General Configuration

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	Model Selection	General Configuration	Species Configuration	Species Properties Configuration	Calculation Configuration	TCE Configuration	Size Configuration

Latest SysCAD Version: 13 May 2026 - SysCAD Build 139.37082

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Edit Configuration Step 2 of 2 - Configuration Tab

This section is normally only set up once when a project group is first started. The user will set the preferred operating mode, Steady State or Dynamic, temperature and pressure limits, etc.

The following can be configured by the user:

Number	Setting/Selection	Description
	Description	This is Optional. A description of the configuration file may be entered here. This should be kept short and meaningful as it is used in the Open Configuration Dialog box - xxxx.cfg(description).
	Solver Mode / Solution	The user must choose either Steady-State (ProBal) or Dynamic (may depend on license options). This selection can also be made on the first configuration page. Refer to Solver Modes for more information.
	Energy Balance	The user must choose to either Allow Heat Calculations or not. This selection can also be made on the first configuration page. Refer to Energy Balance section below for more information.
	Calculation Selection	Refer to Calculation Selection section below for more information.
	Temperatures and Pressures	Refer to Temperatures and Pressures section below for more information.
	Default Species Model	The Species Model determines how the properties of streams containing a mixture of chemical compounds are calculated. This is selected from the drop down list. The species models in the list will be determined by the SysCAD license. Users with the Alumina add-on will have additional Bayer species models enabled. Some users may also have customised species models.
	Entropy Use	Entropy is only used in specific models such as FEM and other Thermodynamic Calculation Engine (TCE) add-ons. For projects not using these models, user can ignore any entropy checks on project load. To do this, select the Include_NoChecks option. For projects that uses entropy, please select the Include_DoChecks option. When a project is loaded with this option, warning messages will be given in the Message window - Species Database tab for species with missing S25 data.

Energy Balance

The Allow Heat Calculations option determines whether an energy balance will be allowed to be calculated in any projects using this configuration file. Note: The user must have the Energy Balance license add-on for heat calculations to be performed in a project.

For users wanting a mass balance only, this option can be disabled to provide a faster calculation speed. However, do take note that this would result in all streams being at 25°C.

If energy balances will be required to be performed in projects, then this option must be enabled.

Note: The user may still change the options in the project (see Project Settings - Modes Tab), as this setting will set the maximum complexity allowed when using this configuration.

For example, the user may enable Allow Heat Calculations. All projects using this configuration file will start by default with energy balance calculations enabled, but the user may still change the individual project setting to disable energy balance calculations. However, if the user disables Allow Heat Calculations in the Project Configuration, then the user would not be able to change the Heat Calculations for any project from Off.

Calculation Selection

The user may select the default calculation options for projects using this configuration file. These are described below:

Surge Solution

This determines the default method used in surge units in a dynamic project. (This is not applicable for ProBal) The three options available to the user in Dynamic mode are described here: Direct - The units will have no surge and will behave in exactly the same fashion as a ProBal model. Inline - The units have surge and allow the user to implement internal level control in the unit. Buffered - The units have surge and SysCAD uses an integral method of solving the unit in the network.

Flow Calculations

This determines the default method used to solve the links, or pipes, in a dynamic project. (This is not applicable for ProBal) The two options available to the user in Dynamic mode are described below: Transfer Push - The user can specify the flow capacities in pipes. Essentially a ‘Push’ method of calculating flow through a stream, i.e. the first pipe or unit in the "local network" determines the flow through that network. Transfer Pull - A ‘Pull’ method of determining flow through a "local network". Each unit in the "local network" determines the maximum allowable flow through that unit and the "local network" then determines the maximum required feed to that network so that one (or more or all) of the units achieve the required flow.

Note: The user may still change the options in the project (see Project Settings - Modes Tab) or in individual units within a project (see Settings and Options on the Info Tab), as these settings are for the default behaviour when a project is created using this configuration file. The Max Complexity will set the maximum complexity allowed when using this configuration.

Temperatures and Pressures

Standard Temperature and Pressure	The standard temperature and pressure are in degrees Celsius and kPa absolute, respectively. These fields cannot be modified by the user. They are hard wired to 25°C and 101.325 kPa, respectively.
Normal Temperature and Pressure	Normalised volumetric flowrate is calculated using these temperature and pressure values in degrees Celsius and kPa absolute, respectively. The user may change the default values, if required. The range allowed for normal temperature is -10 to 100°C. The range allowed for normal pressure is 50 to 200 kPa.
Minimum and Maximum Temperatures and Pressures	These values are the expected minimum and maximum values for the projects using this configuration file. The temperatures are in degrees Celsius and pressure is in kPa absolute. The user should ensure that the values given here will be appropriate for the projects using this configuration file. The range allowed for minimum temperature is -273 to 20°C. The range allowed for maximum temperature is 100 to 10000°C. The range allowed for minimum pressure is 0.2 to 101.325 kPa. The range allowed for maximum pressure is 50 to 100000 kPa. For example, if the user will be developing a smelter project, the maximum temperature may be 2500°C. However, if the user is developing a plant that uses ammonia, the Minimum temperature may need to be as low as -33°C.

Note: The temperature limits defined above limit the temperatures in SysCAD models. The temperature of a feeder can not be set outside these limits. The temperature in a pipe may drift outside these limits but on the next mixture of feeds (e.g. feed to a unit), the temperature will be set to no less than 10 degrees below the minimum temperature and no more than 10 degrees above the maximum temperature. These limits will also be applied in a reaction block.