Complete List of Process Simulators (Part 1/2) Review of simulation software for industrial plants
Steady-state and dynamic plant simulation are powerful tools that help engineers create optimal process designs to analyze plant operations, to develop performance improvement strategies, monitor and optimize operations and much more.
We are providing a full list of process simulator packages with their key characteristics. They are available for different industries, purposes, scales and under different commercial conditions. While some of them are very expensive, there are as well affordable ones and even a couple of them that are totally free of charge. So, no more excuses for not using process simulation tools. On this list, there will definitely be something for you:
Aspen Plus
Developer: AspenTech
On the market: commercial
Main Features:
Aspen Plus is one of the most known process simulators in industry and also one of the most expensive ones. It enables a wide range of calculation possibilities for the design, operation, and optimization of safe, profitable manufacturing facilities. It enables the steady-state and dynamic simulation of petrochemical, chemical and pharmaceutical processes, including non-ideal, electrolytic, and solid systems. Mixed solution methodologies can be used to achieve fast calculation and provide full specification flexibility. Leverage modeling investments by scaling from single models to full facility flowsheets.
CADsim Plus
Developer: Aurel Systems Inc.
On the market: commercial, flexible licensing
Main Features:
CADSIM Plus is chemical process simulation software that can perform mass and energy balances and simulate dynamic conditions. It is a first-principles dynamic chemical process simulator and a full-featured Computer Assisted Drawing (CAD) front-end in one package. CADSIM Plus includes a comprehensive set of generic process modules and has a number of optional module libraries for various applications. CADSIM Plus can also be used to develop complex dynamic simulations with control logic and batch operations.
Chemcad
Developer: Chemstations Inc.
On the market: commercial
Main Features:
Chemical process simulation software that includes libraries of chemical components, thermodynamic methods, and unit operations to allow steady-state and dynamic simulation of continuous chemical processes from lab scale to full scale. Ideal for users who want to design processes, or rate existing processes, in steady state. Dynamic process simulation software that takes steady-state simulations to the next level of fidelity to allow dynamic analysis of flowsheets. The possibilities are endless: operability check-out, PID loop tuning, operator training, even online process control and soft sensor functionality and is ideal for users who want to design or rate dynamic processes.
ChromWorks
Developer: YPSO Facto
On the market: commercial
Main Features:
YPSO Facto is chromatographic process simulation software and allows a rational use of experimental data and simulation of standard single columns as well as complex continuous multi-column processes. A software package for the simulation of Ion Exchange processes allows simulating very different situations ranging from amino acids purification, organic acid recovery or hydrometallurgy.Based on proven technical considerations and complemented by a cost evaluation module, this powerful and user-friendly simulation tool is designed to match the approach and needs of chemists and biochemists.
COCO
Developer: AmsterCHEM
On the market: open source
Main Features:
COCO is a cape open to cape open simulation environment with modules presented with interesting names such as: COFE - the CAPE-OPEN Flowsheet Environment is an intuitive graphical user interface to chemical flowsheeting. COFE displays properties of streams, deals with unit-conversion and provides plotting facilities.
TEA - COCO's Thermodynamics for Engineering Applications, is based on the code of the thermodynamic library of ChemSep and includes a data bank of over 430 commonly used chemicals. The package exhibits more than 100 property calculation methods with their analytical or numerical derivatives.
COUSCOUS - the CAPE-OPEN Unit-operations Simple package is shipped with COCO. It contains a splitter, a mixer, heat exchangers, pumps and reactors amongst other unit operations. ChemSep-LITE, a limited version of ChemSep with a maximum of 40 compounds and 300 stages, can serve as an equilibrium distillation unit operation in COCO.
Simulation package can be downloaded here.
Design II for Windows
Developer: WinSim Inc.
On the market: commercial
Main Features:
Design II performs complete heat and material balance calculations for a wide variety of pipeline and processing applications. The simulator’s easy-to-create flowsheets allow process engineers to concentrate on engineering, rather than computer operations. A minimum amount of input is required to utilize DESIGN II FOR WINDOWS. WinSim’s simulator features such as sizing and rating of heat exchangers and separators, within the flowsheet. The DESIGN II FOR WINDOWS database contains 1,200+ pure components, and others can be added via CHEMTRAN. Also included is a crude library with 38 world crudes, already characterized.
