Tutorial 5: Using the AWS FOQUS Cloud

The AWS FOQUS Cloud may be used instead of TurbineLite. TurbineLite, used by default, runs simulations (e.g., Aspen Plus) on the user’s local machine. The AWS FOQUS Cloud has several potential advantages over TurbineLite, while the main disadvantage is the effort required for installation and configuration. Some reasons to run a on the AWS FOQUS Cloud are:

  • Users don’t have to install Aspen on their local machine.

  • Users with Apple Macintosh or Linux-based systems can run flowsheets with Aspen simulations on the AWS FOQUS Cloud.

  • Simulations can be run in parallel. The AWS FOQUS Cloud can scale up to hundreds of virtual machines configured to run FOQUS flowsheet consumers. FOQUS consumers are basically additional instances of FOQUS running on remote systems which can run a FOQUS flowsheet.

  • Simulations can be run on machines other than the user’s, so as not to tie-up the user’s machine running simulations.

Running on AWS FOQUS Cloud

The steps below demonstrate how to set up FOQUS to run flowsheets remotely if the user would like to run FOQUS in parallel in AWS (see Figure Remote Turbine Settings).

  1. Obtain a user name, password, and URL. Ask on the ccsi-support list

  2. Open FOQUS.

  3. Click Settings at the top right of the Home window (Figure Run Method Settings).

  4. Select “Remote” from the FOQUS Flowsheet Run Method drop-down list. A message box will appear. The user will be warned that the models that have been uploaded to Turbine Local may not be available in Turbine Remote Gateway, which means that the user may need to upload the models into Turbine again (please see Step 7).

  5. Click the Turbine tab; this displays the Turbine settings shown in Figure Remote Turbine Settings.

Run Method Settings

Run Method Settings

  1. Create a Turbine configuration file; this contains your password in plain text, so it is very important that if you are allowed to choose your own password, you choose one that is not used for any other purpose.

    1. Click New/Edit next to the Turbine Configuration (remote) field. The Turbine Configuration window displays (see Figure Remote Turbine Settings).

    2. Select “Cluster/Cloud” from the Turbine Gateway Version drop-down list in the Turbine Configuration window.

    3. Enter the AWS FOQUS Cloud URL in the Address field.

    4. Enter the User name and Password.

    5. Click Save as and enter a new file name.

    6. Set the remote Turbine configuration file. Click Browse next to the Turbine Configuration (remote) field. Select the file created in Step 6e.

Remote Turbine Settings

Remote Turbine Settings

At this point FOQUS is ready to use the AWS FOQUS Cloud. The last step is to ensure that all simulations referenced by flowsheets to be run are uploaded to the AWS FOQUS Cloud.

  1. Upload any necessary simulations (see Section Adding or Changing Turbine Simulations and the tutorial in Section Tutorial 2: Creating a Flowsheet with Linked Simulations)

Once all settings are specified there is no apparent difference between running flowsheets locally or on the AWS FOQUS Cloud, and FOQUS can readily be switched between the two.