AspenTech
AZPN]

Transporting natural gas from its origin to the end point through a complex network of pipelines is a daunting task. There is always a probability of condensation to occur in the pipelines, resulting in liquid slug formation. To combat the challenge, slug catchers need to be optimally sized. Today, most oil and gas companies are looking for a trusted partner to efficiently navigate the most complex process manufacturing challenges, create value, and improve profitability for customers.

Based out of Bedford, MA, AspenTech [NASDAQ:AZPN] develops software that optimizes process manufacturing and offers the broadest footprint of process optimization solution— aspenONE. AspenTech’s aspenONE helps organizations in reducing costs and increasing throughput and operational performance, while achieving safety and regulatory compliance. Leveraging aspenONE, process manufacturers can standardize work processes and make real-time decisions that enable companies to maximize their profits by integrating and optimizing process engineering, plant operations, and supply and distribution. “The aspenONE Engineering software suite is an industry standard integrated system with sophisticated tools that have common user interfaces,” says Antonio Pietri, President and CEO, AspenTech.

Unlike market competitors that only address specific process areas, aspenONE addresses inefficiencies throughout the plant, resulting in significant cost savings and increased customer satisfaction. In doing so, the solution leads customers to efficiently increase capacity, improve margins, reduce costs, and become more energy efficient. aspenONE makes it easy for customers to use the right software at the right time, based on their business needs. It is an easy-to-use web and mobile interface that provides customers with the freedom to optimize, plan, schedule, monitor, and analyze the plant—anywhere, anytime. Most oil and gas, chemical, engineering and construction, pharmaceutical, food, beverage, and consumer packaged goods companies rely on AspenTech to run their business.

An oil and gas consultancy firm— Process Ecology—assists clients by designing and optimizing gas processes, including pipelines and slug catchers. Process Ecology recently partnered with AspenTech, and implemented the full aspenONE Engineering suite to develop a solution for predicting the hydrodynamic and pig-induced slugs to adequately predict the size and manage the impact of slugs when they reach gas processing facilities.

We are entering a stage where innovation is going to take another dimension, and will be increasingly driven by the value we deliver to our clients

The engineers of Process Ecology also used the Aspen HYSYS pipe segment slug analysis tool, Aspen Hydraulics, which helped them predict the potential for hydrodynamic slugging and determine terrain-induced slugging. With Aspen HYSYS and Aspen HYSYS Upstream, several companies like Process Ecology simulate a wide range of oil and gas processes and ensure that they find the most accurate solutions for compliance and sustainability. “We rely on AspenTech engineering software for most of our projects. Without it, we wouldn’t have the ability to accurately simulate a wide range of oil and gas processes—including gathering systems and corresponding issues, such as transient slug formation,” says James Holoboff, Director of Process Ecology.

“We are entering a stage where innovation is going to take another dimension, and will be increasingly driven by the value we deliver to our clients,” says Pietri. Over the long term, the company is focused on driving greater usage of the aspenONE suite combined with AspenTech’s business model to achieve strong levels of profitability and cash flow. “Due to the mission critical nature of our solutions and the significant value we deliver for customers, we believe we are well-positioned to generate increased growth in this environment,” concludes Pietri.