FOCUS ON New Release: aspenONE Process Engineering

Welcome to the Fall 2008 edition of Aspen Engineering Insights. We have a lot of exciting news to report in this issue.

On September 8, 2008, AspenTech released aspenONE™ V7. This groundbreaking release enables process industry companies to achieve the seven Best Practices of Engineering Excellence—proven, state-of-the-art work processes used by leading customers such as Dow, BP, BASF, and Fluor. These best practices include:

1. Integrated conceptual engineering workflow
2. Global project execution in basic engineering
3. Model-based operations decision support
4. Optimal equipment design for process engineering
5. Efficient design of emerging energy technologies
6. Comprehensive process modeling and optimization
7. Best practices propagated across the enterprise

Commenting on this groundbreaking release, Mark Fusco, AspenTech President & CEO states: "aspenONE V7 changes the game in process engineering. It is the culmination of over 25 years of focus and leadership by AspenTech in the process industries, and represents a major next step in our relentless drive to make it easier for process manufacturers and engineering firms to achieve operational excellence through process optimization."

In this issue, we provide an inside look at the exciting innovations in V7, as well as links to additional resources such as an interactive webinar series on the engineering best practices, multimedia presentations, and more. We'll also recap the 2008 User Conference and preview next year's event.

AspenTech remains focused on enabling you to create sustainable best practices for engineering excellence, as demonstrated by industry-leading innovations like aspenONE V7, world-class support, learning opportunities, and user forums.

Enjoy this issue of Aspen Engineering Insights.

Sincerely,

Sanjeev Mullick
Director of Product Marketing, AspenTech

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INNOVATION WATCH AspenTech Introduces aspenONE V7 for Process Engineering

By David Grip, Director, Corporate Communications, AspenTech

On September 8, 2008, AspenTech introduced aspenONE V7 for Process Engineering. The new release of aspenONE software enables process industry companies to achieve the seven Best Practices of Engineering Excellence. Building upon previous innovations from AspenTech, aspenONE V7 includes several process engineering "industry firsts":

• An integrated conceptual engineering workflow via a single user interface. This tightly integrates simulation, equipment design, and economic analysis, and enables simultaneous rather than sequential engineering.
• A patented master data model (MDM) that enables process manufacturers to effectively manage assets across the entire lifecycle—from design through operations.
• An industry-standard, vendor-neutral interface (ISO 15926-compliant) that links basic to detailed engineering, enabling workflow across multiple types of engineering teams who need to work together on global projects.
• Out-of-the-box modeling functionality for coal gasification, bio-fuels, and other alternative energy sources.
• The industry's most comprehensive physical property database incorporating over 23,000 components, developed in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), supporting complex process modeling and optimization requirements.
• The integration of both equation-oriented and sequential modular approaches to simulation for the energy industry.

aspenONE V7 also delivers additional IT and usability innovations that provide fast and easy
access for users across the enterprise, and simplify deployment and management of the
software:

• "Virtualization ready" software support for leading virtualization technologies from Microsoft, VMware, and Citrix, dramatically reducing deployment time from months to weeks.
• The introduction of the Aspen Licensing Center. The Licensing Center graphically displays how aspenONE engineering products are used across the enterprise, making it easier to identify and replicate best practices, and simplifying access of new products through ondemand evaluation. (See the Aspen Licensing Center press release for more information.)
• New operator training simulation (OTS) with a new model integration framework to help operators get up to speed faster and better manage plant performance.
• Pop-up Viewlets providing instant help and guidance throughout aspenONE V7.

As a result of the many innovations in aspenONE V7, process industry companies can better respond to today's most pressing market challenges:

• Rapidly responding to increased capacity needs—through more efficient engineering and reuse of engineering knowledge in operations.
• Identifying optimal energy management solutions during design—through an integrated conceptual engineering workflow.
• Accelerating alternative energy projects—through proven process models and engineering tools tailored for these markets.
• Executing larger, more complex projects with fewer engineers—through global project execution and a collaborative framework.
• Achieving greater engineering efficiency—through the ability to support multiple projects with multiple versions of aspenONE Process Engineering on a single PC.
• Responding to environmental regulations—through accurate modeling of CO2 and acid gas removal.

