Page 214 - Sustainability in the Process Industry Integration and Optimization

CHAPTER 9

Software Tools

9.1 Overview of Available Tools

Process Integration, modeling, and optimization problems in
chemical engineering are complex in terms of scale and relationships.
Solving these problems requires the application of information
technology and computer software, which provide fast and as much
as possible accurate solutions via a user-friendly interface. Software
tools have been widely used for process simulation, integration, and
optimization, and this has helped process industry companies
achieve their operational goals. There is a large number of efficient
tools available, each with its particular advantages. The aim of this
chapter is to describe these tools based on comprehensive experience
with them and their application to Process Integration, modeling,
and optimization.
The online encyclopedia Wikipedia (2009) presents a comprehensive
list of available software tools for the simulation of material and energy
balances of chemical processing plants. Examples include: (1) ASCEND;
(2) Aspen HYSYS by Aspen Technology; (3) ASSETT and D-SPICE
by Kongsberg Process Simulation; (4) CHEMCAD; (5) COCO simulator;
(6) Design II by Winsim; (7) EcosimPro; (8) Environment for Modeling,
Simulation and Optimization (EMSO); (9) Dymola; (10) GIBBSim;
(11) gPROMS by PSE Ltd; (12) OLGA by SPT Group (Scandpower);
(13) Omega by Yokogawa; (14) OpenModelica; (15) Petro-SIM; (16) ProMax;
(17) SimSci-Esscor DYNSIM & PRO/II by Invensys; (18) SysCAD;
(19) UniSim Design & Shadow Plant by Honeywell; and (20) VMGSim.
However, this selection cannot be fully comprehensive and is limited
just to process simulation software. It should cover a wider field and be
studied in more detail, which is the target of this chapter.

9.2 Graph-Based Process Optimization Tools

9.2.1 Process Network Synthesis Solutions
Process network synthesis (PNS) Solutions is a software package
designed to solve problems in PNS. Process synthesis involves
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