The Mathworks and AspenTech link software

By Control Engineering Staff December 8, 2005

The MathWorks and Aspen Technology Inc . announced that the two companies are offering a co-simulation link between their products, Simulink and Aspen Dynamics. The link, available as a Simulink block within Aspen Dynamics, enables engineers to use model-based design to develop embedded controllers for complex chemical processes.

The companies claim that linking Aspen Dynamics, which is said to provide dynamic simulation of chemical processes, and Simulink, a simulation platform for control design and embedded system development, allows engineers to use nonlinear chemical process simulations to design, prototype, and evaluate advanced control strategies. This approach is expected to not only reduce the need for costly hardware prototypes or testing on actual process systems, but also helps engineers implement safer, more reliable, and higher-performance control systems more rapidly and cost effectively.

“The MathWorks and AspenTech product integration lets engineers share a common set of tools for plant modeling and control system design, and facilitates communication across engineering teams,” said Tony Lennon, industry marketing manager, The MathWorks. “Control engineers who design and test control systems with Simulink can now access the nonlinear process models that process engineers already know and use. Most importantly, they can explore different control strategies and apply better schemes without having to implement them on hardware prototypes.”

—David Greenfield, editorial director, Control Engineering
dgreenfield@reedbusiness.com