Commenting on the business benefits of aspenONE V7, Ashish Shah, Process Technology
Automation Director of Fluor, states: "For Fluor, the ability to collaborate with licensors,
owner-operators, and subcontractors through data exchange is an important element to
executing projects globally. AspenTech is on the right track with aspenONE V7 in adding
important usability and functionality to help project teams be more productive."

To learn more, read the V7 press releases and industry testimonials. The following article
provides an inside look at what's new within the aspenONE Process Engineering product
families.

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INNOVATION WATCH What's New in aspenONE V7

By Sanjeev Mullick, Product Marketing Director, AspenTech

One of the first things you will notice in V7 is that many of the Engineering product names have changed. The new names are functional and intuitive, reflecting your everyday business processes. Click here to view the mapping of old and new names.

aspenONE Process Engineering V7 delivers value by helping you create sustainable best practices for engineering excellence. These are enabled by numerous innovations that help you achieve more with greater productivity:

Framework for a Best-Practice Integrated Engineering Workflow
Aspen Process Engineering Console enables an improved conceptual engineering workflow. The Console manages case files associated with a project, including physical property sets, simulation case files, equipment models, and files for energy, economic, and flare system analyses. It also manages data flow between various applications in this integrated workflow. The Console allows engineers to create a single project file (like a zip file) and share it via email or in the context of a document management system.

Robust Product Integration
aspenONE V7 enables integrated process simulation and economic analysis within AspenTech's leading process simulators, Aspen Plus® and Aspen HYSYS®. It leverages AspenTech's proven Icarus economic evaluation technology, enabling engineers to make more efficient conceptual design decisions based on thorough unified sizing and economic analyses instead of "rules of thumb."

Improvements also include enhanced distillation column design using AspenTech's proven heat exchanger design and rating tools to size, rate, and simulate column reboilers, and new options to model several common reboiler configurations.

Use of Models in Operations
aspenONE V7 represents AspenTech's re-entry into the Operator Training Simulator (OTS) market.
The Aspen OTS Framework provides the integration platform that will allow partners to implement
OTS solutions based on our technology.

Aspen HYSYS V7 Product Family
Key new Aspen HYSYS V7 features, significant customer-driven enhancements, and usability improvements further differentiate and highlight AspenTech's leadership. This includes:

• Integration with Aspen Properties®
• Improved hydrates modeling
• Improved equipment modeling
• Production allocation utility for dynamic simulations
• Real-time deployment enhancements with Aspen Online Deployment™ supporting
  Aspen HYSYS Dynamics™
• Integration with Aspen Plus Equation Oriented (EO) library and optimizer
• New steady-state fired heater model

Aspen HYSYS Petroleum Refining (formerly Aspen RefSYS™) also has several new features, including:

• Improved generation of stream assays from lab data
• New reactor models
• Improved swing cut generation utility

Aspen Plus V7 Product Family
aspenONE V7 provides several advances in integration and new capabilities including:

• Improved distillation column design through new Aspen-Wallis tray and packing sizing and rating methods to significantly enhance the rigor and accuracy of column sizing and rating calculations in Aspen Plus and Aspen Plus Dynamics
• The industry's most extensive physical properties database, Aspen Properties, has been further expanded:
• NIST REFPROP database and property option set for common heat transfer fluids, steam, and refrigerants
• New PURE22 database includes DIPPR January 2008 update
• Updated PC-SAFT database; PC-SAFT model extended to include a polar term
• New options in Aspen Properties Enterprise Database allow you to create secure databases for your internal and external databases
• New acid gas cleaning sample models based on Aspen Rate-Based Distillation (formerly Aspen RateSep™) for CO2 capture and acid gas scrubbing

Batch Process Development
aspenONE V7 delivers Aspen Reaction Modeler (ARM) capability within Aspen Batch Distillation (formerly Aspen BatchSep™). ARM is intended for use by chemists and engineers in pharmaceutical, chemical, and specialty chemical industries to identify reaction kinetics from experimental data.

