TY - GEN
T1 - APROS - a multifunctional modelling environment
AU - Juslin, Kaj
AU - Paljakka, Matti
PY - 1999
Y1 - 1999
N2 - The Advanced Process Simulation (APROS) environment has after more than a decade of dedicated product development and intense commercial use reached a level of maturity that is difficult to find with regard to similar products. One of the basic ideas behind this software tool is its multifunctional concept. The concept requires that the tool is suitable for modelling and simulation of the dynamics of a process plant during all phases of its life-span from pre-design to training and model supported operation and control. The implementation of this concept had a significant impact on the software structure. Several, sometimes contradictory requirements had to be encompassed. It should be suitable both for small simple models and full scope simulators. It should facilitate time-steps from milliseconds to minutes, for the same models, just depending on the scope of study. It should combine several modelling paradigms such as continuous, discrete, mechanistic and empirical. The intrinsic model building blocks should be comprehensively verified, but users' model equations should be accepted, as well. It should be easy to connect to external models or hardware, and to use both in master or slave mode. It should be easy to study and modify the internals of the models, their structures and parameters, but it should also be possible to disclose all delicate model information from unwanted access. The calculation should be optimised for current computer hardware, but the model specifications should be easily transportable to new platforms. And finally, it should be suited both for researchers, engineers and plant operators. How did we succeed? We had 20 years of comprehensive thermal hydraulic modelling tradition before starting the project. We had the key experts with the key knowledge. We dedicated more than 100 man years of efforts for the new software developments. Presently, we have a superb team maintaining and improving the software, complemented with new enthusiastic members.
AB - The Advanced Process Simulation (APROS) environment has after more than a decade of dedicated product development and intense commercial use reached a level of maturity that is difficult to find with regard to similar products. One of the basic ideas behind this software tool is its multifunctional concept. The concept requires that the tool is suitable for modelling and simulation of the dynamics of a process plant during all phases of its life-span from pre-design to training and model supported operation and control. The implementation of this concept had a significant impact on the software structure. Several, sometimes contradictory requirements had to be encompassed. It should be suitable both for small simple models and full scope simulators. It should facilitate time-steps from milliseconds to minutes, for the same models, just depending on the scope of study. It should combine several modelling paradigms such as continuous, discrete, mechanistic and empirical. The intrinsic model building blocks should be comprehensively verified, but users' model equations should be accepted, as well. It should be easy to connect to external models or hardware, and to use both in master or slave mode. It should be easy to study and modify the internals of the models, their structures and parameters, but it should also be possible to disclose all delicate model information from unwanted access. The calculation should be optimised for current computer hardware, but the model specifications should be easily transportable to new platforms. And finally, it should be suited both for researchers, engineers and plant operators. How did we succeed? We had 20 years of comprehensive thermal hydraulic modelling tradition before starting the project. We had the key experts with the key knowledge. We dedicated more than 100 man years of efforts for the new software developments. Presently, we have a superb team maintaining and improving the software, complemented with new enthusiastic members.
M3 - Conference article in proceedings
SN - 951-38-5269-5
T3 - VTT Symposium
SP - 92
EP - 96
BT - Proceedings of the 2nd CSNI Specialist Meeting on Simulators and Plant Analysers
A2 - Tiihonen, Olli
PB - VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
CY - Espoo
T2 - 2nd CSNI Specialist Meeting on Simulators and Plant Analysers
Y2 - 29 September 1997 through 2 October 1997
ER -