Aspen Plus is a powerful tool that enables engineers to quickly simulate plant

behavior and analyze their results—exploiting the latest software and engineering

technology to optimize plant performance and profitability.

The challenge: Compete effectively in an exactingenvironmentThe process industries have seen a great deal of change over the past decade. The quest for improved

profitability and the focus on limiting the negative environmental impact of plant operations have led to

many changes in the day-to-day operations of process plants as well as changes in the challenges

facing the engineers that design, build and operate those plants. For example:

• engineering staffs have been reduced, often to a bare minimum

• processes are more tightly integrated, more complex (recycled)

• plants are being operated at capacity rather than allowing excess in design

In short, to remain competitive in today’s process industries it is necessary to do more, often with

smaller staffs and more complex processes.

The opportunity: Maximize plant performance andenhance profitabilityFrom design of new processes to evaluating and improving performance of existing plants, today’s

engineers are facing a wide variety of challenges in their day-to-day work environment. Yet each of

these challenges provides an opportunity—the opportunity to make the most of the resources available,

whether those resources are personnel, plant equipment or information.

Fundamental to improving performance of the plant or enterprise, or even the extended supply chain, is

an accurate representation of the basic processes. Companies need a product that will enable them to

develop that information and then build the models required to optimize enterprise performance.

The solution: Simulate plant behavior, analyze resultsEvery day, thousands of engineers rely on Aspen Plus to help solve the critical engineering and

operating problems that arise throughout the lifecycle of a process. Whether they are doing quick flash

calculations, designing a new process, troubleshooting a crude unit or optimizing operations of a full

ethylene plant, Aspen Plus can help provide the answers.

Imagine the following situations:

The R&D group at your company has come up with a new process for manufacturing a commodity

chemical that your company sells. They have detailed physical and thermodynamic property data

and have had successful pilot plant operations. You have been put in charge of evaluating the

commercial feasibility of using this process.

aspen Plus®

An easy-to-use, flexible process engineering tool for thedesign, steady-state simulation and optimization ofprocess plants

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The main process line at your plant has recently come up after a turnaround during which several

debottlenecking operations were performed. However, the results are falling short of design. You have been

assigned to explore the impact of key operating variables upon operation of the process line and to see what can

be done to improve performance, including executing the model online for closed-loop profit optimization.

How can Aspen Plus help you make the most of youropportunities?

Using a Microsoft®‚ Windows®‚ graphical interface and

interactive client-server simulation architecture, Aspen Plus

combines the latest software and engineering technology to

maximize engineering productivity—enabling you to design

better plants and increase profitability in existing plants.

The process simulation capabilities of Aspen Plus allow

engineers to predict the behavior of a process using basic

engineering relationships such as mass and energy balances,

phase and chemical equilibrium, and reaction kinetics. With

reliable thermodynamic data, realistic operating conditions

and the rigorous Aspen Plus equipment models, they can

simulate actual plant behavior.

Aspen Plus provides the engineering power needed to

accurately model a wide scope of real-world applications ranging from petroleum refining to non-ideal chemical

systems to processes containing electrolytes and solids.

With Aspen Plus, engineers can leverage and combine the power of sequential modular and equation-oriented

techniques using a single product, potentially reducing computation times by an order of magnitude while at the

same time increasing the functionality and usability of the process model. The entire plant can now be modeled

in a single simulation which can be utilized for

both real-time and offline optimization and

engineering.

Using Aspen Plus and Aspen WebmodelsSM,

engineers can automatically capture process

knowledge and engineering expertise and

share it throughout the enterprise and beyond

with configurable security. Access to the

engineering model can be shared with plant

operators, engineering firms and process

partners without exposing proprietary

knowledge.

Engineers can interactively change

specifications such as flowsheet configuration,

operating conditions and feed compositions to

run new cases and analyze alternatives—and

then generate plots, reports, PFD-style

drawings and spreadsheet files to analyze

results.

“By successfully integrating equation-oriented and sequential modular capabilitiesin the same flow sheet, AES 11.1 hasenabled hard-to-solve models to convergeseveral times faster and impossible modelsto converge for the first time.

This will enable our business to furtherutilize existing flow sheet models for onlineand offline simulation and optimization.”

Gary BackEngineering AssociateDuPont Nylon

Aspen Plus 11.1 is a revolutionary consolidation of sequential modular andequation oriented modeling paradigms into a single software product. Userscan exploit the strengths of each modeling tool to calculate results faster thanever before.

