Software integration for online dynamic simulation applications

摘要

Current process industries such as refineries and pharmaceutical industries have been facing increasing challenges with respect to productivity, reducing waste and energy consumption, as well as environmental and safety issues becomingly increasingly comprehensive. One way to address these issues is to utilize online dynamic simulation via process modelling and control software. While there are multiple process simulation packages available, such as VMGsim, HYSYS, Aspen etc., comprehensive control algorithms such as Model Predictive Control (MPC) or many Advanced Process Control (APC) algorithms which are available in the literature and third party packages cannot be easily and/or directly implemented in these packages. In this paper, we develop a software integration framework which allows Matlab to drive dynamic simulations built within a software simulator. The framework will open these high-fidelity process simulation packages for engineers and researchers to test, implement and tune advanced process control strategies, in both offline and online scenarios.