| Dry Grind Production of Ethanol from Corn |
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Computer programs which model the process and costs of ethanol production is available from the USDA'S Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
A series of computer models of the ethanol process and production economics have been developed by ARS engineers conducting research to reduce ethanol costs. These models are based on data from ethanol producers, engineering firms, equipment manufacturers and commercially available computer software for chemical process design and costing.
The information contained in these models includes the following:
- Volume, composition and physical characteristics of material flowing through the process.
- Description, sizes and costs of process equipment.
- Consumption and cost of raw materials and utilities.
- Detailed estimates of capital and operating costs.
- Quantity and cost of products and coproducts
The models have applications in the following areas:
- Determination of the potential economic impact of ongoing and future ethanol research projects.
- Evaluation of the impact that variations in the composition of corn would have on ethanol profitability.
- Comparison of the economics of different existing and proposed ethanol production technologies.
- Creation of new models by substituting different alternatives for various parts of the model.
- Determination of the impact that changes in raw material consumptions or cost will have on ethanol production costs.
The process model for the production of ethanol from corn by traditional dry milling facilities was written for and runs on ASPEN PLUS?, a process simulation program and is available upon request.
The cost model of this process runs on an Excel spreadsheet and is linked to the ASPEN PLUS? model.
A SuperPro Designer? software model of this process may be available in the future.