• Comprehensive kinetics include power-law and Langmuir-Hinshelwood reactions, reversible reactions, and mass transfer effects
• Multiple reaction models can be proposed to identify the best model
• Data from multiple experiments can be used within fitting cases
• Increases productivity, minimizes experiments and trials, enables faster evaluation of design options, and reduces the number of trial-and-error batches

Aspen Exchanger Design and Rating (EDR) Product Family (formerly Aspen HTFS+)
Key enhancements include:

• Aspen Shell & Tube Exchanger (formerly Aspen Tasc+™) further augmented to include a new design optimization method for thermosiphon reboilers (to rapidly size these critical units)
• Aspen Air Cooled Exchanger (formerly Aspen Acol+™) enhanced with radiative outside bundle heat transfer, and new outside bundle heat transfer and pressure drop methods
• Enhanced simulation capabilities with Aspen Fired Heater including access to Aspen Properties, and additional graphics for viewing firebox configuration
• New stress calculations and updated wind/seismic calculations methods in Aspen Shell & Tube Mechanical (formerly Aspen Teams®)

Aspen Basic Engineering V7 (formerly Aspen Zyqad™)
We now offer ISO 15926-compliant, vendor-neutral Interfaces to detailed engineering. Other enhancements such as the patented Master Data Model support Asset Lifecycle Management (ALM) and global project execution through collaboration and intelligent model-based delivery of design and bid packages.

Aspen Economic Evaluation V7 Product Family (formerly Aspen Icarus)
aspenONE V7 offers improved integration with process simulators, as previously mentioned, for common sizing and costing capabilities across aspenONE Process Engineering. A preliminary plot plan capability is also available now for enhanced economic evaluation.

Aspen Licensing Center
AspenTech has also focused on better ways to help you optimize product usage. The new Aspen Licensing Center (ALC) provides you the tools to monitor and analyze software usage and helps you make better decisions through overall usage management. The ALC has also streamlined the process of product evaluation—in just three clicks you can get quick and easy access to on-demand product evaluations. For more information, please refer to the ALC webpage.

Quick and Easy Deployment
aspenONE V7 is "virtualization ready", compliant with major virtualization platforms such as VMware, Citrix, andMS Application Virtualization (formerly SoftGrid).

To learn more about aspenONE V7, use any of the following resources.

• aspenONE V7 web page – complete guide to V7
• V7 Overview Presentation – if you're short on time, check this out first
• Product Renaming Chart– view the new names and corresponding installation requirements
• Product Descriptions – get an overview of all AspenTech Engineering products
• V7 Webinar Series – check out the schedule and register in advance

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EXPERT VIEW Achieving Effective Asset Lifecycle Management

by Ron Beck, Product Marketing Manager, AspenTech

Best practice #2 and 3 are vital towards effective asset lifecycle management, which has always been a long-term goal of the best-in-class owner-operators. According to ARC's Dr. Sid Snitkin,* large economic penalties, up to 3% of plant revenues, are currently being borne by the industry due to poor levels of information-reuse and application interoperability challenges.

aspenONE Process Engineering enables companies to address their Asset Information Management (AIM) needs. V7 includes the following advances:

• Increased integration within AspenTech's tools, specifically between modeling and economic evaluation, economic evaluation and basic engineering, and detailed equipment design and basic engineering.
• A Process Engineering Console to make this integration a part of the conceptual engineering workflow and to make it easier for engineers to move from one tool to another.
• Interoperability between Aspen Basic Engineering (formerly Aspen Zyqad) and widely used detailed design solutions using a vendor-neutral interface based on the ISO 15926 and FIATECH standards initiative.
• Improved re-usability of engineering models based on AspenTech's common model components, such as common access to physical properties databases and equation-oriented solvers by different model environments, and their reuse in operations and planning decision support.
• Interdisciplinary workflow within Aspen Basic Engineering, improving the ability of engineering disciplines to exchange information, control release, and review processes while working in one common project or asset database.

* "Asset Lifecycle Management – A New Perspective on the Challenges and Opportunities" by Sid Snitkin, ARC Advisory Group, July 2008.

