SuperPro Designer alternative for bioprocess modelling

SuperPro Designer alternative for connected bioprocess engineering.

Acatian is browser-based bioprocess modelling software for teams that need more than a desktop calculation. SuperPro Designer is a mature process simulator; Acatian connects the flowsheet to collaboration, model branches, company data, dynamic models, scheduling, TEA/LCA, evidence governance, and one traceable plant decision package.
Run a side-by-side pilot Open the reference model
01Browser-nativeOne governed workspace, not local model files passed between people.
02Versioned by designBranches, before/after diffs, restore, review, and approval context.
03Model + evidenceFlowsheet, ODE/PDE, schedule, TEA/LCA, sources, and readiness stay connected.
04API-first handoffStructured data, detailed exports, Python jobs, REST, webhooks, and connectors.
Current Acatian browser flowsheet showing equipment, connected streams, engineering controls and complete plant context
This is the product, not a concept image.The live Acatian workspace connects equipment and open-boundary streams to balances, model equations, schedules, evidence, economics, LCA, and controlled exports.

30-second decision

Choose the tool that matches the decision, not the category label.

Choose Acatian

When the process model must become a shared engineering system.

  • Process development, MSAT, facility, manufacturing, TEA/LCA, and management need one process basis.
  • Every assumption, source, parameter change, branch, result, and approval must remain traceable.
  • Company datasets and external calculations must enter through governed, reviewable interfaces.
  • Batch, fed-batch, perfusion, continuous, ODE/PDE, scheduling, economics, and sustainability must remain connected.
Keep SuperPro Designer

When an established desktop calculation package already answers the question.

  • A qualified model, familiar unit-operation library, and existing report workflow already satisfy the project.
  • The work is primarily performed by one modeller on Windows.
  • The current validation basis is more valuable than browser collaboration or native version control.
  • A controlled migration would add risk without improving the decision or handoff.

Capability comparison

Where Acatian is materially different.

SuperPro capabilities below are based on the vendor's public documentation. Acatian capabilities describe the current product and are deliberately separated from application-specific validation claims.
Decision criterionSuperPro DesignerAcatianWhy Acatian is stronger here
Authoring and accessWindows 10/11 desktop application with fixed, floating, and corporate licensing.Browser workspace for shared projects, roles, invitations, and controlled access.No workstation handoff. The team opens the same current model and decision context.
CollaborationStrong modeller workflow; broader review and communication are commonly handled through files and adjacent tools.Comments, collaborators, project ownership, change plans, and review state live beside the model.Collaboration is part of the engineering object, not a meeting around exported files.
Versions and alternativesOfficial pages reviewed do not document a native branch, model-diff, and restore workflow.Named branches, model versions, before/after impact, restore, and controlled or approved states.Alternatives remain comparable and reversible without duplicating opaque project files.
Core process engineeringEstablished batch and continuous simulation, 140+ unit procedures, reactions, VLE, balances, sizing, and costing.Editable plant graph linking streams, equipment, reactions, balances, physical limits, production modes, and scale assumptions.The graph is shared by every downstream analysis. SuperPro retains the advantage of a longer-established unit-operation library.
Dynamics and uncertaintyIntegrated batch calculations; sensitivity, optimization, and Monte Carlo can be driven through COM and external tools.Native ODE/PDE runs, time trajectories, parameter intervals, sensitivity scenarios, and uncertainty outputs in the project.Dynamic results stay versioned with their inputs instead of returning from a separate spreadsheet workflow.
Scheduling and capacityDetailed batch Gantt, resource tracking, equipment occupancy, and export to the separate SchedulePro suite.Batch and campaign scheduling, shared-equipment reuse, CIP/SIP, resources, inventory, and plant utilization linked to the same scenario branch.Design and capacity decisions change together in one model version.
TEA and LCAComprehensive economics, costing, environmental assessment, and reports across many formats.TEA and LCA connected to streams, schedules, evidence grades, intervals, sensitivity, geography, and detailed inventory exports.Every cost and impact remains traceable to the process branch, source, and review status that produced it.
Company dataExtensive databanks, user-defined materials, corporate cost data, and commercial database compatibility.Bulk CSV, TSV, JSON, and historian-style ingestion with unit mapping, provenance, timestamp, reviewer, and change history.Imported plant evidence enters a governed review queue before it changes model parameters.
Automation and integrationCOM/OLE automation through Excel, MATLAB, C#, Python, and other Windows environments.JSON process model, REST endpoints, Python jobs, webhooks, GitHub integration, and connector registry.Cloud and company systems can integrate directly without a Windows automation host.
CFD and transportCFD is not listed as a native capability on the official product pages reviewed.Bioreactor geometry and boundary-condition workflow, interactive transport screening, and external solver job interfaces.Scale-up risks connect to the process model. Validated 3D CFD still requires a qualified external solver, mesh, convergence, and experimental evidence.
Governance and handoffComprehensive calculation reports and customizable output formats.Model status, source lineage, audit history, approval context, detailed Excel/CSV/SVG/JSON/ZIP, and model-readiness gaps.The output explains what changed, what is missing, and whether the result is decision-ready.

