Behind every unit procedure in a process, SuperPro Designer assumes that there is an equipment resource which represents the actual piece(s) of equipment that host(s) the given procedure. The type of equipment resource depends directly on the choice of unit procedure: if a Gel Filtration Procedure is chosen, then the equipment resource behind it is a Gel Filtration (GFL) Chromatography Column; if a Nutsche Filtration Procedure procedure is chosen, then the equipment resource behind it is assumed to be a Nutsche Filter; and so on. Each such equipment resource is realized by one or more pieces of equipment of that given type: a gel-chromatography column, or a Nutsche filter, etc. A user does not have the option to choose the equipment type as a separate choice. There’s only one exception to the above rule. Far-transportation procedures (by land, sea or air) do not assume an equipment resource behind them.
In a batch recipe simulation, often the equipment resources are limited and usually shared by more than one unit procedure in the span of a single batch execution. For example, a storage tank may be used during the early part of the process to hold some of the raw materials then it may be re-used later to hold some of the intermediate(s) or final product(s). Similarly, a filtration unit may be used in more than one steps of a recipe. On the other hand, continuous processes typically utilize equipment resources in a mode: one for each step of the process.