Aspen Plus V14.

Release Notes
Version: V14.5 November 2024
Copyright © 2024 by Aspen Technology, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Contents
About these Release Notes ......................................................................................1
General Information ......................................................................................... 1
Related Documentation ..................................................................................... 2

New Features ..........................................................................................................3

Workflow and Usability...................................................................................... 3
Properties ....................................................................................................... 3
Unit Operation Models....................................................................................... 3
Plant Data ....................................................................................................... 5
Safety Analysis ................................................................................................ 5
Energy Analysis ............................................................................................... 5

Compatibility Notes .................................................................................................6

Software Fixes ........................................................................................................7

Known Issues........................................................................................................11

Installation ...........................................................................................................12
Pre-installation............................................................................................... 12
Installation .................................................................................................... 12
Verification .................................................................................................... 15

Aspen Plus V14.5 Release Notes iii

iv Aspen Plus V14.5 Release Notes
About these Release Notes

These Release Notes describe Aspen Plus V14.5, the latest release of Aspen
Plus. This document includes:
 New features
 Software fixes
 Known issues
 Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

General Information
Aspen Plus® is the AspenTech state-of-the-art steady-state simulation
system that can be used for modeling a variety of industrial processes
including chemical, petrochemical, energy, metals, and refining. Batch
flowsheets allow you to model integrated batch processing units within the
steady-state plant model. Aspen Plus contains a comprehensive library of unit
operation models and allows you to easily plug in proprietary custom models.
In addition, Aspen Plus provides full Windows® interoperability to facilitate
the process and design engineer’s work processes. Aspen Plus with the Aspen
Plus Optimizer and Aspen OnLine modules provides the framework to make
optimization (including closed loop real-time optimization) a natural extension
to simulation, process control, and decision making. Aspen Plus automatically
installs and works with the following separately licensed sub-products:
 Aspen Distillation Synthesis allows you to construct ternary maps and do
azeotrope searches on multi-component mixtures, as well as use the
ConSep unit operation model for distillation design.
 Aspen Rate-Based Distillation allows you to perform rate-based distillation
calculations using the RadFrac unit operation model.
 Aspen Plus Optimizer allows you to perform optimization calculations in
the equation-oriented environment.
 Aspen Polymers allows you to model processes involving polymers and
oligomers. It includes databases, property methods and models, and
reaction kinetics models required to simulate polymerization reactors and
processing plants.
 Aspen Plus Dynamics enables dynamic simulation. To install this product,
select the Aspen Plus Dynamics option.

Aspen Plus V14.5 Release Notes 1

 Aspen Plus is a mixed simulation and optimization environment supporting
both sequential modular and equation-oriented solution techniques for
process flowsheets.

Related Documentation
In addition to these Release Notes, AspenTech provides the following
documentation for Aspen Plus V14.5.
 Aspen Engineering V14 Installation Guide
 Aspen Plus Help

2 Aspen Plus V14.5 Release Notes

New Features

This section describes the new features in Aspen Plus V14.5.

Workflow and Usability

Many new sustainability examples have been added to the example library:
 Under Biofuel and Biochemicals: two models for bio-based feedstock
(anaerobic digestion and hydrothermal liquefaction) and two models for
producing sustainable aviation fuel via the alcohol-to-jet and fermentation
pathways
 Under Carbon Capture: models for capturing CO2 from flue gas using
CESAR1 solvent , capturing it from hydrogen using a membrane,
removing impurities from CO2 and compressing or liquefying it, and
reducing CO2 to CO in a solid-oxide electrolysis cell for use in fuel and
chemical production
 Under Hydrogen: models of an industrial scale alkaline electrolyzer using
the Aspen Plus Electrolyzer block, methane pyrolysis for hydrogen
production, a methane-fueled solid-oxide fuel cell with combined heat,
hydrogen, and power, offshore hydrogen production via electrolysis, and
a PEM fuel cell
 Under Metals and Minerals: Three models related to lithium-ion
batteries, for manufacturing cathode active material, drying cathodes and
recovering NMP solvent, and recycling lithium-ion batteries
 Under Natural Resource Efficiency: A model for desalinization of
saltwater using reverse osmosis in a spiral-wound membrane

Properties
From the Home tab of the ribbon in the Properties environment, you can
directly access Processium e-thermo to download property data and insert it
into your simulation.

Unit Operation Models

This section describes the new features in unit operation models.