Proof before promise

Inspect a reproducible Acatian model before trusting a claim.

The published synthetic CHO fed-batch benchmark executes the same versioned solver used by the application. Inputs, full trajectory, sensitivity runs, schedule, stream table, acceptance criteria, and checksums are downloadable.
7 / 7acceptance checks passed
169reported dynamic states
2.67 × 10−7%maximum balance residual
Open reference implementation Download model inputs Download full trajectory
Synthetic software reproducibility benchmark, not a claim of customer calibration, GMP validation, or plant-predictive accuracy.
Current Acatian TEA and LCA workspace with cost drivers, plant utilization and evidence status
Current product view: economics and evidence remain attached to the active process model.

Controlled migration

Do not replace a trusted model on faith. Make Acatian earn the workflow.

  1. 01
    Define the benchmark

    Choose one company-owned process and agree tolerances for balances, equipment duty, schedule, economics, and exports.

  2. 02
    Reconstruct authorized data

    Use your stream tables, equipment basis, assumptions, datasets, and approved results. Acatian does not decode proprietary model files.

  3. 03
    Explain every difference

    Compare results, evidence, speed, change traceability, collaboration, and missing model scope side by side.

  4. 04
    Expand only what passes

    Keep the established tool as reference until the Acatian branch meets the agreed technical and governance criteria.

Bring one real process decision.Acatian returns a scoped model, reconciliation record, gaps, and a clear recommendation on what should migrate.
Open migration benchmark

Buyer questions

What a technical team should ask before switching.

Is Acatian a direct replacement for SuperPro Designer?

Acatian already provides native flowsheets, balances, production modes, ODE/PDE models, scheduling, CFD screening, TEA/LCA, data ingestion, versions, and detailed exports. It is not honest to treat every application as validated by default. Replace a workflow only after one authorized reference model passes agreed acceptance criteria.

Why is Acatian better for multidisciplinary teams?

Because the process graph, assumptions, evidence, datasets, branches, simulations, economics, sustainability, comments, and exports live in one browser project. The main advantage is not one isolated equation; it is that the complete engineering decision remains connected and reviewable.

Can Acatian import SuperPro Designer files?

Acatian does not copy or decode proprietary formats. Teams reconstruct an authorized process from their own exported stream tables, equipment data, assumptions, and reference results, then reconcile the Acatian model against that approved baseline.

Where is SuperPro Designer still stronger?

SuperPro has a longer commercial track record, a broad established unit-operation library, mature thermodynamic and costing databases, and familiar workflows for experienced users. Acatian is the stronger choice when collaboration, versioning, data integration, dynamic evidence, and cross-functional decision governance are central requirements.

Who should evaluate Acatian first?

Process-development, MSAT, CDMO, facility-engineering, fermentation, food-biotech, cultivated-meat, TEA/LCA, and digital-engineering teams whose work currently moves between simulator files, spreadsheets, reports, email, and review meetings.