Teach and learn process simulation without a license server
MaximaLabs runs natively in the browser, exposes the exact governing equations behind every unit op, and is free for students and researchers — zero campus IT setup required.
For students
Everything you need to learn flowsheet simulation, at no cost.
Free tier
A generous free quota covers coursework and self-study — sign in and start building flowsheets immediately, no purchase order required.
See the actual math
Click any unit op to open its McCabe-Thiele diagram or governing-equation panel — the real column MESH equations and rate laws, not a black box.
Worked examples
A library of prebuilt flowsheets — from a simple flash to a full distillation train — you can open, run, and pick apart to learn how each one works.
- M
- Material-balance residual on a stage — in minus out; driven to zero at convergence (the 'M' of MESH)
- l
- liquid flow leaving a stage [mol/s]
- v
- vapour flow leaving a stage [mol/s]
- f
- feed flow onto a stage [mol/s]
- E
- Equilibrium residual — the K-value relation y=Kx, satisfied at convergence (the 'E')
- K
- equilibrium ratio K=y/x — how strongly a component favours the vapour; K>1 climbs toward the distillate, K<1 sinks toward the bottoms
- y
- vapour mole fraction on a stage
- x
- liquid mole fraction on a stage
- S
- Summation residual — the mole fractions on a stage must add to 1 (the 'S')
- H
- energy-balance (entHalpy) residual on a stage — closed at convergence (the 'H')
- L
- internal liquid traffic between stages [mol/s] — set by the reflux
- V
- internal vapour traffic between stages [mol/s] — set by the boilup
- h^L
- liquid molar enthalpy [J/mol]
- h^V
- vapour molar enthalpy [J/mol]
- h^F
- feed molar enthalpy [J/mol]
- Q
- reboiler/condenser duty [W] — the energy in and out that drives the whole separation
- j
- stage index (1 = top)
- i
- component index
Live from the same catalog the app's own "math" tab renders — not a screenshot.
For instructors
Assign, review, and grade coursework without emailing files back and forth.
Viewer-role sharing
Share a link with view-only access so you can review a student's flowsheet and results without risking an accidental edit.
Real-time multiplayer
Sit in on a student's session live, or run a lab session together on one shared flowsheet with cursors and presence.
Node-pinned comments
Leave feedback pinned directly to the unit op or stream it's about, so grading notes stay attached to the exact place they apply.
For researchers
Script your simulations and pull results into your own analysis pipeline.
Python SDK
Build and run flowsheets from code — parametrize a study, sweep conditions, and collect results without clicking through the UI for every run.
Full REST API
The same API the app uses is open to you: create simulations, run them, and read back stream data programmatically for your own tooling.
from flowsim.sdk import FlowSimClient
client = FlowSimClient()
sim = client.create_simulation("TEG dehydration study", flowsheet)
result = client.sensitivity(sim["id"], {
"decision_var": {"node": "absorber", "param": "TEG_flow", "min": 0.5, "max": 2.0, "points": 50},
"output": {"kind": "metric", "name": "water_removed"},
})Every solved simulation exports a citation from the app's Export menu — real output for the ethanol-water distillation example:
@software{maximalabs2026ethanolwaterdistillation,
title = {MaximaLabs: AI-native process simulation platform},
url = {https://maximalabs.io},
year = {2026},
note = {Simulation 'Ethanol-water distillation' — thermodynamic package: nrtl; components: ethanol, water.}
}Curious what this looks like in practice? Read published case studies from teams already running MaximaLabs on real process models.
Teaching a course or running a lab?
Tell us about your class or research group and we'll help you get set up.