Product DescriptionAspen Plus is a component of the Aspen Engineering Suite™,

an integrated set of products designed specifically to promote

best engineering practices and to optimize and automate the

entire innovation and engineering workflow process throughout

the plant and across the enterprise. Automatically integrate

process models with engineering knowledge databases,

investment analyses, production optimization and numerous

other business processes.

Aspen Plus contains data, properties, unit operation models,

built-in defaults, reports and other features and capabilities

developed for specific industrial applications, such as

petroleum simulation.

The Aspen Plus user interfaceAspen Plus uses a Microsoft® Windows® compliant user

interface. This interface contains a Process Flowsheet view for

graphical layout of the process flowsheet, a Data Browser view for

entering data, the Next button to guide users through definition of

the process flowsheet and various toolbars, buttons and hot keys

all aimed at simplifying the process of flowsheet definition. In

addition, the user interface provides a plot wizard that makes it

easy to create plots of simulation results.

Collaborative engineering is supported through hierarchy blocks

that allow sub-flowsheets of greater detail to be enveloped in a

single high-level block, flowsheet templates and libraries.

Additional views specifically for equation-

oriented modeling ease the management of the

large amount of information available from the

equation-oriented model. Advanced

specification management for equation-oriented

model configuration and sensitivity analysis is

also available through the user interface.

In addition, the user interface provides

support for Windows® OLE features such as

copy/paste/link and OLE automation.

Engineering workflowAspen Plus optimizes engineering workflow

throughout the process lifecycle, enabling:

• regression of experimental data

• preliminary design of flowsheets using

simplified equipment models

• rigorous material and energy balance

calculations using detailed equipment

models

• sizing of key pieces of equipment

• online optimization of a complete process

unit or plant

“Aspen Plus offline and Aspen RT-Optonline applications have created significantvalue for Dow in our olefins plants over thelast several years.

We see the full integration of these twoproducts into Aspen Plus with Aspen PlusOptimizer creating even more value byaccelerating the execution of onlineoptimization projects and reducing theirlong-term support cost. This integration alsoenables us to bridge the gap between ouronline applications and the extensiveprocess knowledge encapsulated in AspenPlus by our offline user base. All of ourfuture online optimization projects will bebased on Aspen Plus with Aspen PlusOptimizer™. We also recognize the value ofstandard, consistent installations and willbegin an effort to upgrade existing AspenRT-Opt installations to the new integratedproduct in the very near future.”

Chris ReedHydrocarbons AC&O Leader Dow Chemical

The Aspen Plus interface has been designed and tested extensively for optimalengineering usability. Use the Data Browser to enter process operating conditionsthrough intuitive, engineering-oriented forms. Our patented expert guidancesystem leads you through your process input. Color-coded checks help ensurethat specifications are consistent and complete.

Aspen Plus also supports scalable workflows

based upon complexity of the model, from a

simple, single-user process unit flowsheet to a

large, multi-engineer developed, multi-engineer

maintained, plant-wide flowsheet. The availability

of multiple solution techniques allows optimal

solution times regardless of the workflow, while

the hierarchy and template functionality eases

model development and maintenance.

Engineering powerAspen Plus provides unit operation models

needed to model a process. These models

have been fine-tuned for reliability and

robustness through years of use and millions of

simulations. They contain proprietary

initialization strategies and heuristics to ensure

that users don’t waste precious time struggling

with convergence.

For vapor/liquid systems, Aspen Plus

includes:

• mixer, flow splitter, sub stream splitter, and

component separators

• flash models—two, three and four phase options

• general process heater, simple heat exchanger, rigorous shell and tube heat exchange, and multi-stream heat

exchanger with internal zone analysis pipeline and pipe pressure drop

• liquid-liquid single stage decanter

• yield based, stoichiometric, and equilibrium reactors

• continuous-stirred tank, plug flow, batch and vented-batch reactors with generalized chemistry

• single and multi-stage compressors and turbines

• stream multiplier, duplicator, selector and transfer blocks

• pressure relief calculations

• distillation models

• shortcut distillation

• rigorous multi-stage fraction (two phase, rigorous three phase and simplified water decant)

• multiple column model

• petroleum tower model

• tray, random, and packed column sizing and rating

• measurement model to support lifecycle modeling

For solid systems, Aspen Plus includes:

• venturi scrubber, electrostatic precipitator, fabric filter crusher, screen, cyclone, hydrocyclone, filter centrifuge,

and rotary drum filter

• solids washer, counter-current decanter

• continuous crystallizer

Aspen Plus has been enhanced to support large, multi-user flowsheets throughthe use of hierarchy blocks and flowsheet templating.

