Do you view simulation of your automation system as being complex? In a Control Engineering Europe article, Simulation needs to overcome perceived complexity and trust issues (pp. 12-13), Emerson’s Ronnie Bains and other industry experts share how advancing technology is simplifying simulation projects and providing great value.
When asked how widely simulation technology was being use and for which type of applications, Ronnie explained that:
…we have seen the technology become much more accessible, applicable to all the process industries as well as easier to maintain…
Emerson’s Digital Twin lifecycle concept outlines how this technology can be applied. It describes how an initial steady state design model of process (which almost all processes will have in some form) can be utilised and built upon to develop a plant wide dynamic simulation of the process.
He highlights some key uses for these simulations including:
…design review, engineering studies, procedure development, control system validation, virtual commissioning, competency assessment and most importantly as an operational decision support tool.
When asked about integrating modern simulation technology with legacy control systems, he highlighted two solutions.
Firstly, we can develop a simulation of a process and integrate it into a copy of the legacy control system. This provides a ‘replica’ of the legacy system which can be used for training and removing bottlenecks from the process. Emerson’s Mimic simulation framework allows native connection into a large number of third-party control systems.
Read the article for Ronnie’s and the other simulation experts’ thoughts on overcoming barriers in simulation technology implementation projects.
Visit the Dynamic Simulation section on Emerson.com for more on process simulation, operating training, test bench, advanced modeling, simulated I/O drivers and immersive simulation technologies with products such as Mimic Field 3D. You can also connect and interact with other simulation experts in the Services and IIoT & Digital Transformation groups in the Emerson Exchange 365 community.
