blocks folder.

3 Select the block that you want to find.

4 Return to the Process Flowsheet window, without clicking it.

To do this:

If you are in this view	Do this
Normal	From the Window menu, click Process Flowsheet window – or – Click the titlebar of the Process Flowsheet window
Flowsheet as Wallpaper	Minimize or close the Data Browser
Workbook	Click the Process Flowsheet tab

The block you selected is highlighted.

5 Click the block with the right mouse button and from the menu

that appears, click Center View.

6 Click an empty part of the flowsheet and click with the right mouse button, and from the menu that appears, click Zoom In if you want a closer view.

Using Bookmarks

If you are working in a large flowsheet, there may be sections that you want to look at frequently. Use Bookmarks to save these views.

Creating a Bookmark

To create a bookmark:

1 While in Select mode, click and drag to select an area of the flowsheet.

2 Click the right mouse button and from the menu that appears, click Bookmarks.

Tip You can also press F3 to access Bookmarks.

3 Type a name for the Bookmark in the Name box, then click

Add to add the bookmark to this list.

4 To exit the Bookmarks dialog box, click Close.

Accessing a Bookmarked View

To go to a bookmarked view:

1 In the Process Flowsheet window, click the right mouse button.

2 From the menu that appears, click Bookmarks.

Tip: You can also press F3 to access Bookmarks.

3 Click the name of the desired Bookmark, then click Go To.

4 The flowsheet appears in the predefined view you selected.

Using Pan

Use Pan to select a view of the flowsheet at the current zoom level.

1 In the Process Flowsheet window, click the right mouse button.

2 A full view of the flowsheet appears and a dashed rectangle

3 Move the rectangle to an area that you wish to zoom in on and

click the left mouse button.

4 To cancel pan, click the right mouse button.

Checking Flowsheet Completeness

To check completeness for the entire flowsheet, look at the status indicator in the bottom right of the main window.

If the status is Flowsheet Not Complete, then flowsheet connectivity is incomplete because:

Additional streams must be connected to one or more blocks in the flowsheet.

Streams have been disconnected but not reconnected.

No blocks have been defined.

To find out why the connectivity is incomplete:

Click the Next button on the Data Browser toolbar

A Flowsheet Not Complete window indicates what is required to complete the flowsheet definition.

If any other status message appears, then flowsheet connectivity is complete. All required streams are connected to flowsheet blocks.

Modifying the Flowsheet

You can modify the flowsheet at any time to:

Change its connectivity

Improve the appearance

Redraw all or part of the flowsheet

Changing Flowsheet Connectivity

To change the flowsheet connectivity, you can:

Delete blocks and streams

Rename blocks and streams

Change stream connections

Insert a block into a stream

Deleting Blocks and Streams

To delete a block or stream:

1 Click the block or stream to select it.

2 Click with the right mouse button on the block or stream.

3 From the popup menu that appears, click Delete Block or Delete Stream

4 When prompted, click OK.

Tip You can also select the block or stream, then press Delete

on the keyboard.

Renaming Blocks and Streams

To rename a block or stream from the flowsheet:

1 Select the block or stream you want to rename.

2 Click the right mouse button on the block or stream.

3 From the menu that appears, click Rename Block or Rename Stream.

4 When prompted, enter the new name and click OK.

You can also rename blocks and streams using the Data Browser.

Options for Naming Blocks and Streams

By default, Aspen Plus automatically assigns IDs to blocks and streams. You can either:

Supply prefixes for the automatic naming

Turn off the automatic naming and be prompted for a name for each block and stream as you place it

To specify the naming options:

1 From the Tools menu, click Options.

2 Click the Flowsheet tab.

3 Select the Automatically Assign Block Name with Prefix

and/or Automatically Assign Stream Name with Prefix check box(es).

4 If desired, you can also type a prefix in the field. A sequential number is added to the prefix. If no prefix is supplied, the blocks or streams are numeric.

For more information on flowsheeting options, see Using the Flowsheet Tab.

Changing Stream Connections

You can disconnect the end of a stream from a unit operation block and then connect it to another port on the same or a different block.

To change the port that a stream is connected to:

1 Click the stream.

2 Click the right mouse button.

3 From the menu that appears, click:

Reconnect Source to disconnect the source end of the stream

Reconnect Destination to disconnect the output end of the stream

For each block all available ports are highlighted. For example,

for a feed stream, the outlet ports are highlighted. The ID of the stream appears in a text box by the end that is being reconnected. Ports that must have at least one stream connected are shown in red. Others are shown in blue.

4 Continue as you would for a new stream. Click the port to which you want to connect the stream end, or click a blank part of the flowsheet to place a feed or product.

Inserting a Block into a Stream

To insert a block into a stream:

1 Place the new block on the flowsheet by selecting a unit operation model from the Model Library and dragging it to the flowsheet. For more information, see Placing Blocks.

2 Select the desired stream and click the right mouse button on

the stream.

3 From the menu that appears, click Reconnect Source or

Reconnect Destination.

4 Click a port on the new block to reconnect the stream to it.

5 Connect a new stream from the new block to the original source or destination, by clicking the STREAMS icon and clicking the inlet or outlet port. For more information, see Placing Blocks.