A chemical engineering process simulator that runs in your browser
Rigorous chemical process modeling for chemical engineers — distillation, absorption, reactors, heat transfer and recycle convergence — with the major thermodynamic packages, 60+ unit operations and an AI copilot. Everything Aspen and HYSYS do, zero install, usage-based pricing.
Built for the chemical engineer's workflow
The unit operations, thermodynamics and solver a chemical engineer actually reaches for — steady-state material and energy balances, phase equilibrium, rigorous MESH distillation, recycle convergence and real-time stream tables — plus dynamics, cost estimation and an AI copilot. Explore the pieces:
Example flowsheets
90+ validated chemical-engineering models — distillation, absorption, reactors, crystallizers.
ExploreSeparations & columns
Rigorous MESH distillation, absorption and rate-based columns.
ExploreThermodynamics engine
Rigorous VLE, flash and the major property methods.
ExploreProperty packages
Peng-Robinson, NRTL, SRK, PC-SAFT, electrolytes, GERG-2008…
ExploreUnit operations
60+ unit ops with their governing equations shown.
Explorevs. Aspen & HYSYS
An honest side-by-side: parity, differentiators and gaps.
ExploreWhy chemical engineers switch
The same rigorous simulation, without the friction of a 2003-era desktop tool:
Zero install
Open a browser and simulate — nothing to license on a workstation, nothing for IT to provision.
AI copilot
Describe a process in plain English and the AI builds the flowsheet; when a solve fails it explains the cause and the fix, not a cryptic code.
~30-minute onboarding
A modern UI a chemical engineer can learn in an afternoon, versus a multi-day course.
Usage-based pricing
Pay for the solves you run, not a six-figure annual seat license per user.
Frequently asked questions
Is MaximaLabs a chemical engineering process simulator?
Yes. MaximaLabs is a rigorous chemical engineering process simulator: it solves the mass and energy balances, phase equilibria and unit operations of a chemical process — the same class of tool as Aspen Plus or HYSYS — but it runs in your browser with an AI copilot, at usage-based pricing instead of a six-figure seat license.
What can chemical engineers simulate with it?
The core chemical-engineering unit operations and property methods: distillation (rigorous MESH, shortcut, rate-based and reactive columns), absorption and stripping, flash and phase equilibrium, heat exchangers, reactors (equilibrium, kinetic, CSTR/PFR, electrochemical), crystallizers and more — 60+ unit operations over Peng-Robinson, SRK, NRTL, UNIQUAC, PC-SAFT, electrolyte-NRTL, GERG-2008 and steam/IAPWS. Recycle loops converge automatically.
Do I need to install anything, and is there a free version?
No install — it's a web-based chemical process simulator that opens in a browser, and there's a free workspace to start in. You can also drive it from a Python SDK or an Excel add-in. It is not open-source and does not claim CAPE-OPEN compliance — it's a commercial, cloud-native tool.
How does it compare to Aspen Plus and HYSYS?
It targets steady-state HYSYS/Aspen parity — the major thermo packages, 30+ standard unit operations, recycle convergence and stream tables — then fixes the things engineers dislike: a modern browser UI, live sharing instead of emailing files, a first-class Python API, and an AI copilot that builds flowsheets and explains convergence failures in plain English. See the side-by-side comparison for where it matches and where it doesn't yet.