Aspen Plus V14.5 Release Notes 3

 Electrolyzer
For rigorous Electrolyzers:
 For the PEM Electrolyzer you can now specify the membrane equivalent
weight on the Equipment | Membrane sheet.
 The hydrogen crossover model is improved to consider diffusion, using
the mass-transfer coefficient for hydrogen specified on the Equipment
| Membrane sheet. For Alkaline water only, it also considers pressure-
driven permeation, using the pore diameter specified on the Equipment
| Membrane sheet.
For Electrolyzers based on performance curves:
 You can specify multiple active performance curves. Electrolyzer will
interpolate based on the operating temperature or pressure.
For both shortcut and rigorous Electrolyzers:
 Thermoneutral voltage is now reported on the Results | Summary
sheet.
 The electrolyzer block now supports true species electrolyte calculations.
 There are new input options available to specify current density or
hydrogen production rate as alternatives to specifying the current or
power.
 The inputs on the Specifications form have been rearranged in a more
intuitive manner which makes it easier to understand how the inputs
interact.
 The hydrogen in oxygen (HTO) % is reported.

RadFrac
On the Setup | Calculation Options | Model Options sheet, under
RadFrac, you can clear the checkbox Generate hydraulic plots for column
internals after an engine run to skip hydraulic plot calculations for
Column Analysis. These hydraulic plot calculations will always be run for any
RadFrac block for which you open the Hydraulic Plots form.

ACM Models
There are now templates available for creating Aspen Custom Modeler
(ACM) models within Aspen Plus. You can also save your existing models as
templates to use for creating additional models.
The model assistant for creating ACM models within Aspen Plus now includes
features letting you create variable and parameter types and insert language
constructs like conditional blocks and loops.
When you save an Aspen Plus simulation as an APWZ file, only the
ACM models used in the simulation are included in the file. Both deployed and
edited undeployed versions are included, if they exist. Only models used in
the simulation are loaded onto your computer when you open an APWZ file
containing ACM models.

4 Aspen Plus V14.5 Release Notes

 Plant Data
Plant Data now supports Aspen Plus models containing hybrid sensor and
hybrid equipment models from Aspen AI Model Builder.
New units of measure added in recent versions for fermentation reactions and
electrical operations are now supported in Plant Data.

Safety Analysis
The differences between NFPA 30, API 2000, and API 521 wetted fire
calculations have been clarified. More information has been added on heat
input calculations.

Energy Analysis
Composite curves, grand composite curves, and utility composite curves can
now be viewed within Energy Analysis, under the new Composite Curves
tab. The curves will be shown in tabular and graphical format.

Note: It is recommended to install Aspen Energy Analyzer V14.5 for this new
feature.

Aspen Plus V14.5 Release Notes 5

Compatibility Notes

The most important areas where you might encounter differences between
Aspen Plus V14.5 and V14 CP1 are:
The result Specific energy consumption (normal condition) on the
Electrolyzer | Results | Summary sheet, which was introduced in V14 CP1,
has been removed. You can generate this value by selecting normal units
(containing ncm) in the Specific energy consumption (per unit mole H2
produced) result.
The inputs for Fouling resistance, Voltage loss, and Shunt loss fraction
on the Electrolyzer | Equipment | Calibration sheet, introduced in V14
CP1, were changed and their values do not restore correctly from V14 CP1
files. Please re-enter these values if you are using them.
Both PEM and Alkaline Water rigorous Electrolyzer models now let you specify
the mass transfer coefficient for hydrogen and consider mass transfer
limitations of hydrogen between the membrane and bulk liquid in the
cathode. Hydrogen crossover and concentration results differ from past
versions.
For wetted fire calculations in Safety Analysis, the following inputs are no
longer available for NFPA 30: wetted area exponent, adequate drainage &
firefighting, option to calculate the environment factor, insulation thickness,
and insulation thermal conductivity. Additionally, liquid level is provided for
disengagement calculations only; heat input area is based on the total area
regardless of the liquid level.
For wetted fire scenario calculations with disengagement calculations
selected, there may be changes in the following areas:
 Initial Two-Phase Flow
o Results for single-component calculations
o Required area
 Two-Phase relief requirement
o Overall required relieving flow
o Calculated orifice area
o Rated capacity

6 Aspen Plus V14.5 Release Notes

Software Fixes

Aspen Plus V14.5 includes a number of software fixes that further improve
the product.

