Engineered Workflows

STED Data Transfer

Modernized legacy engineering data transfer tool, rebuilding complex heat exchanger modeling workflows in Python to extend mission-critical software life.

Desktop App Python Engineering Modernization Data Integration
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STED Data Transfer (Simple Transfer of Engineering Data)

Type: Legacy System Modernization – Engineering Data Integration Tool
Industry: Petrochemical / Process Engineering

Overview

STED (Simple Transfer of Engineering Data) is a desktop application used to transfer complex heat exchanger modeling data between AspenTech’s Aspen Plus and HTRI’s Xchanger Suite.

Originally developed in the early 2000s using VB6 and later updated to VB.NET, the tool had become difficult to maintain and had not been meaningfully updated in over a decade. A major petrochemical company relied on it for critical engineering workflows.

The Challenge

  • Legacy codebase with significant technical debt
  • Limited documentation
  • Highly specialized chemical engineering calculations
  • Critical dependence by engineering teams
  • Risk of system failure due to aging architecture

The existing application had become a fragile but essential piece of infrastructure.

My Role

I reverse-engineered the legacy system to:

  • Understand undocumented logic and calculation workflows
  • Reconstruct unit conversions and thermodynamic data handling
  • Preserve critical engineering functionality
  • Eliminate brittle legacy dependencies

I then rebuilt the application as a modern Python-based desktop tool that replicated and improved the original functionality.

Key Contributions

  • Recreated complex engineering data transformation logic
  • Implemented robust unit conversion and validation routines
  • Built a clean, maintainable Python application architecture
  • Extended the operational life of a mission-critical engineering workflow

Impact

  • Prolonged the life of essential process modeling infrastructure
  • Reduced technical risk from unsupported legacy technology
  • Improved maintainability and future extensibility
  • Preserved decades of embedded engineering logic in a modern system

This project reflects my ability to bridge deep domain engineering knowledge with modern software development — translating complex technical workflows into maintainable, future-ready systems.