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aspen B-JAC Family

Aspen Aerotran, Aspen Hetran, Aspen Teams
Solutions for the thermal and mechanical design of heat
exchangers.

An integrated set of tools that accelerates the design process and ensures design
process integrity by enabling users and applications throughout the enterprise and
beyond to share consistent process information.

The Challenge: Eliminating heat exchanger bottlenecks

The petrochemical industry is changing. Companies are focused on conserving energy and resources,
and at the same time are concerned about operating their plants as efficiently and safely as possible. To
stay ahead of the competition, companies must ensure that heat exchangers are optimally designed and
operated. Plant personnel must be able to identify the effects that heat exchangers have on process
bottlenecks and to evaluate opportunities for process improvements in a timely manner.
The process of designing air-coolers or shell and tube heat exchangers is arduous and time-consuming.
Different groups within a company are often required to submit heat exchanger designs with different
levels of detail. Process engineers develop the process design and complete the heat and material
balances on a process simulator, typically using conceptual exchanger designs at this stage of the
project. The resulting process conditions are then turned over to thermal engineers to create a
preliminary detail heat exchanger design using a stand-alone design package. This workflow takes the
process-knowledgeable engineer out of the equipment design loop at an early stage, which results in a
lost opportunity to minimize the cost of the heat exchangers by utilizing the decision making authority of
the process engineers.
When the preliminary design is completed, it is sent to several fabricators for bids. Thermal engineering
evaluates returned bids and selects a design, which is then sent to the mechanical engineering
department. Mechanical engineers may prepare a complete mechanical design for the unit or merely
extract information to begin piping and support designs. If a complete mechanical design is created, the
final iteration must be returned to thermal engineering, where the thermal design is rechecked. This
entire process can take anywhere from weeks to months to complete and can be further delayed by
ever-changing mechanical design pressure codes and project specification requirements or mistakes
discovered along the way.
To maintain an efficient and competitive design process, companies must provide designers with access
to consistent design information throughout the various design stages. They need an interactive solution
incorporating detailed thermal and mechanical design specifications and drawings of the heat
exchangers. And all this information must be accurate, secure and available in real time.
To achieve these objectives, companies need a set of integrated tools that allow the various applications
to share process data and knowledge throughout the engineering and manufacturing lifecycles as well
as the extended supply chain and beyondinto digital marketplaces. AspenTech provides these tools.

The Opportunity: Improve efficiency and cut costs

The design process must include five essential elements in order to meet the needs of all engineering
departments involved:

design optimization
rigorous rating
mechanical design
detailed costing
integration with simulation and synthesis tools
Design tools must be integrated in order to provide an automatic transfer of information. Without an integrated
tool set, the odds of mistakes being made among the various groups through the access of inconsistent data
increase. This could result in incompatible designs as well as significant project delays. The Aspen B-JAC
familywhich includes Aspen Aerotran, Aspen Hetran and Aspen Teamsis the one solution that meets the
needs of all groups involved in equipment design.
AspenTechs integrated family of solutions provides design engineers with the opportunity to obtain accurate
thermal and mechanical designs for equipment with minimal engineering hours and minimal capital investment.
Producing safe, accurate and low-cost designs is critical to keeping projects on budget. The process company,
engineering firm and fabricator each need efficient design tools to avoid costly rework and mistakes. More and
more companies involved in the design and fabrication of equipment rely on AspenTech solutions to assist in
communicating design and fabrication status, thereby reducing redundant efforts and improving overall
efficiencies. Time is money, and completing a project on time, accurately and efficiently will optimize profitability.

The Solution: Integrated tools to streamline design

A design optimization process must be used to select a heat exchanger that will satisfy process requirements at
the lowest capital and operating costs. Previously, equipment experts made the selections. Today, engineers can
use their expertise together with simulation and design tools to find the most cost-effective solution. The best
design tools automate the design process, provide information on both process performance and cost, and allow
engineers to quickly evaluate a number of prospective designs.

