Industrial Process Simulation With Rule-Based Time Variation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial processes such as chemical production and hydrocarbon refining are complex and require optimal configuration settings, but physically testing various scenarios is impractical, risky, and often impossible due to scale and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method for simulating industrial processes using a simulation workflow that applies rules to process information, allowing engineers to determine optimal configurations and forecast future effects without physical experiments, and includes a workflow system for customizing simulations with user-defined rules and logic.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If physical testing is conducted to determine optimal process conditions, then manufacturing precision and reliability can be improved, but safety risks and equipment damage increase due to the large scale and complexity of industrial processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the industrial process through computer simulation, allowing engineers to test and optimize process conditions in a digital environment that perfectly replicates the physical system's behavior without exposing actual equipment to testing risks
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces physical mechanical testing with computer-based simulation, substituting the need for actual process experimentation with computational models that calculate and predict process outcomes based on mathematical relationships and process data
2Manufacturing precision
If physical testing is conducted to determine optimal process conditions, then manufacturing precision can be improved, but productivity decreases due to the time-consuming nature of large-scale experiments
Solution Approach 1:
The simulation creates a virtual replica of the industrial process that can be tested repeatedly and rapidly, allowing multiple scenarios to be evaluated in the digital environment without the time constraints of physical experimentation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary optimization work in the simulation environment before actual implementation, allowing all process condition variations to be tested and optimal parameters to be determined in advance, eliminating the need for time-consuming trial-and-error testing on actual equipment
3Manufacturing precision
If physical testing is conducted to explore various process scenarios, then manufacturing precision can be improved, but equipment damage and operational reliability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a digital twin or virtual model of the process equipment that can withstand extreme and varied testing conditions without risk of damage, allowing engineers to explore boundary conditions and stress scenarios that would be dangerous or damaging to actual equipment
4Manufacturing precision
If extensive physical testing is performed to determine optimal settings, then manufacturing precision improves, but loss of time and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The simulation environment serves as a virtual testing ground where unlimited numbers of test scenarios can be executed rapidly and parallelized, allowing comprehensive optimization to be completed in a fraction of the time required for physical testing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs all necessary optimization testing and scenario evaluation in advance through simulation, establishing optimal configuration settings before actual process implementation, thereby eliminating subsequent time losses associated with physical trial-and-error testing
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of simulating an industrial process is disclosed. The method can be applied to the simulation of hydrocarbon and petrochemical processes. The method includes receiving process information defining an industrial process for simulation. The process information specifies a process topology comprising process components and connections between process components and associated process parameters. At least one rule is created and stored, the rule defining a time-dependent property of the process information. The process is simulated based on the received process information under variation of the time-dependent property of the process information.