How chemical process simulation software can adapt to the future
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Since the 1970s, process simulation has undergone considerable development. Today, it is possible to accurately simulate numerous processes in steady-state and dynamic simulation software, including not only traditional chemical processes but also many specialized processes such as those involving biomass or polymers. Even the coupling of fluid and solid processes can be implemented in the same simulation file, and it has become possible to integrate CFD models into plant-scale models as well. To meet these needs, process simulation has become a mature and indispensable tool for developing, designing, and optimizing chemical processes. In the future, as digitalization in the chemical industry continues to advance, process simulation will become even more important, and it is set to become a part of the Industrial Internet of Things. Simulations can provide comprehensive information on the current or predicted state of a process, which is then incorporated into various higher-level applications for use by a wider range of users. Therefore, process simulation will evolve from a personal tool used by individual engineers to solve specific problems into a component of the process package. This trend has led to many new requirements for process simulation, such as open interfaces and convenient data connections. It is crucial for integrating process simulation with other applications. More advanced applications impose additional requirements on process simulation, such as higher accuracy, more robust convergence, and shorter computation times. With the advancement of digitalization, real data can be integrated into simulations in the future, and data-driven methods can be used to develop physical models.
Isn’t there already one available in the country? It’s a domestic product
Terminology from the mid-to-late 1990s: 1) Process steady-state simulation； 2) Process dynamic simulation ； 3) Specialized simulation software and applications for various typical reaction processes (such as reaction system simulation software dedicated to various petrochemical units, etc.) ； 4) Process simulation, offline tuning and online optimization, OTS and APC ； 5) Data coordination (addressing the consistency and reliability verification and processing of data from critical faulty instrument points as well as real-time data) ； 6) Plant expert diagnosis system (involving startup/shutdown, abnormal condition handling, and safety aspects such as edge control) ； 7) Plant-wide integrated production system PIMS and optimization methods such as NLMIP ； ...... Current terminology: 1) Models and algorithms ； 2) Data-driven models and “machine learning”*” ； 3) Industrial Internet, Industrial IoT, Big Data ； 4) Digital factories, intelligent factories ； ...... It feels like there are more superficial and slogan-like expressions these days, with fewer concrete and substantive ones.
Yes, some technical terms are becoming more general. The actual tools and methodologies remain largely the same as before, with only minor innovations made. As the saying goes, old wine in new bottles
There are so many companies in China that develop process simulation software. It seems that none of the products on the market are commercially available