The SIMARIS Suite: A Free Power Distribution Planning Ecosystem from Siemens

For electrical engineers and consultants, planning a power distribution system is a complex task requiring careful consideration of network dimensioning, equipment selection, and regulatory compliance. Siemens addresses this challenge with the SIMARIS Suite, a comprehensive and free set of planning tools designed to streamline the entire workflow—from medium voltage down to the socket outlet. This article provides an overview of the suite and its free tools.

What is the SIMARIS Suite?

The SIMARIS Suite is a platform that provides uniform access to all of Siemens’ electrical planning software and tools. It is part of Siemens’ Totally Integrated Power (TIP) concept, designed to support the entire lifecycle of a power distribution project.

The suite is a complete ecosystem that supports every stage of your project, from initial design to final documentation.

Key Benefits for Electrical Planners:

Efficiency and Speed: Automates complex calculations like short-circuit currents, load flow, and voltage drop.
Ease of Use: The software is intuitive and user-friendly, automatically selecting matching components based on your project requirements.
Reliability: Built on real product data and established standards like IEC and VDE, ensuring your design is technically sound.
Cost and Space Optimization: The tools allow you to quickly estimate budgets and visualize space requirements for switchgear and distribution boards.

The SIMARIS Planning Tools

The SIMARIS Suite includes three core planning software tools:

SIMARIS design: Primary function: Network calculation and dimensioning. Automates selection of protection devices, calculates short-circuit currents and voltage drops, and can be used for radial, meshed, and ring networks.
SIMARIS project: Primary function: Determining space requirements and budget. Generates front views with dimensions for switchgear, creates automatic parts lists and budgets, and can import data from SIMARIS design.
SIMARIS curves: Primary function: Visualizing characteristic curves. Allows for evaluation of tripping characteristics, let-through current, and let-through energy curves for Siemens protection devices without needing a full project.

Free Web Tools (SIMARIS Online Toolbox)

In addition to the downloadable software, Siemens offers a growing collection of free, browser-based SIMARIS Web Tools. These are small service tools for quick, specialized calculations or assessments.

Here are some of the key web tools currently available:

Efficiency Guide: Assesses the energy efficiency of buildings according to IEC 60364-8-1 and helps identify optimization potential.
Selectivity & Back-up Manager: Calculates and documents project-specific selectivity and back-up values.
SITRATO: Calculates the pressure increase in the event of an internal arc in a transformer room, showing pressure-time characteristics and calculating required cross-sections for ventilation.
EMC Busbar: Calculates electromagnetic interference fields for busbar trunking systems (SIVACON 8PS series).
SIMARIS ecoguide: Helps users measure CO₂ savings and optimize total cost of ownership for specific products like switchboards and busbars.
SIMARIS xchange: A cloud-based platform for seamless collaboration on engineering data.

How to Access the Free Tools

The SIMARIS Suite and its tools are available for free, with a simple one-time registration required to access some of them.

Accessing the Online Web Tools

The browser-based web tools can be accessed directly at:

https://www.siemens.com/en-us/products/simaris/

Disclaimer: This article provides an overview of Siemens’ software. While efforts have been made to ensure the information is accurate, please refer to the official Siemens website for the most up-to-date features, system requirements, and regional availability. Final design decisions remain the responsibility of the qualified professional engineer.