Part of CAPE-OPEN standard versions 1.0 and 1.1
The Petroleum Fractions interface specification allows Unit Operations to read and modify properties specific to the petroleum industry, such as cloud point, pour point, and Reid vapour pressure. The interfaces defined also allow run-time re-characterization of the properties of hypothetical compounds representing a petroleum fraction (e.g. Normal Boiling Point, Molecular Weight, Specific Gravity, Critical Temperature, etc…).
Therefore, the interfaces allow for extending plug-and-play of Unit Operation components to the specific process operations present in the petroleum and gas industry (e.g. refining, upstream, etc…). Many of these specific Unit Operations are reactors (cat-crackers, hydro-cracker, etc…) that change compound property values (of petroleum fractions). Dealing with petroleum fractions rather than pure compounds requires special treatment.
Only interactions between a PME and Unit Operations on pseudo-compounds are considered. Furthermore only Property Packages native to the PME are considered. Hence interaction regarding petroleum fractions between PME and external Property Packages is not in the scope. Curve properties are excluded from the scope. Functionality of blend rules is not carried through the existing and newly proposed CAPE-OPEN interfaces.
This document is consistent with version 1.0 of the CAPE-OPEN Thermodynamic and Physical Properties interface specification.
Petroleum Fractions Interface Specification: current document released in August 2003 (PDF, 144 Kbytes).
Special mention: the current interface design suffers from several issues. Consequently this interface specification document is under revision by the UNIT Special Interest Group (UNIT SIG) since 2011. Progress on this revision process can be asssessed through the activity reports provided by the UNIT SIG.