Companies using aspenONE for Asset LifecycleManagement, from engineering design and data to models in operations, have reported dramatic economic benefits at our recent series of worldwide user meetings. Results have ranged from reduction in time required for Front End Engineering Design (FEED) of licensed processes, changes in catalysts in critical process units, optimization for yield and energy use, to feedstock selection and planning.

Dr. Sid Snitkin, VP and GMof Enterprise Advisory Services, ARC Advisory Group, said:
"Companies that can operationalize proven best practices are better able to achieve optimal performance from engineering through manufacturing. Products like aspenONE V7 that can provide the foundation for best practices will help process manufacturers optimize the value of their assets over the entire plant lifecycle—design, build, operate, and maintain."

To learn more, listen to the joint ARC-AspenTech on-demand webinar entitled "Uncovering the Value of Asset Lifecycle Management" or email us to obtain our new white paper on asset lifecycle management.

EXPERT VIEW AspenTech Receives Patent for Basic Engineering

By Andrew McBrien, Product Manager, Aspen Basic Engineering, AspenTech

AspenTech has received patent approval for the data management and modeling
methodology used in Aspen Basic Engineering Common Core DataModel (CCDM). The
methodology invented by AspenTech delivers an effective path forward to solve the hugely
complex problem of integrating process and equipment data from multiple sources and
managing the relationships between model objects across the lifecycle. It also supports best
practice #2: global project execution in basic engineering.

This data model is powerful in the capture of conceptual engineering and Front-End
Engineering & Design (FEED) information. It solidly confirms AspenTech's technical
leadership in advancing state-of-the-art technology relative to data across the asset lifecycle.
Implementation of this data model within Aspen Basic Engineering (formerly Aspen Zyqad)
has enabled AspenTech to deploy a highly scalable and integrated solution for the FEED
process. This solution has been successfully used on hundreds of projects involving multidiscipline
and global teams.

AspenTech is also actively working with the FIATECH consortium's ISO 15926 Work in
Progress (WIP) process to contribute aspects of the Aspen Basic Engineering model for
extending the scope and completeness of the ISO 15926 data exchange initiative. The
engineering model covered by this patent comprises a key part of AspenTech's overall master
data management strategy to integrate the design, operate and manage phases of a plant
asset.

Commenting on this latest innovation, Dr. Ric Jackson, Executive Director of FIATECH
Consortium, said: "FIATECH is pleased to see a major vendor of tools for Conceptual and
Basic Design embrace ISO 15926. Because of aspenONE V7's integrated workflow, fully
automated design and operation of process facilities can now be extended back into the early
stages of the asset lifecycle for the first time."

To take full advantage of this data model, we encourage you to upgrade to aspenONE Process
Engineering V7, the best-practice standard for engineering excellence.

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UNIVERSITY NEWS A Legacy of Innovation

By Blanca Yanulis, University Program Specialist, AspenTech

With AspenTech's heritage dating back to a joint MIT and Department of Energy research
initiative over 25 years ago, AspenTech's University Program continues that legacy of
innovation through its involvement with nearly 900 universities and thousands of engineering
students from around the world.

As a critical element used in the academic curriculum of over 60 percent of engineering
undergraduate students and nearly 50 percent of post-graduate students, AspenTech
solutions continue to lead the way by training the next generation of engineers to meet the
industry challenges of tomorrow.

AspenTech's industry-leading process optimization solution, aspenONE™, provides university
students and faculty with easy-to-use and easy-to-learn standardized tools, which allow
students to learn theoretical concepts based on the best practices of engineering excellence,
and solve real-world problems through realistic and practical simulated exercises.

Additionally, professors can access our award-winning global Customer Support Services
website and knowledgebase to help maximize the value of their educational resource
investment. For more information, please visit the University Program web page.

Over the years, a number of articles and textbooks have been published illustrating the use of
AspenTech's modeling tools. For a list of textbooks, click here.

If you have any questions, please email university.program@aspentech.com.

