Deploy Process Models Across the Plant Using

Aspen Simulation Workbook (ASW)

Webinar Q&A
This document summarizes the responses to questions posed before and during the webinar. Additional
questions should be directed to AspenTech Support.

General Questions

Q: Is there documentation for linking ASW with other products (besides Aspen HYSYS and
Aspen Plus) like Aspen Custom Modeler, Aspen Adsorption (AdSim), or Aspen Plus Dynamics, etc.?
A: The documentation for ASW is available through the online help. Since ASW is a Microsoft Excel
add-in, you need to first open Excel, go to the ASW tab on the ribbon, then click the help button on the
ASW ribbon. Many other 3rd party programs have their own Excel add-ins, and you would typically use
those tools or VBA/OLE automation to link those tools to Excel. In Excel, you can link one field to
another using equations.
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Q: Is there something similar to the Aspen Plus custom tables to export to ASW for Aspen HYSYS?
A: Yes, you can also build Process Data tables in Aspen HYSYS and export to ASW from there. The model
summary grid in Aspen Plus and Aspen HYSYS can also export directly to ASW.
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Q: Is the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Microsoft Office required?
A: We support the 32-bit version of Microsoft Office.
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Q: I am running V8.4 but when I hit the Enable button, the ASW V7.3 starts up. Is this correct or should
it be the same version as Aspen HYSYS?
A: There is an "Aspen Excel Add-In Manager" included with ASW. If you find that tool on your computer,
you can use that to set the active version of ASW. Excel only allows one version of an add-in on to be
active.
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Tuning

Q: In ASW, are the reactor simulators able to be "tuned" to plant operation and observed yields?
A: You can do this indirectly by setting up a data fit inside your Aspen Plus or Aspen HYSYS model.
Then you link the fields in the data fit to ASW. For example, if you want to tie plant data to the data fit.
Q: Once the models have been tuned to plant operation, can these simulators be used to generate LP
vectors for Aspen PIMSTM?
A: Yes, the models can be used to generate LP vectors for Aspen PIMS. For more information, view the
following on-demand webinar that details the steps involved:
http://www.aspentech.com/eng-simulations-hysys-petroleum-refining-profit-margins/.
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Q: Can I pull in daily data from IP.21 for a number of months and run each day through the simulator
to rate an exchanger?
A: The best way to do this is to set up a scenario table in ASW, which allows you to run case studies.
Cases can be laid out in rows or columns with as many input and results variables as you like. You would
bring in your daily data and copy it to the appropriate rows or columns in the scenario table. You can run
them automatically and see the results in the table in Excel.
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Q: Does mapping tags to variables require the use of Aspen IP.21 or can other historian software be
used?
A: In addition to Aspen IP.21, you can use other historians such as PhD or PI. Many commercial
historians have their own Excel add-ins to link historian data to Excel.
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Deployment of Models

Q: I saw that an embedded case could be exported. Does this mean a casual user could gain access to
the process model?
A: There is a feature that allows you to lock features, including the ability to open the organizer or to
import/export a case. You can use that to prevent the user from easily exporting the model. Note that
the system still writes the simulation case to a working directory on the computer running the
simulators. A persistent user who is familiar with windows and working directories could most likely find
them. However, a more secure option would be to use a remote simulation server with ASW.
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Q: How many simulation files can be linked to one ASW? Is there a limit to that?
A: There is no built-in limit, but there are practical limits. At any given time there is one active model,
which you can choose through a combo-box on the ASW ribbon.
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Q: Can you create a single table in ASW from multiple simulation files?
A: Yes. From the organizer, you can select variables from different simulations and include them in a
single ASW table. Many customers have used ASW to link two models together, for example, to make an
Aspen HYSYS model talk to an Aspen Plus model or to link two Aspen HYSYS models together.
Q: When using a link from Excel to the Aspen Plus or Aspen HYSYS model, does the Excel user need to
have aspenONE Engineering software installed on their workstation to use the Excel "model"?
A: You can set up a simulation server with Aspen Plus or Aspen HYSYS installed and point to that from
another computer where ASW is installed.
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Q: Can ASW be used to run Equation Oriented (EO) simulations at various scope and modes?
A: Yes, there is an adapter for EO modeling for both Aspen Plus and Aspen HYSYS. The scope and run
models are exposed on the ASW ribbon in Excel, allowing the user to switch from simulation to
optimization or change objective functions, for example.
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Q: When using the Excel model, do you have to be on the same computer network that the AspenTech
software is installed on?
A: For anyone using Excel, they would need to install the Excel add-in on their local computer. They can
point to a server computer that has Aspen Plus or Aspen HYSYS and an ASW server installed. Many
customers also use CITRIX to manage deployment.
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Running Scenarios

Q: What have users found as the key advantage in running ASW for design studies as opposed to
running case studies in the simulation environment and then pasting the results into Excel?
A: Some tools, such as Aspen Exchanger Design & Rating and Aspen Custom Modeler, do not have a
case study/sensitivity study feature so many customers use ASW to fill this gap. The same is true with
equation-oriented simulation; ASW gives you a convenient way to do case studies. Many customers also
like using Excel because they have large tables of input data to process and find it easier to manage large
multi-variable case studies in ASW than inside Aspen Plus or Aspen HYSYS.