3 replies to this topic

[blue moon]

Hi
Both Chemcad and Aspen Plus are reputated steady state process simulator. So when I'll gonna to choose
any one of those two, what factors should i consider? Is there any specification based on which we can select what would be the better for my process? For example, I wanna to use either ASPEN PLUS or CHEMCAD for gasification process simulation. Which should i select to get comprehensive simulation.

[Art Montemayor]

Blue:

Your question is vague and hinges on general terms. There is no practical, serious answer to your queries.

You are, I suppose, a student and yet you are debating the difference between two major Simulation programs - one of which costs in the range of $30,000 -$50,000 a year, depending on its use and "bells & whistles". Are you an independent millionaire who "dabbles" in simulators? Or are you just toying with an academic question that is beyond your resources and empowerment at the moment?

As a student, you have practically no decision to make. Your professors or instructors will issue (if they have the authority and means) you the use of a simulator program of their choosing and selection. Administrators run Universities, not Students.

As a student, you are not knowledgeable or skilled enough to know the strengths and weaknesses of each one of the Simulators out in the market place. So why worry about it? You haven't even specified what kind of process(es) it is that you will be simulating. So how can an answer be taken seriously? It can't.

Tell us ALL of the background and story behind this query and perhaps we can help when we are given more knowledge about what is going on here.

Another issue is the fact that there is a lot of simulator pirating and illegal copies that are being sold/bartered/distributed in many places outside the USA - especially in the Far East.

[Zauberberg]

Generally, Aspen software stands for one of the best engineering tools in process simulation area. It has a wide spectrum of different applications. RefSYS, for example, is the best modeling tool for refinery services, side by side with KBC's Petro-SIM. These are No.1 in the world.

What should be addressed further:
1. What type of simulation you want to perform? Unit material balance, chemical reactions, separation processes, equipment performance evaluation etc.
2. What is the advantage/disadvantage of each simulator, based on your demands?

Some software packages have incorporated (built-in) models of unit operations (NH3 synthesis, TEG gas dehydration, Catalytic reformer, FCC, DHT etc.), which is the best way to perform various simulations of your process, if the model has been properly calibrated by experts. If multiple chemical reactions are taking place in your system, it is very hard to define them by yourself and rely on simulation results. Please be aware of that before you decide to perform any operational changes based on simulator predictions.
Certainly, the best way to choose apropriate simulator is to contact software vendors and explain them the nature of your demands. By choosing legal software, you will have an option to be guided by permanent and precious assistance of vendor's simulation experts, which is a great thing to start with.

[StealthProg]

Hi
Both Chemcad and Aspen Plus are reputated steady state process simulator. So when I'll gonna to choose
any one of those two, what factors should i consider? Is there any specification based on which we can select what would be the better for my process? For example, I wanna to use either ASPEN PLUS or CHEMCAD for gasification process simulation. Which should i select to get comprehensive simulation.

What aspect of gasification are you trying to model? Equilibrium model or kinetic? What about h2s removal, non of the packages are very good at selexol for example without regressing real data to get real interaction parameters. Please be more specific, if its just a university project i would just use a spreadsheet and some simple equilibriums.