Product Description
Aspen Aerotran and Aspen Hetran provide process engineers with these integrated tools. They can be used as
stand-alone programs for analysis of individual exchangers or integrated with the Aspen Plus process simulator
(a steady-state simulation environment equipped with an extensive unit-operation library; sensitivity, analysis,
automatic sequencing and convergence methods; and reporting capabilities) to analyze heat exchangers in a
process flowsheet. Aspen Hetran can also be used in conjunction with Aspen Pinch (a technology that
identifies opportunities to reduce operating costs and increase throughput using energy utilization analysis) for
heat integration studies.
A heat exchanger design finalized with Aspen Hetran can be sent directly to the Aspen Teams program, which
produces a detailed mechanical design, cost estimate and detailed drawings for the exchanger. This transfer of
process data, design specifications, construction materials and exchanger geometry eliminates time-consuming
and error-prone data transfer between design groupsallowing firms to meet construction deadlines by designing
pressure vessel equipment in-house.
Aspen Hetran performs the design for all major industrial shell and tube heat exchanger equipment types and
applications, including single phase, condensation and evaporation. Aspen Hetran incorporates all applicable Tubular
Exchanger Manufacturing Association (TEMA) standards and can be used to design all TEMA exchanger types.

Aspen Aerotran provides the thermal and basic mechanical design for heat exchangers consisting of a
rectangular tube bank with gas flowing across the outside of the tubes. It can design air-coolers and economizers
for single phase, condensation and
vaporization, and it incorporates all applicable
API 661 standards for air-cooled exchangers.
Aspen Hetran and Aspen Aerotran determine
the optimum heat exchanger configurations
that satisfy the specified heat duty, allowable
pressure drops and maximum velocities.
Aspen Hetran optimizes on a number of
parametersincluding shell diameter, baffle
spacing, tube length and number of tube
passesto arrive at the smallest required
heat transfer area. Aspen Aerotran optimizes
on tubes-per-row, number of tube rows, tube
length and number of tube passes, to arrive
at the smallest required heat transfer area.
Both programs utilize extensive graphics at
the input and output phases, allowing the
engineer to see the equipment being
designed. A recap of design alternatives
provides a concise summary of the
Aspen B-JAC programs provide extensive graphics to allow users to see the
equipment being designed.

performance, geometry and cost of all

designs. Full details on any of these designs
can be recalled at any time.

Aspen Hetran
Aspen Hetran provides detailed output, including a complete TEMA specification sheet. Summary sections
provide a comprehensive overview of exchanger performance and geometry. Performance results allow the
designer to determine the controlling parameters for a design as well as determine how that design will perform
under different operating conditions. Geometric results provide a complete mechanical description of the
exchanger. Aspen Hetran evaluates all viable configurations that will arrive at the final desired solution and
produces a detailed optimization path, which shows the alternatives considered by the program as it searched for
the best design. These intermediate cases indicate the constraints that are controlling the design. A cost estimate
is provided for each case, including the cost impact of design changes.

Aspen Aerotran
Aspen Aerotran produces a detailed optimization path that shows the alternatives considered by the program as
it searched for the best design. These intermediate cases indicate the constraints that are controlling the design.
A cost estimate is provided for each case, including the cost impact of design changes.
Aspen Aerotran also provides detailed output, including a complete API 661 specification sheet. Summary
sections provide a comprehensive overview of exchanger performance and geometry. Performance results allow
the designer to determine the controlling parameters for a design as well as how that design will perform under
different operating conditions. Geometry results provide a complete mechanical description of the exchanger.

Aspen Teams
Aspen Teams enables the complete mechanical design and rating of shell and tube heat exchangers and basic
pressure vessels. It performs the pressure vessel design code according to ASME Section VIII, Division 1, CODAP,
or AD-Merkbltter. Aspen Teams also provides supplemental calculations, such as wind and seismic, Zick,

external nozzle loadings, Minimum Design

Metal Temperature (MDMT), Maximum
Allowable Working Pressure (MAWP),
hydrostatic test pressure and external
pressure calculations.
Aspen Teams provides a code-compliant
design for the entire vessel at the lowest cost
and optimizes the design, accounting for
interactions of various components. Aspen
Teams can also be used to design each
mechanical component separately, while
optimizing flanges, tubesheets, nozzle
reinforcements and expansion joints. It
provides a high degree of flexibility for the
placement of nozzles, couplings, supports,
expansion joints and lifting lugs.
In the design mode, Aspen Teams determines
optimum dimensions for all components
based on design conditions. In the rating
mode, it checks specified dimensions of each
component for compliance with applicable
codes and standards under the design

Aspen Hetran provides detailed output, including a complete TEMA specification

sheet with an overview of exchanger performance and geometry.