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INDUSTRY FOCUS aspenONE for Exploration & Production (E&P): Managing the Full Asset Lifecycle

by Mike Strathman, Product Marketing Director, AspenTech

Strong oil prices are driving new projects for energy supply and continuing the pressure on
E&P and E&C firms to design and build facilities more quickly while managing costs.
AspenTech addresses these issues by providing tightly integrated solutions for managing the
full asset lifecycle. One of these solutions, aspenONE Process Engineering for E&P, creates
values by integrating the simulation, sizing, estimating, and workflow tools.

E&P owner-operators can likewise benefit in the conceptual design process. As numerous
development options are considered, the integrated simulation, sizing, and estimating tools
provide consistent cost estimates. Depending on the workflow, these estimates can be shared
with economic evaluations tools and spreadsheets. The results are faster, better decisions.

Once the decision to develop an asset is made, the models and equipment information can be
part of the RFP for E&C selection and communication. The E&C can then pick up the models
and data, minimizing the chance for errors and delays. The same workflow tools can be used
by the E&C to manage the project around the globe and deliver all the design and
construction documents and drawings, including PFDs and P&IDs.

The process models created in the integrated aspenONE environment during design offer a
powerful starting point to bring the models into operations. aspenONE Operations for E&P then
creates further value by integrating operational processes and workflow, from field production
planning and scheduling through to real-time data visualization, advanced process control,
product allocation, and sales. The operator can manage surface E&P facilities with greater
understanding, leveraging real-time data in innovative ways, and use the collaborative
environment (Master DataModel) to keep P&IDs current throughout the life of the assets.

AspenTech's solutions are proven and ready to implement. Leading companies are using
integrated aspenONE E&P solutions to manage the full asset lifecycle. To learn more, contact
your regional sales account manager or email Engineering.Insights@aspentech.com.

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USER PERSPECTIVE AspenTech 2008 User Conference: A Great Success!

By Sanjeev Mullick, Product Marketing Director, AspenTech

The 2008 AspenTech User Conferences brought together all of the user groups—AES for Engineering, ATIMUS for InformationManagement, and AC&O for Advanced Control & Optimization—for one all-encompassing event. These were hosted in the Americas, Europe, and across Asia-Pacific. These premier events were attended by more than 1,800 users from over 40 countries, representing around 400 companies.

Customer presentations highlighted how their companies are achieving new levels of engineering excellence through the use of aspenONE Process Engineering. These included a number of highly respected companies in their industry:

Energy	Chemicals	E&Cs	Partners
Aramco	Air Products	Bechtel	AVEVA
BP	BASF	CB&I	FIATECH
BPCL	Dow	Fluor	Fujitsu
CEPSA	Evonik Degussa	Foster Wheeler	Intergraph
Chevron	Kuraray	Jacobs	Microsoft
ConocoPhillips	LG Chemicals	JGC	Time Commerce
ExxonMobil	Nova	KBR
GS Caltex	SABIC	L&T
ONGC	Sasol	Technip
Reliance	Tosoh	Uhde Shedden
Repsol		WorleyParsons
Schlumberger
Shell
StatoilHydro

Over 125 customer presentations in Process Engineering were given on a variety of innovative applications and solutions to solve business, design, and operational challenges. Topics included:

Process Simulation and Optimization

• Process Optimization in the 21st Century
• How to Get theMost Value from your ProcessModels
• Improved Delayed Coker Flowsheet Simulation
• Adding Value to your FCC Simulations
• Dynamic Simulation for Relief Load Calculation
• Rate-Based DistillationModeling with Aspen RateSep
• Avoiding APC Plant Tests with Dynamic Simulation

Capacity and Energy Improvements

• Integrated Simulation of Production Facilities to Boost Production inMature Fields
• Optimize Capacity Increase of Refinery Units
• Application of Pinch Technologies to Improve Process Plant Designs
• Ethylene Plant Capacity Debottlenecking and Energy Reduction

ExchangerModeling

• Integrating Exchanger Design into the Process Design Cycle
• Quantifying and Monitoring Fouling of Refinery Heat Exchangers
• Best Practices for Heat Exchanger Selection and Design

Basic Engineering and Economic Evaluation

• Global Project Execution with Aspen Basic Engineering Solutions
• Steps to Creating a Quantified Aspen Kbase Cost Model

In addition to customer presentations, interactive panel discussions were conducted. Attendees also had a firsthand view of new capabilities, product roadmaps, and future development plans.

