Computer-aided process modelling

Abstract

Process modelling is a basic and most important activity in process system engineering. This fact explains that several computer-aided modelling tools have been proposed in the literature for automated model construction, verification, validation, analysis and documentation. Process models generated for a given modelling goal may be over-simplified or overelaborated for another use, that is why there is usually a need to extend, simplify or generate a new model in the worst case. The known computer-aided modelling tools offer little or no support for the modification of the process models, so the automatic computer-aided modell simplification and extension is a challenging task. A systematic computer-aided method is presented in this paper to support the model building process based on a well-defined incremental assumption-driven procedure. The resulted models are in a well-defined form, and they are verified and minimal ensured by construction. In addition, a model simplifying process is proposed which is used for refinement of process models by additional simplifying modelling assumptions. The effect of an assumption on a given model is determined by forward reasoning following all of the implications of the assumption through syntactical and semantical rules. Finally, an efficient assumption retrieval algorithm is presented to generate assumption sequences leading from one model to another in an automated way.