Simulation Ebook 45 Tips and Tricks To Build and Manage Process Simulation

45 Tips and Tricks to Build and Manage
Process Simulation
Use these tactics to build valid and credible simulation
models
Ivana Lukec, Ph.D.
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September, 2016 SimulateLive.com
45 Tips and Tricks to Build and Manage Process Simulation, Ivana Lukec Ph.D.
Table of Contents
Process Simulation Tips and Tricks ....................................................................... 1
Formulate the problem ........................................................................................... 3
Project planning and defining the assumptions....................................................... 4
Collect data and information................................................................................... 6
Planning the Time Frame ........................................................................................ 8
Model Development ............................................................................................. 10
Model Verification and Validation ......................................................................... 13
Analysis and reporting........................................................................................... 15
Consultation Options ............................................................................................ 18
Further reading and References ............................................................................ 19
Process Simulation Tips and Tricks

A successful simulation project is one that delivers useful information or a result at the
appropriate time to support a meaningful decision or a task. However, achieving that
is very often not an easy exercise. A simulation project is much more than building a
model, so the skills that are required go well beyond knowing a particular simulation tool.
Actually, model programming represents only 25 to 50 percent of the work in a
simulation study, despite the fact that many organizations view simulation as little
more than a complicated exercise of using a simulation tool. There are many
points where even an experienced simulation engineer can fail.
Simulation is used for doing performance evaluations of industrial processes including

throughput analysis and bottleneck analysis, for evaluation of operational procedures
such as production scheduling, inventory policies, control strategies, reliability analysis,
quality-control policies and more.
The following tips can be used as a guidance to avoid some common traps. More
experienced simulation engineers will be able to check and improve their routines, while
the less experienced ones can use this guidance to make their first steps easier and
improve the chances of hitting the target with their project instead of building the wall
towards practicing process simulation.
The guidance is systemized into categories through which every simulation project must
go through. They are summarized in Figure 1. and described in details in the following
text.
Formulate the problem

Project planing and defining the assumptions
Collect data and information

Develop the model
Verify and Validate the model
Analyze
Report
Figure 1. Phases of a typical simulation project
Lets start commenting tips that will help you avoid some common traps, but as well help
you ensure that your simulation will be a success through all the steps from defining the
problem, through building, verifying, validating, and presenting your simulation model
insights. Good luck!
Formulate the problem

The problem of interest is usually initiated by the decision-maker. However, when the
decision-maker first initiates a simulation study, the exact problem to be solved is
sometimes not precisely stated or even completely understood. Thus, as the study
proceeds and a better understanding is obtained, this information should be
communicated to the decision-maker. The following are most important tips necessary to
successfully define the first and the most important phase of the project:
1. Defining the objectives - When the decision is made to conduct a simulation
project, the first thing to define are the project objectives. This step cannot be
highlighted enough because it will prepare and define your path from the step one
to the very end of your project and be sure that without understanding the
objectives in depth it is impossible to have a successful project. This includes
having answers to these questions: Why will you simulate the system and what are
your expectations to get out of it? To be more specific, you must determine who
your interested parties and superiors are and how do they define the simulation
project success and what their expectations are? Which are those questions and
decisions the simulation project must give answers to? What will be the role or
purpose of the simulation project?
2. Checking the objectives to avoid a situation of tackling the wrong problem
when putting down the questions to what plans to be solved, bring the attention also
to what you are not intending to solve. When this is clear from the very beginning,
chances are less that you will go astray from your simulation path at the later
stages of the project and possibly get lost. Summarize from your initial high-level
objectives what you are intending to solve and what you are not intending to solve.
3. Generalizing the objectives - Giving the right information, to the right person in
the right time means defining the goals of your superiors and interested parties: It is
important to find out what their needs and expectations really are. Do they want to
improve profits? Improve system predictability or reliability? Solve process
bottlenecks? Increase output? Improve operations? In all cases, you need to find
out not only what they value, but how do they measure it. So, talk to them to make
this clear!
3
Project planning and defining the assumptions