The user conferences also marked the introduction of the AspenTech Customer Success Network, the company's new and expanded reference program for customers who want to connect with industry peers and AspenTech leadership to exchange ideas, discuss best practices, and make valuable contacts. For more information, please contact DoShik Wood, Customer Success Network Program Manager.

Click here to view a detailed report and valuable customer feedback on the 2008 User Conferences.

A unique opportunity was missed by those who did not attend! Read on to learn about the 2009 AspenTech Worldwide User Conference.

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USER PERSPECTIVE 2008 AspenTech User Conference Survey Highlights

By Roch Gauthier, Product Marketing Director, Market Research & Analysis, AspenTech

We recently completed a comprehensive review of the feedback received from this year's Houston and Berlin User Conference (UC) attendees. Thank you to the 459 attendees who completed our online survey. Here are the survey highlights:

A mix of new and familiar faces	Between 50-60% of respondents indicated that it was their first AspenTech User Conference.
1. Customer presentations 2. Product updates 3. Networking opportunities	These were the top three factors that influenced people's decision to attend the User Conference.
Attending an AspenTech User Conference helps to improve job performance	Over 90% of respondents agreed that attending the AspenTech User Conference helped to improve their job performance. The majority indicated that it is an excellent way to get exposure to industry best practices.
Attending presentations outside of the solution track one signed up for	Around 25% of respondents indicated that they attended a session outside of the solution track they signed up for. Many of these customers use AspenTech's Engineering andManufacturing solutions on a daily basis and wanted to learn more about the integration touch points between products. Others were simply interested in getting exposed to new ideas and networking with a larger group of customers.

We encourage your continued feedback, either in future surveys or by emailing us at
Engineering.Insights@aspentech.com.

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USER PERSPECTIVE 2009 AspenTech Worldwide User Conference: Save the Date and Call for Papers

By Mary LaSelva, Director, Marketing Communications, AspenTech

Save the Date
If you thought this year's conference was valuable, wait until you see what's planned for 2009.We have combined regional events into one all-encompassing worldwide user conference for Aspen Engineering Suite (AES), Advanced Control & Optimization (AC&O) and AspenTech InformationManagement Users Society (ATIMUS)—making this our biggest and best event ever!Mark your calendar now:

2009 AspenTech Worldwide User Conference
4 – 7 May 2009
The Woodlands Waterway Marriott
Houston, Texas (USA)

For the 2009 User Conference, we plan on having:

• More customer presentations spread across more days
• Informal panel discussions and moderated forums
• Opportunities to "Meet the Experts" in a casual environment
• More opportunities to meet product developers and product managers
• More tips on how to get value out of existing versions of software
• Integration Solution Center
• Customer Awards Night

Look for more details coming soon.

Call for Papers
Delegates at the 2008 User Conference attendees told us that the #1 reason our user
conference is so valuable is the active participation of customers like you.We heard you and
we need your help!

You are invited to submit a paper as a possible topic of discussion for the 2009 AspenTech
Worldwide User Conference. We want to hear about the challenges you've overcome and
your recent successes. This is a great opportunity to share best practices with your peers and
bring some positive recognition to your organization. And, if your paper is chosen, we will
waive your conference registration fee! (Only one speaker per session receives a
complimentary conference pass.)

Please submit your paper or inquiry as soon as possible to:
Dan McCarthy: dan.mccarthy@aspentech.com or
Sanjeev Mullick: sanjeev.mullick@aspentech.com

Click here to view the valuable feedback we received from 2008 User Conference attendees.

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USER PERSPECTIVE Using Aspen HYSYS to Calculate BTEX Emissions in TEG Dehydration Units

By James Holoboff, P.Eng., Process Ecology, Calgary, Canada
Presented at the AspenTech 2008 User Conference

A large number of glycol dehydration units are in operation today—in the U.S. there are over 20,000 while in Canada there are over 3,000. The release to atmosphere of BTEX from these units is regulated by various government agencies.