DWSim
Developer: Daniel Medeiros
On the market: open source
Main Features:
DWSIM is an open source, CAPE-OPEN compliant chemical process simulator for Windows and Linux systems. Written in VB.NET and C#, DWSIM features a comprehensive set of unit operations, advanced thermodynamic models, support for reacting systems, petroleum characterization tools and a fully-featured graphical interface. Some of the features are VLE, VLLE and SLE calculations using equation of state, supports CAPE-OPEN Unit Operations and Thermo 1.0/1.1 Property Packages, supports ChemSep's Component Database and Column Model, Process Flowsheet Diagram (PFD) Drawing Interface, Rigorous Distillation/Absorption Column models, Support for Chemical Reactions and Reactors, Characterization of Petroleum Fractions using bulk properties and/or ASTM/TBP distillation curves and creation of Hypothetical Components using UNIFAC groups, Multivariate Optimization and Sensitivity Analysis utility, Excel Interface for Thermodynamic Calculations and more...
Download available here.
DynoChem
Developer: Scale-up Systems
On the market: commercial
Main Features:
DynoChem is process development and scale-up software for scientists and engineers working in the pharmaceutical industry. DynoChem has been used in Big Pharma for over a decade. Companies deploy the software at R&D sites and Primary Manufacturing facilities globally for routine use by scientists and engineers to help facilitate key corporate objectives.
Roll-out of the software is controlled by each company and its adoption is assisted by on-site training, technical user support on projects, regional user group meetings and targeted application webinars. In addition, tools are provided for companies to develop their own template models, implement multi-site equipment databases and also train in-house experts.
EMSO
Developer: Alsoc Project
On the market: open source
Main Features:
EMSO is the acronym for Environment for Modeling Simuation and Optimization. The ALSOC project develop and maintains specifications of a modeling language suited for the synthesis, simulation, optimization, and process control of general processes. It is entirely written in C++, currently available for Windows and Linux but can be compiled for other platforms if desired. It is an Equation-Oriented simulator and has a large set of built-in functions. Models are written in a modeling language, so the user does not need to be a programmer. It supports static simulation and dynamic simulation. A graphical user interface can be used to model development, simulation execution, and results visualizing. It has the ability to use a system of PlugIns where the user can embed code written in C, C++ or FORTRAN into the models.
The download is possible from this site.
Eq-comp
Developer: Eq-comp
On the market: commercial, services paid per calculation basis
Main Features:
EQ-COMP is a complex chemical engineering process simulation software tool for automatically calculating vapor-liquid equilibrium properties of pure hydrocarbons and binary and multi-component mixtures of hydrocarbons. EQ-COMP is written using software tools like MS Excel and VBA. EQ-COMP can predict vapor-liquid equilibrium properties for hydrocarbon mixtures using Peng-Robinson cubic equation of state. The possible components can include non-polar hydrocarbons, mildly polar hydrocarbons, non-polar inorganic gases or mildly polar inorganic gases. Q-COMP chemical process simulation software can be used for pressure vessel design, distillation column design, natural gas pipeline design and designing of other hydrocarbon handling equipment and can also be used for oil well simulation and in natural gas contract drafting. EQ-COMP can predict phase equilibrium properties of multicomponent hydrocarbon mixtures very accurately. It has been designed to provide correct properties for almost any composition of the 100 + hydrocarbons and 3 inorganic gasses.
gPROMS
Developer: PS Enterprise
On the market: commercial
Main Features:
gPROMS FormulatedProducts is PSE's new platform for the integrated design and optimization of formulated products and their manufacturing processes. It allows scientists and engineers to screen formulations for end-user attributes, determine whether they can be manufactured efficiently, and explore the design space of the whole formulation and manufacturing chain. gPROMS is an advanced mechanistic process modeling tool, integrating crystallization, solids processing and oral absorption on a single platform. It builds on and strengthens the existing capabilities of gCRYSTAL®, gSOLIDS® and gCOAS® in a systems-based approach that links product performance to process and formulation parameters. Users can screen formulations for end-user attributes, identify risk factors and optimize the entire formulation and manufacturing chain. Application areas include crystallization, solids processing, life sciences, food & dairy and more.
