Computer simulation is a good guide and reference for development and research on petroleum refining processes. Traditionally, pseudo-components are used in the simulation, in which their physical properties are estimated by empirical relations and cannot be associated with actual chemical reactions, as no molecular structure is available for pseudo-components. This limitation can be overcome if real components are used. In this paper, a real component based method is proposed for the simulation of a diesel hydrotreating process by using the software of Unisim Design. This process includes reaction units and distillation units. The chemical reaction network is established by analyzing the feedstock. The feedstock is characterized by real components, which are obtained based on true boiling point curve. Simulation results are consistent with actual data. (C) 2015 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press. All rights reserved.