The majority of dehydration units use Triethylene Glycol (TEG) to remove the water. The ability of process simulation software to predict BTEX emissions from TEG dehydration units is of primary importance for both operators and regulatory agencies. In order to correctly predict BTEX emissions, the HYSYS Glycol package is highly recommended over Peng Robinson, mainly due to interaction parameters fitted for TEG-BTEX systems.

In North America, Aspen HYSYS and GRI-GLYCalc are the most common simulation tools used to predict BTEX emissions from glycol dehydration units. We compared the predictions of Aspen HYSYS and GLYCalc to published experimental data and found that:

• HYSYS-Peng Robinson, HYSYS-Glycol and GLYCalc all had a reasonable match to the BTEX liquid-phase concentration data at contactor and flash tank:
  
• HYSYS-Peng Robinson and HYSYS-Glycol had reasonable matches to BTEX data at regenerator conditions. GLYCalc consistently over predicts BTEX K-values in the regenerator.
• HYSYS-Glycol predicts dry gas water content more accurately than GLYCalc. GLYCalc frequently predicts dry gas water contents 50% lower than expected values.
• HYSYS-Glycol is superior to HYSYS-Peng Robinson mainly due to interaction parameters fitted for TEG-BTEX systems.

To read the entire report, click here.

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IN THE NEWS Utilizing Rigorous Simulation in Advanced Process Control Projects

by J. M. Ferrer, Principal Business Consultant, AspenTech
Originally appeared in: NPRA AnnualvMeeting Conference Daily, March 2008

Steady-state and dynamic simulations can be used in advanced process control (APC) projects, but dynamic simulation still has not reached the level of acceptance in APC where its full value is realized. Process engineers are the traditional users of rigorous simulation, primarily steady-state, since their objective is to design plants at nominal conditions. Control engineers are focused on maintaining these nominal conditions in a stable and operable state and should be the true users of rigorous dynamic simulation. There are a combination of myths and ownership barriers that have limited utilization of this technology.

Many current control engineers in the process industry have not received training on the use of rigorous dynamic simulation. Historically, process engineers became established as the owners and expert users of the simulation packages. Control engineers can realize the same value from simulations tools as process engineers do for their daily work. Today, this technology should be shared between process and control engineers.

When using steady-state or dynamic simulation in APC projects, the first step is to develop a steady-state model; the model is then calibrated to reflect the real plant conditions and, after adding all dynamic data such as equipment sizes and controllers, it is simulated in dynamic mode. The decision whether it is practical to use dynamic simulation in an APC project is determined by the nature of the process and disturbances and the skills of the modeler. The benefits of using dynamic simulation are realized through all phases, from test and design through commissioning and operations.

To read the two-part article, click here: Part 1, Part 2.

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IN THE NEWS Simulation Models Provide Asset-Wide Production Optimization

by Sanjeev Mullick, Product Marketing Director, AspenTech
Originally appeared in: World Oil, April 2008

Leading upstream E&P companies are successfully deploying simulation models to enhance production at existing operations. The proper engineering and efficient operation of surface facilities contribute to more efficient production operations and integrated engineering environments. The benefits from such an integrated environment include:

• Real-time data from production used in conjunction with the process models give the operator actionable information on performance and best operating practices.
• Asset-wide models for daily optimization can predict the operating conditions and available safety margins of the entire asset from wellheads to product delivery.
• Accelerated commissioning of facilities via replicated real world conditions and variables enable rigorous testing of the compressors and their controls. For example, in offshore facilities and FPSOs, problems found while still in dry-dock are far less expensive to remedy.
• Gas production allocation and pipeline modeling can be achieved using model-generated data for insight into process and pipeline performance in real-time to assist with critical decision making.

The approach of an integrated engineering environment has been adopted by leading E&P companies as well as the engineering companies that provide services to them. The benefits are realized early in a project and continue to deliver value throughout the lifecycle of the asset, optimizing production and return on investment (ROI).

