Aspen Technology, Inc., a leading provider of optimization software for the process industries, announced the general availability of aspenONE Engineering and aspenONE Manufacturing and Supply Chain Version 8.8 software. Developed for firms in the Oil, Gas, Chemicals, Engineering & Construction and other process industries, aspenONE 8.8 is a powerful software release featuring user-friendly, streamlined workflow innovations that allow users to minimize capital costs, improve plant productivity and boost operational profitability.

With this latest release, AspenTech delivers the technology enhancements needed to achieve operational excellence, enabling leading global firms to improve margins, increase yields, meet customer demand, gain competitive advantage and implement innovation across the enterprise.

The aspenONE V8.8 software benefits include:

- Capital and Energy Cost Optimization with Streamlined Workflows. Enhancements to Activated Analysis in Aspen HYSYS® and Aspen Plus® improve performance and usability. Fully integrated cost estimation, energy optimization, and Heat Exchanger Design and Rating (EDR) technology brings key information to the process simulation environment, allowing faster and more accurate optimal design selection earlier in the conceptual engineering phase. The updated EDR user interface provides easier access to advanced features of the EDR product suite, aspenONE Exchange and the direct availability to the HTFS Research Network.

- Safety Improvements via Increased Relief Sizing Capabilities. New relief load calculation enhancements for heat exchanger tube rupture, fire emergency and control valve failure expand relief sizing and safety modeling capabilities. Time to conduct pressure relief analysis is generally reduced by 50 percent.

- Lower Operating Costs Due to Accurate Methanol Partitioning Modeling. With the addition of the Cubic Plus Association (CPA) fluid property package, V8.8 software more effectively models methanol behavior to accurately predict hydrate formation, improving flow assurance in pipelines and meeting environmental regulations.

- Optimized Throughput and Planning with Complete Suite of Reactor Models. New Naphtha Hydrotreater and Alkylation models create a complete refinery reactor and assay management suite from within Aspen HYSYS Petroleum Refining. For the first time, our customers have a brand new, complete suite of refinery reactor models available. The resulting flexibility means all process units can be accurately modeled and optimized, supporting planning for maximum profits.

- Energy Savings with the Extension of Polymer Modeling to Solids. Polymers can be treated as solids below their melting points in Aspen Plus, allowing for accurate upstream and downstream modeling of solids production, including dewatering and drying.

- Fast Adaptation of Controller Strategy to Economic Objectives. The new Smart Tune technology in Aspen DMC3 enables users to quickly adapt to changing economic scenarios. It lowers the barrier to controller design and maintenance by providing more insight into controller strategy, and allows more users to set up and periodically reconfigure the optimizer more frequently with reduced workflow complexity.

- Improved Plant Scheduler Efficiency with Advanced Campaign Management and Visualization. The New Campaign Manager in Aspen Plant Schedulerâ„¢ enables speedy creation and scheduling of an ideal production sequence or product wheel. Proven sequencing algorithms further optimize grade transitions to reduce off-spec production and enhance asset utilization.