ID Description

555427 BatchOp volume profiles not available

571570 Poor performance copying Control Panel output
762533 BatchOp failed to converge when ramping vent opening pressure
763175 Pitzer model issues with H2SO4-H2O system
766629 V14 fermentation custom term results differ between UI and report file
773816 Unit procedure for depressurization process does not work in BatchOp
780306 All icons in the PSV flowsheet showing as solved
781249 BatchOp molar concentrations not reported for two liquid phases
798200 Vent problem with BatchOp at vacuum pressure
800117 Microscopic reversibility option for computing reverse reaction rate does
not work right in EO
802953 MHeatx problem with phase detection in Aspen Plus
812110 Aspen Plus IK-CAPE import issue with thermal conductivity
812907 Aspen Plus Dynamics COM Interface: GetVariableValues Enhancement
812679 EO compressor extrapolates beyond tabular data bounds when
extrapolation box is not checked.
814315 Error when changing input in the reaction form of Aspen Plus V12
815145 PPUTL_IDXCS2 not working in Fortran code within USER2
816575 V14 Electrolyzer rigorous results with unreasonable water consumption
rate
819348 Setting up the execute sequence of calculator does not make the results
in AI training more accurate
820058 PSV: Required area for initial two-phase flow values are different with
the same vessel parameters
822019 Error of missing '(' in IDSET in powerlaw reaction type in RBatch
824335 V14 Fermentation calculations when there is dead biomass
825196 PP Loop Stack error in Dryer model
833463 BatchOp PSD changes in outlet stream if reset and run again
833523 Plot group does not appear in ribbon when switching from an empty
Pump performance curve to one with data
833714 EO Pressure Drop inconsistency
833954 Cannot enter the Particle Size Distribution after selecting PSD in
Solids\Substreams for MIXED with biocomponents

Aspen Plus V14.5 Release Notes 7

 ID Description
834283 Refresh issue in Safety Analysis when checking Design P. box
835608 Data-fit with MASSCONCLS does not work when biocomponent is tracked
as solid
836557 Exported ACM model cannot run in Aspen Plus
842140 MAKEUP block in equation oriented mode
844557 Data fit does cannot adjust yield parameters PS and PX for fermentation
reactions
847304 HRSG efficiency calc basis incorrect & causes optimization run failure at
low supply fuel flows
848433 Error running rate-based column
849798 Sometimes the Aspen Plus flowsheet completely loses all formatting
information when opening
852925 PSV fire relief Churn Turbulent method predicts two-phase relief but only
calculates vapor generation rate
853107 BatchSep does not record condenser duty throughout run
854365 Crash running model after deleting BatchSep controller
854757, Incorrect pressure drop in RPlug compared to Pipe/Pipeline
879609
856878 Compr Performance Curves: Interpolation method for tabular data of EO
mode behaves differently from SM mode
856908 Exchanger bypass with loop: UNKNOWN OR UNDEFINED BEAD NUMBER
856927 Aspen Plus flowsheet distorted after saving .bkp file
857605 Custom reaction is incomplete in V12 and higher
866804 Variable for custom kinetics is not pulling in the correct value
866498 Difficulty with a batch vacuum purging model
866589 Processium e-thermo link in Data Source ribbon doesn’t work
869186 Extract model with polymers fails with bead error
877721 Crash when opening simulation
878606 Total volume, liquid plus vapor, not constrained to the reactor volume
below a certain pressure
880409 Run fails for salt dissociation reaction when salt-only stream is not
declared solid-only. Correct valid phase specifications are still needed for
proper results in this case, but now model run with warnings.
880604 In ACM models running in Aspen Plus, the convertto function does not
give correct results
881541 Clarified help for options in Retrieve Parameters command
883530 Reconcile in V14 runs the simulation many times after estimation run is
complete
885046 GMENCC form is incomplete for new ions
887387 Aspen Plus V12.1 crashes when trying to use a custom stream summary
888371 Issue with integrated ACM involving structural parameters and
assignment statements
905034 Design temperature field for compressor is disabled when using flow-
corrected option
905441 Cannot add model library in Aspen Plus V14
907258 ACM model not updated when there are multiple instances of ACM
models in the flowsheet

8 Aspen Plus V14.5 Release Notes

 ID Description
907291 Issue with Truncate() and Log() functions when exporting ACM model to
Aspen Plus
908041 Unable to send a simulation from Aspen Plus to Aspen Plus Dynamics in
flowdriven
910895 Change lower limit of fermentation half-saturation constant for O2 to 1e-
10 in SI
913615 Aspen Plus cannot run BatchSep model from V11
915079 Aspen Plus crash in module ACEOLEDB.DLL
922191 Cannot converge tear stream with polymers
924535 Safety Analysis error fluid velocity higher than 100% of critical velocity
when it is at critical velocity
925362 Polymer attribute ATFRAC wrong for Ziegler-Natta reaction with one site
925404 Fatal error when exporting to Aspen Plus Dynamics
925268 V12.1 CP3 significantly reduced RStoic block EO variable numbers and
eliminated flash
928944 Urea model fails when reinitializing EO
929740 Results missing from Stream Results | Polymer sheet
930334 Aspen Plus .bkp file corrupted when copying and pasting components
from another simulation creates extra blank component
931203 BatchOp does not include solids while calculating volume contacting coils
932084 Pseudocomponents do not appear in stream result forms inside
Hierarchy blocks
932601, Polymer component attributes not reconciled. (With the fix, only type 0
1323882 attributes are reconciled; type 2 attributes should be calculated from
them.)
941300 Safety Analysis: Wrong inner diameter for 1 inch schedule 80S pipe
944148 Ensure custom description supersedes system description in UNIFAC
customization
945959 Error in solid property sets for custom kinetics
946343 Bead errors after EO Sensitivity run
947008 Wrong units reported for controlled jacket duty in BatchSep
947233 Aspen Plus crash after selecting option to save Fortran files with model
948066 Aspen Plus crash when viewing results of stream with 16 substreams
949099 Excel property addin shows calculation error only at first run of a model
950876 Biocomponent mass composition edits not saved
951453 Crash when deleting terms in custom rate expressions for fermentation
951459 Issues with fermentation reaction results when used along with another
reaction
952501 Crash when changing component used in LHHW adsorption expression
953055 Interfacial area factor for rate-based modeling not handled correctly
954438 Problems regressing relative volatility data
955337, “Integrator corrector failed” error when running RPlug model in Aspen
997215 Plus Dynamics
963730 Problem with component mapping in AI reduced order model
966343 Crash after reinitialize and run of BatchOp with crystallization
966582 Failure when exporting a Hierarchy

