Architecture and Design of a Modern Commercial Process Simulator

Over the past 10 years AVEVA (formerly SIMSCI, Invensys) has been developing a next generation process simulator, with a clean design from the ground up. In this article we will share the experience developing and marketing this software and reflect on how early design ideas have evolved and matured into a commercially available software application. The software is based on a novel concept for setting up, parametrizing, initializing, and solving equation-based simulation models targeting the next generation of process engineers. We will discuss some of the successes and challenges in realizing this next-generation concept. We will furthermore discuss customer reaction and feedback, and how the software has been received in the marketplace.