Hydroflo
Developer: Tahoe Design Software
On the market: commercial and academic version for students and educators free of charge
Main Features:
HYDROFLO determines the steady-state flows and pressures and other operating parameters in a single source/single discharge, gravity and pumped flow systems. Pumped systems can be closed loop or open reservoir/tank systems and virtually any incompressible fluid system commonly found in industrial process, water supply, wastewater treatment, fire protection, chemical process, mine de-watering, irrigation and HVAC industries can be modeled.
HYDROFLO's drag-and-drop workspace gives the designer a vertical space view of the system. Group element data editing makes large scale changes to a design very easy. Instant feedback of analysis results are available simply by hovering over elements. Complete detailed PDF reports of system elements, Hydraulic Grade Line and pump plots are included. NPSHA calculations and NPSHR comparisons are made.
Hysys
Developer: AspenTech
On the market: commercial
Main Features:
Aspen HYSYS, similar to Aspen Plus but dedicated to process simulation of oil, gas and refining processes. It allows using industry-specific unit operation models and powerful tools to optimize operating parameters for feedstock changes. Aspen HYSYS Petroleum Refining now also has a complete suite of rigorous kinetic models to support all major refinery processes. Software allows using the simulation to make better planning and optimization decisions with the support of calibrated models. It also includes tools to easily import and export petroleum assays to and from Aspen PIMS with the new Aspen Assay Management. You can also automate the export of rigorous reactor models to Aspen PIMS (LP software).
HSC Chemistry
Developer: Outotec
On the market: commercial
Main Features:
With the tool is possible to carry out thermodynamic and mineral processing calculations on a standard computer quickly and easily. Essential software toolkit for process research, development, design, and digitalization, as well as for estimating process efficiencies, yields, and environmental footprints.
The modules included in HSC Chemistry have been designed to help solve real problems in industrial processes or to decrease the amount of expensive trial-and-error chemistry at the R&D stage. The software contains 24 modules connected to 12 integrated databases. The modules operate like independent programs, each with its own interface and can be used to create process models for hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical systems, as well as for minerals processing and physical recycling systems.
IndissPlus
Developer: RSI
On the market: commercial
Main Features:
IndissPlus, based on First Principles of Chemical Engineering, accurately models process behavior at normal operations or during transient periods, whether the models are part of a dynamic study or incorporated into an Operator Training Simulator (OTS) solution
The application has a rich library of Thermodynamics Packages, Pure Components, and Unit Operation Modules. If 3rd party proprietary components, thermodynamics packages or chemical reactor models are required they can be seamlessly integrated within the IndissPlus platform, by taking advantage of the multi-layer component architecture.
IndissPlus incorporates a Process Diagram Builder to enable users to interactively build their flowsheets using the menus, dropdowns or drag and drop capabilities. Unit Operation detail can easily be specified through each Unit Operation’s Faceplate by filling in the appropriate information in the form of a datasheet.
ITHACA
Developer: Element Process Technology
On the market: commercial
Main Features:
It is a low-cost dynamic process simulator for chemicals, mining & minerals. The features include graphical interface for process flow diagrams, real-time information about the degrees of freedom of the simulation (global) and by equipment (local), integration with Microsoft Excel by means of an add-in, results exporting in clear text, dynamic simulation MSO export (to be used by the EMSO process simulator), updated thermodynamic library with the most recent models tools for oil assay modeling by means of pseudocomponents, specific library for water/steam processes, communication with data logging systems and operating systems by means of OPC.
LIBPF
Developer: LIBPF
On the market: no cost
Main Features:
The LIBPF™ SDK (Software Development Kit) provides the building blocks required to model industrial continuous processes.
Programming with LIBPF is simple for process engineers since all concepts used in process modeling have already been translated into C++ classes: values with units of measurement, components, phases, reactions, material streams, unit operations, multistage unit operations and so on. Furthermore, even the flowsheets created by the model developer are new object types. Defining flowsheets as objects allows one to separate structure and configuration (unique for a given flowsheet type) from the operating conditions, which can differ for each instance. This separation makes model reuse easier and encourages an orderly workflow.