Universal Database for Dynamic Simulation

Abstract

In today's process plant design environment, steady state flowsheet simulations are fairly routine practices. With today's microprocessor power, with availability of capable and cost effective software, desktop dynamic models of entire plants are a practical reality. With such information age power tools, possibilities are infinite. Not the least is that the many what-if scenarios surely will enlarge the design parameter space, ensured by a systematic procedure in quality design, all at reasonable cost. With the multitude of software platforms, reusable (universal) models are cost effective. More significantly, these can be a boon to the credibility issue. The ability to take a complex model, developed elsewhere on an unfamiliar platform, plug into one's favorite simulation software and be operative without the pain/effort in re-engineering the entire model database can surely promote increase in usage of dynamic simulation among plant designers. A universal database is proposed to facilitate portability of models among language platforms. In this paper, portability of large complex models is proven by two examples (from plant design) on two platforms (DAP and ACSL). This paper illustrates the database requirements to allow models to commute between vastly different platforms, using specific examples to arrive at a more universal conclusion.