Aspen Plus V14.5 Release Notes 9

 ID Description
971381 Dryer model from V12.1 stopped working in V14
971625 File created in V12 crashes when opened in V12.1 or V14
973055 Wrong enthalpy calculation for crystallization
973060 Formulas in fermentation reaction Species sheet have missing subscripts
974230 Crash while deleting BatchSep blocks
976832 Crash when running electrolyte wizard
1012148 Crash when upgrading user model library from V12 to V14
1298140 Block vectors accessed from BatchOp have too many elements
1327622 Crash when reinitializing with sensitivity analysis plot open
1333332 BatchSep ignores different holdup specifications for different sections
1336048 BatchSep volume holdup time profile for stages shows pot profile instead
1336441 Activity does not work in reactions with a custom term
1340030 RadFrac EO pumparound has mismatch between value and physical type
1343100 RPlug general reaction fugacity problem
1347176 File from V8.8 does not open in V14
1354489 Deploying dynamic rate-based distillation

10 Aspen Plus V14.5 Release Notes

Known Issues

This section describes the Known Issues in Aspen Plus V14.5.

Hansen Option Code

In some cases the new option code for the Hansen property model cannot be
specified in the user interface.

Workaround
You can run these problems via *.inp files to use the new mole fraction basis
option.

Crash with Many Forms Open

If you have too many forms open and perform a rename operation, the
application may crash.

Workaround
Limit the amount of forms you have open.

PetroFrac in Hybrid Models

Accessing PetroFrac Variables as First Principles Driven Hybrid Modeling
Training Variables can cause a crash.

Workaround
Add the PetroFrac variables via drag/drop or copy/paste.

Aspen Plus V14.5 Release Notes 11

Installation

This section describes installation of Aspen Plus V14.5, including:

 Pre-installation steps
 Installation steps
 Post-installation steps
 Verification

Pre-installation
Before installing Aspen Plus V14.5:
 Ensure that Aspen Plus V14, with or without CP1 or other patches, is
already installed.
Note: Refer to the Aspen Engineering Installation Guide for detailed
information about installing previous versions of Aspen Plus.
 Make sure you are logged on using the Administrator account or an
account that is in the Administrators group.
 Ensure that the system requirements are met.
 Check that no AspenTech applications are running.

Note: After installing V14.5, you cannot return to V14. Uninstalling V14.5
requires you to uninstall V14 as well using the AspenTech Uninstaller. For
detailed instructions regarding removing Aspen Plus, refer to the Aspen Plus
Installation Guide.

Installation
To install Aspen Plus V14.5:
1 Select the AspenPlus-V14.5-Nov-2024.zip file and extract all files to a
temporary folder.
2 Navigate to the AspenPlus-V14.5-Nov-2024 folder and double-click the
aspenONE Update Agent.exe file.
On the User Account Control dialog box that appears, click Yes. The
aspenONE Update Agent wizard appears.

12 Aspen Plus V14.5 Release Notes

 3 On the Welcome to the aspenONE Update Agent screen, click Local
Updates Only.

4 The View Installed aspenONE Products screen displays a list of

installed products and product build versions. Click Next to continue.

Aspen Plus V14.5 Release Notes 13

 5 The Select from Available aspenONE Product Updates screen
displays the available product updates. Select Aspen Plus V14.5, and
then click Next.

6 On the Install Updates and View Summary screen, verify you have
selected the correct product(s) and click Install.

A status indication is provided for the software update.

14 Aspen Plus V14.5 Release Notes

 7 When the installation has completed, click Finish.

Verification
To verify that the installation was successful:
1 Launch Aspen Plus.
2 From the File menu, click About. Ensure that the about box displays
V14.5.

Aspen Plus V14.5 Release Notes 15