A simulation model is a simplification of the real system, with just enough of details to
answer the questions of interest. Therefore, assumptions for this simplification must be
defined for a modeled process and that includes the list of all simplifying assumptions
that were made and why. This will include reactor models, column models, overall model
etc. The information is necessary to determine the generality that must be built into the
particular simulation.
4. Understanding the process you will be describing with the simulation model. If
you are lucky, you will be familiar with the process you are modeling. More typically,
you do not know it well enough to accurately model it. Get to know your process
and understand it before starting to build the model. While it is not reasonable to
expect from a simulation engineer to know every process, an experienced engineer
will know an important questions to ask and will be able to understand the answers.
Find out typical details about a process to be modeled from the book and process
description. If possible, talk through a process with an engineer who knows it well.
5. Level of details - A model is always just an approximation of reality and can
always be improved. It is important to define the limits of this model, therefore be
careful to include important details in accordance to defined objectives and exclude
insufficient details that could increase the level of required effort and jeopardize the
overall project success.
6. Assumptions - Summarize your understanding by making the list of assumptions
and limit conditions that you will be taking into account so that you and all interested
parties have a common understanding of how much detail will be modeled for each
part of the process. For example, inlet and outlet flows and conditions, external
influences details, simplifications of complex parts etc.
7. Asking questions - Ask more questions. Ask different people the same questions
and don't be surprised that you get different answers. Your goal at this stage is not
to solve the problem, but to understand the problem and the system well enough
that you can describe and estimate the work. Part of this stage is to identify what
you don't know so that you can allow time and risk in the project for that
enlightenment.
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8. Developing Functional Specification - For the projects where interested parties

are clearly defined, such as the simulation provider and the client, it is always a
smart move to develop a functional specification where all the above mentioned
notes can be clearly specified to make sure there is no misunderstanding in the
later phases of the project. As an old adage says "If you don't know where you are
going, how will you know when you get there?" A functional specification clarifies
the model scope and level of detail. And most importantly, it clearly defines the
deliverables. It defines the objectives as well as the deliverables and determines
how everyone will know when you are done. This is specially a must for more
complex and demanding projects, so make sure this step is done right!
Collect data and information

A model is only valid for a particular application if it uses appropriate and correct data.
To be able to make a distinction from appropriate and inappropriate data, we need to
make sure we understand the process, which was the topic of the above mentioned
points. That is important from the point of view to understand and interpret correct your
process data. In this section we provide some suggestions on how to obtain good model
data.
9. Data requirements - Identify what data will be necessary to support the agreed
level of detail. Where will this data come from? Who will be responsible for
providing it? When, in what form and amount will it be provided?
10. Collect the important data - Since collecting data can be a time exhausting
exercise, determine where you need the most accurate data and focus on the goal
to get them as smoothly as possible and to have enough of data for your most
critical tasks. Approximate the data in the areas which are not in the focus of the
project.
11. Dont get overwhelmed by data organize your data. In the past, it has been an
often situation that little or no data was available. Now, it is much more likely that
you will be overwhelmed by data. Organizing and making sense of that data is often
a challenge. Stay on the focus!
12. Interpret your data - The first challenge is to know your data. Be careful about
hidden pitfalls in your data. Those can be erroneous design data. Example for this
might be change in process equipment that hasnt been recorded. In case you are
collecting data on your own, make sure to have this in mind. In case you are
provided data from your superiors or interested parties, make them aware of their
responsibility. When collecting data from historian database and adjusting them to
your study be aware of the timing when this data were taken and make sure that
they were not influenced by any instabilities or disturbances that would affect your
analysis. This is equally important when looking into steady state or dynamic
analysis. Unless you are taking data for dynamic analysis you need the data the
closest possible to steady state. It is important to know your data and how good it
is; "scrub" it clean of any invalid data, and perform appropriate input analysis.
13. Overcome the lack of data - You can also use your model and some pilot runs to
help you determine where you need better data or the use of approximations. All
data arent equally important!
14. Try to identify possibly incorrect data - some of the collected data and/or
information might be incorrect, so whenever possible, make double checks and try
to avoid the situation of relying on only one person who is supplying necessary
information to gain a complete understanding of a process to be modeled.
Planning the Time Frame

