List Free and Open Source Simulation Software for

Process Engineer

Date : March 5, 2024

Prepared by : NFL
Checked by : Vegapunk
Revision : 0
Document No. : Date : 5-Mar-24
Revision No. : Prepared by : NFL
List Free and Open Source Simulation Software for
Tittle :
Process Engineer

PREFACE

As an engineer, it is mandatory to apply a process simulation to the entire activity in process

engineering. Design, analysis, testing, and optimization are basic tasks that use process
simulation. Basically, process simulation is a mathematical concept that explains what actually
happens in certain phenomena related to process. So, basic knowledge of math is necessary.
However, in practical especially in complex system, basic math is no longer suitable to describe
the phenomena. Then simulation software or computer program is only option.

Process simulation is the representation of industrial processes by means of the application

of mathematics and first principles (i.e., conservation laws, thermodynamics, transport
phenomena, and reaction kinetics). Process simulation as discipline uses mathematical models
as basis for analysis, prediction, testing, detection of a process behavior unrelated to whether the
process is existing in reality or not. Process simulation is there to increase the level of knowledge
for a particular process and chemical engineering in general.

Process simulation is today applied in almost all disciplines of chemical engineering and
engineering in general. It is the inevitable part of disciplines from process design, research and
development, production planning, optimization, training and education to decision-making which
makes it one of the most important disciplines of engineering. As the backbone of a project,
process engineers collaborate closely with various disciplines, including piping, instrumentation,
and mechanical engineering. Their primary objective is to ensure the project adheres to safety,
environmental standards, and profitability goals.

There are many of process simulation software that available in market. It is available in
various purpose such as process design, equipment sizing, thermodynamic properties, transport
phenomena, statistic, and many more. Most of them are already industry-standard, which makes
them expensive. This is not feasible for students or recent graduates who want to start a career
because they cannot afford it.

In this article, I will summarize free and open-source software for process simulation that
worth to try freely instead to buy expensive software. It is good to start, especially for fresher.
Also, this article will show us that we can be a successfull process engineer without fancy tools.

Naufal H
Process engineer

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Document No. : Date : 5-Mar-24
Revision No. : Prepared by : NFL
List Free and Open Source Simulation Software for
Tittle :
Process Engineer

1. COCO Simulator

Simulator type :
Process design, heat and material balance, thermodynamic,
equipment sizing and rating.

Alternative to :
Aspen Plus, Aspen Hysys, Aveva Process Simulation, Unisim,
PRoMax, ChemCAD, ProSim

Link to website :
COCO Simulator website

Overview
COCO is stand for "Cape Open to Cape Open". COCO is a collection of software components
for setting up steady state chemical engineering flowsheet simulations. It consists out of 4 main
components. The CAPE-OPEN flowsheeting engine is called COFE. The thermodynamic system
is called TEA (Thermodynamics for Engineering Applications). The collection of unit operations
that comes with COCO is called COUSCOUS. And then there is the CAPE-OPEN Reaction
Numerics package: CORN. These are the 4 main components that will allow you to set up
flowsheet calculations. The COCO distribution also includes the LITE version of ChemSep, and
quite a few utilities. ChemSep will be discussed in detail later.

Usage
COCO are use for process or plant design. We can make flowsheet that including various unit
operation. With drag and drop operation, we can chose any unit operation and configure it. Use
this software to perform material and energy balance when designing a new plant.

Key feature
- Free and open source
- Steady-state and dynamic simulation
- CAPE-OPEN Compliance
- Custom unit operation
- Support user define function/solver

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Document No. : Date : 5-Mar-24
Revision No. : Prepared by : NFL
List Free and Open Source Simulation Software for
Tittle :
Process Engineer

2. DWSIM

Simulator type :
Process design, heat and material balance, thermodynamic,
equipment sizing and rating.

Alternative to :
Aspen Plus, Aspen Hysys, Aveva Process Simulation, Unisim,
PRoMax, ChemCAD, ProSim

Link to website :
DWSIM website

Overview
DWSIM is an open-source CAPE-OPEN compliant chemical process simulator. It features a
Graphical User Interface (GUI), advanced thermodynamics calculations, reactions support and
petroleum characterization / hypothetical component generation tools. DWSIM can simulate
steady-state, vapor–liquid, vapor–liquid-liquid, solid–liquid and aqueous electrolyte equilibrium
processes and has built-in thermodynamic models and unit operations. DWSIM is the best
replacement of Hysys so far.

Usage
Similar with COCO, DWSIM is a most using process simulation software for plant design. It has
closest feature to hysys. Currently it is still in development and the feature constantly update.
Good looking interface. DWSIM are use for material and energy balance simulation for various
unit operation.

