CAPE OPEN is a movement towards making it possible for flowsheet simulation components to communicate with each other, thereby making it possible for designers and modelers to mix and match. For example, it is possible to use a distillation column from software provider A, with a physical properties package from provider B, a heat exchanger design program from provider C, and all of this within a flowsheet simulation executive from provider D.

This talk provides an introduction to CAPE OPEN for the distillation community. CO in practice is demonstrated by the use of the ChemSep column simulator, within COCO, a flowsheet simulation program.