For user models, Aspen Plus includes:

• support for Aspen Custom Modeler® (ACM) model instances import

• CAPE-OPEN model support

Thermophysical propertiesPhysical property models and data are key to generating accurate simulation results that can be used with

confidence. Aspen Plus includes usage, exclusively within the product, of the physical property models and data

available in Aspen Properties™. Usage within Aspen Plus does not provide full access to Aspen Properties

functionality and excludes, in particular, access to the Aspen Properties Excel physical properties function wizard,

the use of Aspen Properties with Excel/VBA and third party applications and Web access to Aspen Properties.

Available Aspen Properties features include:

• pure component and application specific

databases

• property constant estimation system

• binary interaction databases

• data regression system

• assay data analysis system

• electrolyte expert system

• CAPE-OPEN property support

• one button access to the DECHEMA

DETHERM™ internet thermophysical

property database

• access to detailed physical property models

in TSWEET® from Bryan Research and

Engineering (BR&E). TSWEET license

required

Model/flowsheet analysisAspen Plus offers a set of powerful model

analysis tools that help maximize the benefits

from the process model:

• convergence analysis to automatically analyze and suggest optimal tear streams, flowsheet convergence

method and solution sequence for even the largest flowsheets with multiple stream and information recycles

• calculator models including In-Line FORTRAN and Excel model interface for ad-hoc calculations

• sensitivity analysis to conveniently generate tables and plots showing how process performance varies with

changes to selected equipment specifications and operating conditions

• a case study feature to run multiple simulations with different input for later comparison and analysis

• design specification capabilities to automatically calculate operating conditions or equipment parameters to

meet specified performance targets

• data-fit to fit process model to actual plant data and ensure an accurate, validated representation of the

actual plant

• optimization to determine plant operating conditions that will maximize any objective function specified,

including process yields, energy usage, stream purities and process economics

Use the Plot Wizard to graphically examine simulation results, such as theseplots of the grand composite curve and hydraulic loading for optimal columndesign. The Plot Wizard also supports graphical representation of the assay dataanalysis system, as well as general X, Y plotting of any vector data.

Add-on capabilities include:• Aspen B-JAC®, including Aspen Hetran™, Aspen Aerotran™ and Aspen Teams™, for detailed heat exchanger

models

• BATCHFRAC™ for modeling batch distillation columns

• RATEFRAC™ for rate-based (non-equilibrium) distillation modeling

• Aspen OLI™ for enhanced process modeling and analysis of aqueous electrolyte systems

• Aspen Plus Optimizer for degree of freedom, equation-oriented capabilities including large-scale data

reconciliation and process optimization

• Aspen OnLine® and Aspen Plus Online™ for online data communication and scheduling of sequential

modular and equation-oriented models, respectively

• Aspen WebModels for the deployment and non-expert use of process models over the Internet

In addition, the Aspen PEP™ process model library provides pre-built models representing various process

technologies used for a particular chemical or polymer product. These models are based upon SRIC’s Process

Economics Program (PEP) process descriptions and flowsheets.

Our PromiseAspen Plus has a proven track record of providing substantial economic benefits throughout the manufacturing

lifecycle of a process, from R&D through engineering and into production.

It brings the power of steady state process simulation to the engineering desktop, and delivers an unrivalled

combination of modeling power and ease of use. With Aspen Plus, companies can design, simulate, troubleshoot

and manage profitable process plants.

Why AspenTech?AspenTech® is the only supplier of real-time value chain management solutions and a process industry veteran

with exclusive focus on the process industry for over two decades.

We have deployed solutions for 46 of the 50 largest chemical companies, 23 of the 25 largest refining companies

and 18 of the 20 largest pharmaceutical companies. This experience assures customers that our Aspen

ProfitAdvantage™ solutions, developed in partnership with the world’s leading companies, are time-tested, best-

in-class, and provide a payback period of months, not years.

The Aspen ProfitAdvantage solution provides your company with a competitive advantage by optimizing business

processes between the value chain components of demand, supply, production, assets and value chain design

and linking strategic vendors, trading partners and customers.

Hardware and Software Systems RequirementsHardware RequirementsResource Recommended Requirements

CPU PC with an Intel® Pentium® III 500MHz processor.Note: If you are purchasing a new PC, select the fastest CPU available.