Click here to read the complete article.

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IN THE NEWS Dynamic Simulation in the Design and Operation of a Plant

by Glenn Dissinger, Product Management, AspenTech
Originally appeared in: Hydrocarbon Engineering, May 2008

The use of dynamic simulation models enhances process understanding and can improve both the design and operations of a process plant. Throughout its lifecycle, improvements can be realized in design, control, operations, safety, and training applications. The uses of dynamic simulation include:

• Support of critical process design decisions; such as surge capacity sizing, design/analysis of batch and cyclic processes, and process improvements during plant operations.
• The use of dynamic simulation early in the process design can identify potential operability and control issues that can be addressed and corrected prior to plant start-up.
• Safety studies for identifying potentially hazardous situations, and operational changes that could mitigate or avoid them.
• Dynamic models running online can act as "soft sensors" and contribute to diagnostic analysis.
• There are compelling business drivers that are demanding the use of rigorous dynamic models for Operator Training Simulators (OTS).

The use of dynamic simulation is a proven technology in both the design and operations of process plants. The ability to model and predict processes provides the ability to modify and adapt to changing conditions, delivering significant business benefits associated with improved decision making.

Click here to read the complete article.

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IN THE NEWS Achieve Model Operations

by Rob Hockley and Ron Beck, AspenTech
Originally appeared in: Chemical Processing, June 2008

Process engineering models created during conceptual design are increasingly being applied downstream in the design process and operations, thanks to developments that made these analytical models usable by other disciplines and plant staff. This is leading to measurable savings in dollars, energy, time, and staffing.

This paper lays the framework for this trend by outlining the business challenges and the technical developments in modeling software. A transition approach is provided, to offer a general plan and the key considerations in the embedding of design models. This includes a discussion of off-line process models for operations and open-loop, real-time models.

Click here to read the complete paper.

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IN THE NEWS Avoiding Plant Tests with Dynamic Simulation

by N. Alsop, Preemraff, Sweden and J. M. Ferrer, AspenTech
Originally appeared in: Hydrocarbon Processing, June 2008

Steady-state simulation based on first principles has underpinned process designs for many years.More recently, dynamic simulation has become a mature desktop technology supporting applications such as relief studies, operator training, testing DCS configurations, developing operating procedures, and now, advanced process control.

The use of dynamic simulation for developing and analyzing the basic and model-predictive control (MPC) scheme for a propylene/propane (PP) splitter is examined in detail. TheMPC application is to drive the process to an economic optimum while respecting all equipment constraints. The process economics are governed by the recovery of higher-valued propylene at the expense of energy consumption in the compressor. Timely and reliable plant step test data on which to base anMPC design is very difficult to obtain in this case due to the long settling time in the PP splitter. Thus, it was decided to develop theMPC model from data generated by a dynamic simulator instead of the actual process.

Starting from the steady-state model, the dynamic model was constructed by specifying additional engineering details including pressure/flow relationships and equipment dimensions. In addition, all basic controllers were included in the model and configured exactly as they are in the plant.

The rigorous dynamic model was subsequently used as the engine of an operator training simulator (OTS). It was connected to an emulation of the control system and a replica of the operator console, so operator training was provided.

Click here to read the complete article.

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IN THE NEWS Rate-Based Distillation and Acid Gas Cleaning

by Chau-Chyun Chen, David Tremblay, and Chai Bhat, AspenTech
Originally presented at the Clearwater Coal Conference, Florida, June 2008

Energy and environmental constraints have sharpened the focus on process technology that can effectively capture and store the CO2 produced during coal gasification.

Aspen Rate-Based Distillation (formerly Aspen RateSep) has been developed largely in response to this trend. To validate the applicability of these models to the CO2 stripping problem, we used Aspen Rate-Based Distillation to simulate the University of Texas-Austin experiments for CO2 capture with aqueousMono Ethyl Amine (MEA) solution. Aspen Rate-Based Distillation is a second-generation, rate-based absorption and stripping unit operation model that works with Aspen Plus.