conditions.
Aspen Teams also produces a detailed cost estimate, provides detailed drawings and generates a complete bill of
materials. It can be used as a stand-alone program or integrated with Aspen Hetran for thermal design and rating
of heat exchangers. When used with Aspen Hetran, Aspen Teams automatically accepts thermal design output,
eliminating the need for data re-entry.
These design tools provide optimized equipment designs. For a given set of process requirements and
constraints, the program finds the best equipment size and configuration at the lowest cost. Traditionally, over
design has been used to compensate for uncertainties in the equipment rating. Now, the rigorous rating
capability can provide a more accurate prediction of a given designs performance so that as accuracy improves,
the amount of over design is reduced. A client can use the design tool to rate designs from competing vendors
and in turn realize capital cost savings if the design from the low bidder proves to be acceptable.
A comprehensive design tool can also lead to better process operations. Integration with process simulation and
synthesis allows the user to analyze a variety of process alternatives utilizing as-built equipment models.
Process improvements such as heat integration can be evaluated for their operability and energy recovery,
resulting in lower operating costs.
The rigorous rating capability can allow the engineer to anticipate equipment problems caused by conditions
including excess velocity, vibration, flooding, overpressure and/or faulty initial design. This capability also allows
the user to simulate how the process will behave during major upset conditions or changing process operating
conditionsand investigates if the equipment is suitable for different design, start-up, upset and shutdown
conditions. By rating the equipment and comparing predicted performance against plant measurements, the
engineer can estimate model parameters such as fouling factors and efficiencies. This in turn can lead to better
maintenance practices.
Every project can benefit from the increased engineering efficiency provided by the Aspen B-JAC family. The
combination of design optimization, thermal and mechanical design, and integration with other AspenTech
products results in faster design cycles.

An engineer can quickly check a candidate design to assess

mechanical feasibility and determine what effect that design
will have on the rest of the process. Different stages of the
design may be handled by different skill groups within
a company or via client/vendor relationships. The
comprehensive design tool provides electronic transfer
of information in a standard format. Errors due to
miscommunication can be reduced or eliminated.
Using a single tool or an integrated set of tools for design
enables the engineer working on a design to utilize a
consistent set of data and properties at each stage. Integration
with a project database tool, such as Aspen Zyqad, means
that design information can be stored in a central data
repository thats accessible to all members of the project team.

Case Study
A major operating company had a revamp project for a preheat
train for an atmospheric crude unit. The process consisted of
several feed streams taken off a column. A series of shell and

We realized considerable savings by using

the Aspen B-JAC programs in the design and
fabrication of heat exchangers for a chemical
plant in Louisiana. We chose to use Aspen
Hetran because of the accuracy of the heat
exchanger designs to actual performance.
Other heat exchanger design programs
predicted heat transfer coefficients up to
30% lower, which would have resulted in
significantly higher fabrication costs. We used
Aspen Hetran for the design of over 75
different heat exchangers. Our engineering
team successfully completed the project with
a high degree of process engineering
efficiency. We estimated a savings of over
1,500 man-hours in the design phase alone.
Jim Brocato
Manager of Process Engineering
BASF

tube heat exchangers were required to preheat the crude prior

to it going to a furnace. The furnace was required to heat the
crude to approximately 700F before it entered the crude column.
Energy use for the process was the primary focus of the project. The fuel required to heat the crude costs $8 million
USD per year. A heat integration study was needed to identify areas where energy could be utilized more efficiently.
The first step required for the project was to
set up a simulation flowsheet within Aspen
Plus to accurately model how the existing
process was operating. The flowsheet
contained ten key heat exchangers with
known geometry that were modeled using
Aspen Hetran blocks. The furnace duty was
identified at approximately 293 MMBTU/hr.
After completing the initial flowsheet, the
project team was puzzled. The model was
able to match the measured temperatures in
the process except at the point where the
crude splits were combined before entering
the furnace. One of the project engineers
used the Aspen Plus simulator to fit the
fouling factors for the heat exchangers
involved at the problem area in the process.
The fouling factors were much higher than
would normally be expected. Upon
investigation, it was learned that the regularly
scheduled cleaning for the two exchangers
Integration with other AspenTech products allows the design to be used with
simulation, synthesis and database tools.

