ProSim, the French software house, announces the release of a new version of its steady state process simulator, ProSimPlus
Major developments have been accomplished in the software to increase possible fields of application, convenience of use and exploitation of results.
In particular, this new release integrates the software component Simulis Thermodynamics.
It is a thermodynamic server that can be used in MS-Excel, Matlab or that can be integrated in any software that requires quality thermophysical properties.
Embedded in ProSimPlus, Simulis Thermodynamics brings the convenience of components and thermodynamic models management to an unmatched level.
For example, within the ProSimPlus environment, it is possible to visualize graphically the pure component properties and to calculate phase equilibria or any type of transport and thermodynamic properties on the components of the process.
ProSimPlus is now Cape-Open compliant, allowing the user to integrate third parties Cape-Open unit operations directly in ProSimPlus simulation and to create Cape-Open 'property packages'.
These property packages gather all thermodynamic elements involved in the process (pure components properties, models, interaction coefficients...) and can be used in other environments (provided they are Cape-Open compliant) to ensure that consistent data is used throughout the company.
Conversely, a ProSimPlus simulation can integrate a thermodynamic package created with a third party Cape-Open compliant thermodynamic server.
The possibility for the users to use customized unit operation models was also extended.
With the Windows script, the user can code in a simple language (VBS, Visual Basic Script) calculation modules that will be executed during the simulation.
These modules can access the parameters of all the modules and streams of the flowsheet and enable the user to, for example, run complementary calculations, call Excel macros or exchange data (import or export) with a spreadsheet or a text file.
Numerous features were added to several unit operations, in particular to distillation, absorption and stripping columns.
The new release also proposes a number of innovative tools to better exploit simulation data and results.
Typically, at the end of the simulation, the user can access the columns internal flows (vapour and liquid) and visualise graphically all variables (temperature profile, pressure profile, mass fraction...) of this column.
Furthermore, Scriplets were introduced to provide the user with the ability to plot graph, exchange simulation files with others users, call Simulis Thermodynamics calculation services, create equipment specification sheets, etc.
Scriplets are small VBS programs that can be used at any time, directly from the ProSimPlus flowsheet and which library can also be enriched by the user.
A whole set of new functions were introduced in the new release in this fashion.
They contribute in making the difference between an easy to use industrial tool and a software designed for some specialists.
"This release illustrates our development policy which is to move away from the 'black box' concept and to provide the users with a complete and versatile, convenient and intuitive software that is able to represent their process accurately and that they can tune according to their needs", says Olivier Baudouin, ProSim's process manager.
The new release was shipped in January to ProSim customers under maintenance agreement.
