Skarstrom Documentation

Skarstrom is a finite-volume simulator for pressure and temperature swing adsorption (PSA, TSA and VSA) processes. It solves a one-dimensional model of a packed adsorption column — coupled mass, momentum and energy balances with non-linear isotherms and mass-transfer kinetics — and lets you assemble multi-step, multi-bed cycles, run them to cyclic steady state, and read off purity, recovery, productivity and energy.

This documentation is written for process engineers: it explains the models the software uses and how to set up simulations through the interface. No programming is required.

New here?

Start with the Interface Overview for a tour of the windows and the recommended order for building a model, then work through a complete worked example — Ward 2022 — to see the whole flow from setup to validated results.

Building a model

The User Guide walks through each stage of setting up and running a simulation:

• Interface Overview — the windows, the workflow, and setting up fluids, adsorbents and the column.
• Building a Cycle — steps, timing and initial conditions.
• Boundary Conditions — flows, pressures, valves, pumps and ramps.
• Connecting Beds — coupling steps for multi-bed processes, and the pressure equalisation, light product pressurisation and light reflux / recycle tools built on it.
• Running the Solver and Cyclic Steady State.
• Performance Metrics — purity, recovery, productivity and energy.
• Plotting Results and Saving & Loading.

Models and equations

The Equations & Models section documents exactly what the solver computes — the governing equations, the isotherm and kinetic models, and the transport correlations for dispersion and heat transfer.

Examples

The Examples section provides validation cases based on published experiments, each with step-by-step instructions you can reproduce in the software.