Key feature
- Free and open source
- Steady-state and dynamic simulation
- Active in development
- Custom unit operation
- Support user define function/solver with python programming language
- Clean user interface

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Document No. : Date : 5-Mar-24
Revision No. : Prepared by : NFL
List Free and Open Source Simulation Software for
Tittle :
Process Engineer

3. OpenFOAM

Simulator type :
Computational Fluid Dynamic, Solid Mechanic and Finite Element
Analysis

Alternative to :
Ansys, Comsol Multiphysics, Abaqus, Nastran, StarCCM

Link to website :
OpenFOAM website

Overview
OpenFOAM is the leading free, open source software for computational fluid dynamics (CFD),
owned by the OpenFOAM Foundation and distributed exclusively under the General Public
Licence (GPL). The GPL gives users the freedom to modify and redistribute the software and a
guarantee of continued free use, within the terms of the licence. OpenFOAM stands for "Open
Field Operation and Manipulation"

Usage
OpenFOAM is Computational Fluid Dynamic software. We can use this software for analysis
transport phenomena such as fluid dynamic, heat transfer, and mass transfer. Mechanical
strength calculation also available on this software. The software has no interface, and all it's
operation are based on scripting. With has no interface, it forcing it's user to realy understanding
the math and numerical method behind it. So, it prevent "blackbox" experience on simulation.

Key feature
- Free and open source
- Steady-state and transient simulation
- Turbulence modelling
- Built-in mesh generation
- Fully customized solver
- Even without interface and need scripting, it has excelent manual guide

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Document No. : Date : 5-Mar-24
Revision No. : Prepared by : NFL
List Free and Open Source Simulation Software for
Tittle :
Process Engineer

4. GNU Octave

Simulator type :
Process modelling, programming language

Alternative to :
Matlab, MathCAD, Mapple, Smath Studio

Link to website :
GNU Oktave website

Overview
GNU Octave is a high-level language, primarily intended for numerical computations. It provides
a convenient command line interface for solving linear and nonlinear problems numerically, and
for performing other numerical experiments using a language that is mostly compatible with
Matlab. It may also be used as a batch-oriented language.

Usage
Octave is scientific environment for scientific computing and numerical computation. It's name,
Octave are come from famous chemical engineering fellow, Octave Levenspiel that highly
contributed in reaction engineering. Octave is syntax-based software. It allows complex
calculation that involving multisystems nonlinear algebra, differential equation, and statistical
analysis. It is also come with built in chart generation. It's features may expandables by installing
it's packages that available on it's official website. This feature are similar to matlab "toolbox"

Key feature
- Free and open source
- Matlab compatibility
- C++ integration
- Bug detection
- Data visualization with built-in chart generator
- Various package that ready to install
- Fully customization
- Clean user interface with command history and variable listing
- Auto-completion command

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Document No. : Date : 5-Mar-24
Revision No. : Prepared by : NFL
List Free and Open Source Simulation Software for
Tittle :
Process Engineer

5. Python

Simulator type :
Process modelling, programming language

Alternative to :
Matlab, MathCAD, Mapple, Smath Studio

Link to website :
Python website

Overview
Python is an interpreted, object-oriented, high-level programming language with dynamic
semantics. Its high-level built in data structures, combined with dynamic typing and dynamic
binding, make it very attractive for Rapid Application Development, as well as for use as a
scripting or glue language to connect existing components together.

Usage
Basically, python is programming language that wide used in scientific and engineering
calculation. We can do everything with python, from website and software development,
engineering calculation, and statistical analysis. In short, most of process engineering calculation
are done using python.

Key feature
- Free and open source
- Easiest programming language
- Multi purpose and most used programming language
- Huge of library that support almost every aspect
- Basically we are a programmer when using python. It is not bad title and worthy for process
engineer

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Document No. : Date : 5-Mar-24
Revision No. : Prepared by : NFL
List Free and Open Source Simulation Software for
Tittle :
Process Engineer

6. Open Modellica Edit

Simulator type :
Process modelling, process control

Alternative to :
Matlab and simulink

Link to website :
Open Modelica website

Overview
Open Modelica Edit is an open source graphical user interface for creating, editing and
simulating Modelica models in textual and graphical modes. Open Modelica Edit is part of Open
Modelica, a free and open source environment based on the Modelica modeling language for
modeling, simulating, optimizing and analyzing complex dynamic systems. It has similar feature
to Simulink from Matlab
Usage
If you are put much interesting to analysis process control, then this sofware is best replacement
choice to Simulink. It has block diagram environment and graphical computation with drag and
drop operation. This software also good for automation design.

Key feature
- Free and open source
- Easiest programming language
- Steady-state and transient simulation
- Drag and drop operation

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About Author

NAUFAL HADI is
process engineer
with experienced
both in operation
and process
design.
His career path involved in various
industry such as pharmaceutical,
chemical, and oil & gas processing.
Always learning and provide sharing
based on his experience.