Compare · ProMax alternative · gas processing simulation
WorkSync FlowSync vs. ProMax: which gas-processing simulator fits the daily-driver work?
ProMax (Bryan Research & Engineering) earned its place as the deep-bench tool for gas-processing simulation, especially amine sweetening, glycol dehydration, sulfur recovery, and the tricky thermodynamic packages those workflows lean on. The trade-off, like HYSYS, is fit: it is heavy for the daily revamp, debottleneck, and troubleshooting work that fills an engineer's day. WorkSync FlowSync Process Simulator is right-sized for that 80%. ProMax stays the call for the deep amine and sulfur work.
WorkSync vs Bryan Research & Engineering ProMax: the honest comparison.
| Capability | ProMax | WorkSync FlowSync Process Simulator |
|---|---|---|
| Amine sweetening (deep thermodynamic packages) | Industry-leading. Decades of refinement on amine chemistry. | Daily-driver amine work covered. ProMax remains the right tool for the deepest packages. |
| Glycol dehydration | Strong | Strong, sized for routine sizing and revamp work |
| Sulfur recovery (Claus, tail-gas treating) | Industry standard | Not the target use case. ProMax remains the right tool. |
| Gas processing (separation, compression, JT, low-temp) | Full coverage | Full coverage for the daily-driver work |
| Equipment sizing (separators, compressors, heat exchangers) | Yes | Yes |
| Time-to-answer for typical sensitivity | Hours-to-day (build the file, run, interpret) | Minutes (model already built; sensitivity in-place) |
| Live operating data integration | Manual data load | Connected to the WorkSync Data Hub; sims see current SCADA conditions |
| AI engineer agent (cited answers, MOC drafting, sensitivity runs) | Not native | Yes — Taylor reads every drawing and cites every answer |
| Pricing model | Per-seat, perpetual + maintenance typical | Per-module annual license. Below VP signing authority. |
| Co-exist with each other? | , | Yes — many teams run ProMax for the deep amine + sulfur work, FlowSync for the daily revamp work |
Because your evaluation deserves it.
Bryan Research & Engineering ProMax is the right call in some situations. WorkSync is the right call in others. Here’s the real-world split.
01When Bryan Research & Engineering ProMax wins
You run a sour gas plant with deep amine work
Amine selectivity, blended-amine systems, MDEA-piperazine optimization, regenerator troubleshooting where the chemistry actually matters, ProMax has decades of investment in the thermodynamic packages that make these calls. Use it.
You operate a sulfur recovery unit
Claus reactor modeling, tail-gas treating, SRU optimization. ProMax's sulfur work is industry-standard and FlowSync does not aim to replace it.
Your team has years of ProMax muscle memory
If your process engineering team thinks in ProMax, the change-management cost of moving daily work into a different simulator may not pencil. Co-exist is the right pattern: ProMax for the deep work, FlowSync for the daily questions.
02When WorkSync wins
Most of your engineering work is the daily revamp / troubleshooting
The 3-phase separator carrying-over after a new well came online. The amine reboiler duty for the next month's gas composition. The compression train hitting recycle on a hot day. These are the questions that fill the engineer's week and they do not need a full ProMax license per seat.
You want answers in minutes, not hours
FlowSync Process Simulator runs against the same Model Builder output as Flow Simulator. The model is already built. The sensitivity is a minute. If your engineering team has a queue of "quick" questions waiting for someone with a ProMax seat, FlowSync clears the queue.
You want simulations on live operating data
ProMax runs whatever you load. FlowSync runs against the Data Hub, so the inlet composition, the operating pressure, and the duty are current. Daily-driver process work is accurate without a manual data refresh.
You want an AI engineer agent on tap
Taylor reads every drawing, every MOC, every operating procedure in your project folder. She cites the source. Cuts the bottleneck of the senior engineer who is in a meeting without replacing the simulator your team already uses for the deep work.
ProMax for the deep amine + sulfur work. FlowSync for the daily revamp.
The cleanest pattern: keep ProMax seats for the engineers who own the amine system and the SRU. They are the right tool for that work. FlowSync handles the daily revamp, debottleneck, equipment sizing, and troubleshooting that the broader team does every week. Both run on the same Model Builder output, so the asset spec is one source of truth.
Net effect: same ProMax seats for the engineers who need them, but the rest of the engineering team gets a right-sized tool for the work they actually do every day. Engineering throughput goes up without anyone losing the depth they relied on for the regulated and chemistry-heavy work.
“ProMax is the right tool for our amine units. We never thought about replacing it. But we had a backlog of revamp questions for the rest of the plant that nobody had time to answer. FlowSync cleared that backlog without touching how we run amine work.”
Process engineering leadership · Mid-tier producer · Multi-basin
Common questions
Will FlowSync replace ProMax for amine and sulfur work?
No. ProMax has decades of investment in amine and sulfur thermodynamic packages, and that depth is the right call for the work it was built for. The recommendation is co-existence: ProMax for the deep amine + SRU work, FlowSync for the daily-driver revamp and troubleshooting work across the rest of the plant.
What unit operations does FlowSync Process Simulator cover?
Gas processing, dehydration, sweetening, compression, separation, and small-facility design. Equipment sizing for separators, compressors, heat exchangers, dehy units, and amine systems. Right-sized for the daily-driver work; deep amine selectivity work belongs in ProMax.
Can FlowSync export its model into ProMax?
The canonical asset model FlowSync builds (topology, equipment, operating data) is the same input ProMax expects. The export keeps your existing ProMax workflow intact and removes the manual model-build step.
How does pricing compare to ProMax?
ProMax is per-engineer-seat, typically perpetual license plus annual maintenance. FlowSync Process Simulator is per-module annual license, below VP signing authority. Many gas processors keep ProMax seats for the amine and SRU teams and run FlowSync as the daily-driver simulator for the broader engineering team.
Does FlowSync handle Claus reactor modeling?
No. SRU modeling is one of the use cases where ProMax has the right depth and we leave it there. We will tell you honestly when the work belongs in ProMax instead of in FlowSync.
See WorkSync on your data, alongside your existing stack.
Request a free trial. Qualified operators get a 4-week proof of value at no license cost. Integration in under 1 week; full standup in 2.