Monitor Super VGA color monitor with 1024 x 768 resolution or higher.Physical Memory 128-256MB; 512MB or higher for large plant models.Hard Disk Space Up to 2.0GB of free disk space, depending upon which AES products are installed.

This includes 150MB of files installed to your system drive.Note: The Installer displays space requirements for the selected products.

Virtual Memory 512MB consisting of physical memory and swap file.Large plant models or multiple open applications may require additional virtual memory.

Pointing Device Mouse or other pointing device.CD-ROM Drive Available on the local PC or through the network during the installation.Licensing Aspen License Manager™ (ALM) requires a network adapter.

The following recommendations are for AES product installations on server machines.

Resource Recommended Requirements

CPU PC with an Intel® Pentium® III 500MHz processor.Note: If you are purchasing a new PC, select the fastest CPU available.

Physical Memory 256MB; 512MB–1.0GB for large plant models and databases. Large plant models willrequire an additional 128MB of memory for each additional user.

Hard Disk Space 500MB–2.0GB depending upon which AES products are installed. Batch Plus® mayrequire up to 10GB depending on the number of projects.

Software RequirementsThe following software requirements apply to all AES products.

Operating System Notes

Windows NT® 4.0, Windows® 2000 Windows NT® 4.0: Service Pack 6a or higher required.Windows® 2000: Service Pack 2 or higher required.

Windows NT® server 4.0, Windows NT® 4.0: Service Pack 6a or higher required.Windows® 2000 server Windows® 2000: Service Pack 2 or higher required.

AspenTech ProductsComponent Notes

Aspen License Manager (ALM) Version 3.0 or higher.Aspen Framework™ (AFW) Version 2.2 or higher. Available for all AES customers. Required for use of Aspen

WebModels.

Additional SoftwareSoftware Notes

Adobe Acrobat Reader Version 4.0 or higher.Microsoft® Internet Explorer Version 5.0 or higher. Required for BPE component (Plantelligence™ & Enterprise

Optimization installations).DETHERM Interface Required for access of DECHEMA properties over the internet.Compaq® Visual Fortran Required for custom development.(6.0, 6.1, 6.5a)

[phone] +1 617 949 1000[fax] +1 617 949 1030[e-mail] info@aspentech.com

[world wide web] www.aspentech.com

w o r l d w i d e h e a d q u a r t e r s

Aspen Technology, Inc. Ten Canal ParkCambridge, MA 02141-2201 USA

h o u s t o n o f f i c e

Aspen Technology, Inc. 1293 Eldridge ParkwayHouston, TX 77077 USA

e u r o p e / m i d d l e e a s t / a f r i c ah e a d q u a r t e r s

AspenTech Europe SA/NVAvenue Reine Astrid 921310 La Hulpe BELGIUM

a s i a h e a d q u a r t e r s

AspenTech Asia Ltd. Suites 3312-14, 33rd floor, Shell Tower, Times Square1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay, HONG KONG

j a p a n h e a d q u a r t e r s

AspenTech Japan Co., Ltd. Kojimachi Shimura Bldg. 1-5, Kojimachi 4-chome, Chiyoda-kuTokyo 102-0083 JAPAN

[phone] +852 2838 6077[fax] +852 2836 0165[e-mail] info@aspentech.com

[phone] +32 2 701 94 50[fax] +32 2 701 95 00[e-mail] ATE_info@aspentech.com

[phone] +1 281 584 1000[fax] +1 281 584 4329[e-mail] info@aspentech.com

[phone] +81 3 3262 1710[fax] +81 3 3262 1765[e-mail] info@aspentech.com

Copyright © 2002. Aspen Plus, Aspen WebModels,

Aspen Engineering Suite, Aspen Custom Modeler,

Aspen Properties, DETHERM, Aspen B-JAC, Aspen Hetran,

Aspen Aerotran, Aspen Teams, BATCHFRAC, RATEFRAC,

Aspen OLI, Aspen Plus Optimizer, Aspen OnLine,

Aspen Plus Online, Aspen PEP, AspenTech, Aspen

ProfitAdvantage, Aspen License Manager, Batch plus, Aspen

Framework, Plantelligence and the aspen leaf logo are

trademarks or registered trademarks of Aspen Technology,

Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts USA.All rights reserved. All

other brand and product names are trademarks or

registered trademarks of their respective companies.

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