Aspen Calc™ and

Plant Application Records

InfoPlus.21 Foundation Course

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 What is Aspen Calc?
• InfoPlus.21 layered application

• Allows you to specify calculations via GUI

• Allows libraries of functions and standard calculations to be built up

• Allows calculations to be defined many different ways (for example,

CalcScript, Visual Basic Scripts, Excel spreadsheets)
• Calculations can be executed on:
– Demand
– A locally defined schedule
– An event within the InfoPlus.21 database

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 Starting Aspen Calc
• From Windows Start Menu

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 Defining a New Calculation

Right-Click

SumRawFlow

Sums of Flows from 3 Raw Material Silos

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 Selecting a Formula
An easy-to-use scripting language
proprietary to Aspen Calc

Could have
list of custom
libraries here

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 Defining a New Formula

TotalRawFlow=RawFlow101+RawFlow102+RawFlow103

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 Defining Calculation Inputs and Outputs

To Bind Variable Name to a Specific Record,

Drag and Drop Record Name from Tag
Browser Onto Variable Name In Aspen Calc

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 Values Bound to InfoPlus.21 Tags

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 Defining Calculation Parameters: Alternative
Method

Double-Click

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 Engineering Unit Conversion
Engineering Units can be
specified/converted using the
Engineering Unit Conversion utility

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 Completing New Calculation/Security

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 Viewing/Testing/Editing Calculation

Right-click

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 On Demand Calculations
• Aspen Calc has two types of On Demand Calculations

On
OnDemand
DemandCalculations
Calculations

Ad
AdHoc
HocCalculations
Calculations Stored
StoredCalculations
Calculations
Allows client-side, “on-the-fly” Allows you to use calculations
calculations to be created in applications created in Aspen Calc, saved as a
such as file and then used in other applications
Process Explorer such as
Excel Add-In SQLplus
SQLplus Web.21
Process Explorer
Tag Browser
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 Creating an On Demand (Stored) Calculation

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 On Demand Calculation Details

DemandTest

On Demand Test Calculation

Litres
Data Source used for
these inputs

ATCL101 + ATCL102 + ATCL103

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 Creating A Data Source
• Before the On Demand Calculation can be used in an
application, a new Data Source must be configured that
contains an Aspen Process Data (Calc) Service
Component

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 On Demand Calculation Example

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 Ad Hoc On Demand Calculation Example

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 Help is at Hand
• At every stage, context sensitive online help can be summoned by
clicking the Help button or pressing F1 key

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 Calculation Properties/Test Mode

Right-Click

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 Scheduling Calculation Locally

Drag and
Drop

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 Editing a Schedule

Right-Click

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 Adding a New Schedule
Right-Click

EveryMonday

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 Triggering Calculations from Database Events
• Calculations defined on client can be triggered automatically by
InfoPlus.21 database activity
• Records defined by AspenCalcDef TSK_CLC1
are used

InfoPlus.21 Database Aspen Calc Client

Calculation

AspenCalcDef
record
Tag
Record
COS field pointer

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 Event-Driven Calculation Example

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 Other Possibilities
• Formulas can also be created in Excel, Visual Basic, or as COM
objects
• Different calculations can use the same formula
• Calculations can use data from:
– InfoPlus.21
• Current values
• Historical values
• Aggregates
– Result Sets for SQL statements executed via ODBC
– Other calculations
– Active-X objects

• Aspen Calc clients can access other Aspen Calc client’s calculations

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 Web Links
• Aspen Calc can become central tool for enterprise wide information by utilizing built-in
links to internet or intranet pages
• AspenTech support pages can be easily reached

• Your own Intranet links can be incorporated to give access to enterprise-wide data

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 Aspen Calc CBT
• An Aspen Calc
CBT program is
available from
Aspentech
Customer Training
• The entire CBT
course is designed
to take 9 hours
• Visit the
AspenTech
Training Web site
for details and to
view a demo of
this product

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 Aspen Calc Review
• Allows users of all skill levels define or use calculations
• Provides a safe environment for ad-hoc testing and a secure public environment
where calculations and formulas can be shared throughout the enterprise
• Calculations can be defined via:
– CalcScript formula (described in this module)
– Microsoft Excel spreadsheet
– Visual Basic Script
– COM objects (hence Visual Basic, Visual C++, Java)

• Data for calculations can come from InfoPlus.21, Active-X sources (including
relational databases) or from other calculations
• Calculations can occur:
– At locally specified time intervals
– On demand
– On an event inside InfoPlus.21 database

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 Aspen Calc Lab
• In this lab, you will:
– Create an Aspen Calc calculation to calculate and store the
total flow of Raw Materials to the mixer in the AspenChem
Simulation
– Test the calculation in “safe” mode
– Enable the calculation
– Schedule the calculation locally

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 Lesson Overview
• Plant Application Records

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 Uses, Advantages, Disadvantages
• Uses of Plant Application Records:
– General purpose storage area
– Trivial calculations
– Database logic operations
– Sequencing database events

• Advantages of Plant Application Records:

– Part of core product: requires no layered products
– Fast to execute
– Can execute on schedule or events synchronized with database

• Disadvantage of Plant Application Records:

– Difficult to write and maintain if “PlantAp” language is used

• Alternatives:
– SQLplus queries can perform same functions and more
– Aspen Calc calculations
– Derived Tags (if Scan.21 is used)

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 Plant Application Record Overview
Structure Overview Example

Self Activation Area:

Multiple Schedules
Multiple COS

Data Storage Area:

1 repeat area for
each data type

Logic Area:
Repeat area with
sequence of logic
statements
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 T

PlantAp Logic Example

R1

90.0
9.0 RX when X=2

RX when X=-1
RX when X=-2

Copy contents of RX into R1

Divide contents of R1 by RX
Copy contents of R1 to RX
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