involved had been skipped at the last

shutdown. Aspen Plus was used to determine
that the extra energy cost associated with the

missed cleaning schedule of the two heat exchangers amounted to 9 MMBTU/hr, which corresponded to an
additional cost of $250,000 USD per year.
With this model, the operating company was able to determine that excess fouling in two key heat exchangers
was causing a problem. It was also able to quantify the consequences in real dollar terms.
The second step in the project involved passing the process from Aspen Plus to Aspen Pinch to provide a heat
integration study. Aspen Pinch recommended that a new heat exchanger be added to recover additional energy
from the residual stream by matching it against the crude stream upstream of the second split. Aspen Hetran
was used to optimize the size of the new heat exchanger, saving over $12,000 USD on the cost of the initially
recommended heat exchanger. More importantly, Aspen Plus was used to recognize that with the addition of this
new heat exchanger, the energy cost was further reduced by $500,000 USD per year.
The process company was able to identify two process improvements by using the Aspen B-JAC program in
combination with Aspen Plus and Aspen Pinch. The programs identified savings through operation costs of
$500,000 USD per year.

Our Promise
Aspen Hetran, Aspen Aerotran, and Aspen Teams are recognized industry standards in the design, rating and
simulation of industrial heat exchangers and pressure vessels. They are the result of many years of experience
and consistently high standards of quality. The programs are comprehensive and written for a broad range of
applications and construction types. They have been validated against both laboratory and plant data, resulting in
heat exchanger designs that work effectively.
Aspen Hetran and Aspen Aerotran customers have been using these programs for their thermal designs for more
than a quarter of a century. Such customers include major chemical and petrochemical companies, as well as
heat exchanger fabricators and engineering companies around the world.

Why AspenTech?
AspenTech is the only supplier of real-time value chain management solutions and a process industry veteran
with exclusive focus on the process industry for over two decades.
We have deployed solutions for 46 of the 50 largest chemical companies, 23 of the 25 largest refining companies
and 18 of the 20 largest pharmaceutical companies. This experience assures customers that our Aspen
ProfitAdvantage solution, developed in partnership with the worlds leading companies, is a time-tested, bestin-class solution that provides a payback period of months, not years.
The Aspen ProfitAdvantage solution provides your company with a competitive advantage by optimizing business
processes between the value chain components of demand, supply, production, assets and value chain design,
while linking strategic vendors, trading partners and customers.

Hardware and Software System Requirements

IBM compatible PC with an Intel Pentium III 500MHz Processor
Super VGA monitor with 1024 x 768 resolution or higher
128-256MB RAM
512MB virtual memory (RAM plus swap file)
Up to 2.0GB (100MB minimum) of hard disk space depending on AES products installed
Mouse or other pointing device
CD-ROM drive
Windows NT 4.0 (SP6a) or Windows 2000 (SP2)
Network Operating System Windows NT or Novell

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worldwide headquarters

Aspen Technology, Inc.

Ten Canal Park
Cambridge, MA 02141-2201 USA

[phone] +1 617 949 1000

+1 617 949 1030
[fax]
[e-mail] info@aspentech.com

houston office

Aspen Technology, Inc.

1293 Eldridge Parkway
Houston, TX 77077 USA

[phone]
[fax]
[e-mail]

+1 281 584 1000

+1 281 584 4329
info@aspentech.com

[phone]
[fax]
[e-mail]

+32 2 701 94 50
+32 2 701 95 00
ATE_info@aspentech.com

[phone]
[fax]
[e-mail]

+852 2838 6077

+852 2836 0165
info@aspentech.com

europe/middle east/africa
headquarters

AspenTech Europe SA/NV

Avenue Reine Astrid 92
1310 La Hulpe BELGIUM
asia headquarters

AspenTech Asia Ltd.

Suites 3312-14, 33rd floor,
Shell Tower, Times Square
1 Matheson Street,
Causeway Bay, HONG KONG
japan headquarters

AspenTech Japan Co., Ltd.

Kojimachi Shimura Bldg.
1-5, Kojimachi 4-chome, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 102-0083 JAPAN

[phone] +81 3 3262 1710

+81 3 3262 1765
[fax]
[e-mail] info@aspentech.com

Copyright 2001. AspenTech, Aspen B-JAC,

Aspen Aerotran, Aspen Hetran, Aspen Teams,
Aspen Plus, Aspen Pinch, Aspen Zyqad,
Aspen ProfitAdvantage, and the aspen leaf logo
are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Aspen Technology, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts
USA. All rights reserved. All other brand and
product names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective companies.
PB 113 08/01 US