Virtual Commissioning

Today, powerful modeling tools and compatible information standards make virtual commissioning accessible to all manufacturers. This article summarizes the state of the art in virtual commissioning, much of it developed by German researchers.

Many companies want to upgrade commissioning processes with new technology, to increase efficiency and help gain or maintain their competitive edge. Learn how one packaging company has used virtual commissioning to support their digital transformation.

The lines are blurring between virtual commissioning and digital twins. In this article, we’ll discuss each of these simulation techniques, when and how they are implemented and the impact of virtual commissioning and digital twin’s on today’s production systems.

The engineers who design production systems are not strangers to complexity. This raises the question: Can systems engineering be applied to the development of production systems? Let’s explore how, by discussing systems engineering and model-based system engineering.

Digitization is complicated. In this VirtualCommissioning.com post, we’ll explain and examine the emerging Digital Thread concept, investigate where the Digital Thread intersects virtual commissioning, the impact this concept has on organizations, and the opportunities a Digital Thread can bring to businesses.

A digital twin of a production system feeds production line sensor data into a simulation of the production line. You can then measure virtual sensors and capture virtual sensor data off of the simulation. When you combine that with the physical sensor data, you have a richer view into what is actually happening in the production system overall. In this post, Chad Jackson discusses the value of running virtual and physical sensors together.

Commissioning production systems is no easy task. The effort is complex. The schedule is short. Everyone wants to minimize downtime in facilities and plants. Getting a head start on commissioning through virtual methods instead of waiting for physical hardware is a step in the right direction. However, when it comes to the tactics of virtual commissioning, there are multiple options. Some organizations use 1D simulation process models. Others leverage detailed 3D designs with animations. Yet others use combinations of these two approaches. In this post, we’ll take a look at each, identifying the advantages and disadvantages of these different methods.

To enable virtual commissioning, models are created that emulate the behavior of individual components in the system. Such simulation models have two sides, representing the logical controllers and the physical components of that system. This post will address some of the shortcomings associated with the models used to enable virtual commissioning and introduce potential solutions.

To successfully develop simulations for virtual commissioning, two core technology enablers are required. The first is the software application that builds and runs the simulation. The second is a library of the virtual components required to build the models. This post examines the importance of the component library.