An Intelligent Negotiation Based Framework to Support Concurrent Engineering Principles in the Engineering Design of Process Plant

摘要

The traditional approach to the engineering design of process plant is highly sequentialwith decisions made early in the design phase having a large knock on effect todownstream design processes. A lack of consideration to downstream concerns will eitherresult in design re-work or compromise. Concurrent engineering has been proposed as adesign method for resolving the problems inherent in the sequential design process bybringing the different engineering disciplines together at key decision points in the designprocess, thereby preventing design problems before they occur.Computational support for concurrent engineering aims to develop tools to help teammembers in sharing knowledge and keep track of the others' needs, constraints, decisionsand assumptions [Cutkosky, et.al. 93]. Such systems would enable engineering disciplinesfrom each of the design life-cycle stages to communicate and review design strategy. Asa group they would be able to explore design alternatives in search of a good solution[Talukdar, Fenves 89].Knowledge based systems can support the engineering design process by providing advicethat accounts for the global concerns. It is argued that such a system should be distributed,due to the problems in maintaining a single large knowledge base, and computationalpower required to operate a single system. However, wherever expertise is distributed,conflict exists that has to be resolved.The aims of this research are to identify the needs of a computational support environmentto aid concurrent engineering design, and to develop a framework to enable disparatedesign systems to cooperate and produce designs acceptable from the global viewpoint.The 'needs' were identified from a study of the engineering design process, and a detailedanalysis into the design and selection of pumping systems to provide a rich example of theproblems faced in a specific design process.Cooperation is achieved through 'Negotiation', which resolves conflicts between thevarious objectives involved in design and is a central theme of this research. Through theprovision of a framework to support negotiation the aim is to provide the basis on whichindividual design programs can cooperate to produce rational designs from a globalperspective, thereby bringing life cycle design advice to the earlier design stages.