Lets be honest, simulation projects generally take more time than originally estimated,
because the model somehow always turns out to be more complex than originally
thought. Moreover, there are always delays in getting the required information and data.
Also, a major difficulty in many projects is the decision-makers misunderstanding of the
amount of time and resources required to perform the study.
15. Time planning - A successful simulation project is one that delivers a result at the
appropriate time, which makes the time one of most important variables for you to
think about so plan well with having the following in mind!
16. Count on delays from the beginning If you are lucky and they dont happen,
you will always have extra time to focus on something else. However, during the
simulation project, new circumstances are often discovered and possibility for it to
happen should be taken into account from the very beginning of the project to avoid
last second panicking time and skipping some important result.
17. Due Date and Agility - Simulation is often a process of discovery. As you model
and learn about the system you will find new alternatives to explore and possibly
areas of the model requiring more detail. Adequately exploring those areas can
potentially make the project much more valuable. But the best results possible have
no value if they are delivered after the decision has been made. When are results
expected? When is the absolute "drop-dead" date after which the results will have
no value? This time spent thinking ahead will more than pay itself back later in the
project.
18. Staying in line with the scope - Don't widen the scope unless really necessary. As
mentioned before: Don't go anywhere beyond the stated objectives - a model is just
an approximation of a real system. Of course that your goal, and the goal of all the
interested parties, is for the model to be as accurate and comprehensive as
possible. To avoid never-ending, late, and over budget projects, you need to go
back to your previously defined objectives or functional specification document.
Your goal is to build a model with just enough detail to meet the stated objectives
and no more!
19. Avoid any sort of urgencies - Dont allow the project to be pulled down by the
sudden moment of urgency. While the best time to start a simulation study is very
early in the associated project's lifecycle, that is unfortunately not the most common
situation. It is far more common that simulation is first considered when problems
are encountered and when there is just a short time planned before the final
decisions must be made. At this point, everything becomes urgent, and you may
even be "late" before you have started. If you dont have enough time to do a
simulation right, there is a little point starting it. Try to avoid the situations where the
urgency will pull you down and the project is convicted to fail before it started just
because the lack of time.
Model Development
Simulation model is usually developed either using one of the general programming
languages, such as C++, Matlab or similar, or using a commercial simulation-software
product such as Hysys, Pro II, ChemCad, Petrosim etc. The choice is mostly dependent
on the objectives of simulation and accessibility.
To use a programming language, the most important advantage is a purchase cost.
However they varying amounts of programming expertise and your previous experience
with the tool are most often the biggest obstacles. They are usually significantly less
expensive and are also more general.
Specialized process simulation software has significantly more build in knowledge,
specially that one related to chemical engineering such as thermodynamical data and
build-in-models of process equipment which are very complex for programming. This is
why the use of a commercial simulation product will reduce programming time and
overall project cost. However, this will cost you. There are hundreds of simulation
products on the market, often with price tags of $15,000 or more. Naturally, the question
of how to select the best simulation software for an application arises and most
important characteristic are those such as modeling flexibility, ease of use, statistical
capabilities, output reports and graphical plots, customer support, and documentation.
The choice is again mostly related to what have we defined for the project objectives.
Choosing the right simulation tool is however very complex topic and will not be covered
here in more details, only the guidance of most important points to consider when
developing a model. Those are mostly related to specialized simulation software.
20. Simulation software selection for many simulation engineers, the simulation
software selection is often considered a bottleneck, or a most critical point in
developing the model. Although the selection of the proper simulation tool is
important it is not more important than all the previous points especially those
between 1 and 8. There are certain simulation software that have the status of the
most valuable and they for sure are valuable but one after the other, all very
expensive. This fact tends to be one of the greatest obstacles for not using process
simulation more. However, dont get discouraged by this fact because, I assure
you there are ways to make a really good simulation work with less expensive or
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even free simulation tools. Today, there are some very powerful tools available as
open source and can be implemented, in worst case with some restrictions, to solve
the majority of process problems. Some of them are being discussed at this link:
http://www.simulatelive.com/product-reviews/simulation/review-of-open-sourceprocess-simulators. Simulation tasks can as well be adjusted by definition of
objectives and assumptions to meet the requirements of defined goals. So, dont
get discouraged if you dont have the budget for one of the popular tools
download one of the mentioned tools and get that simulation going!
21. Start simple - In the firsts developing cycle, we suggest you to build the entire
model or a major section of it with a minimal level of detail. Then start putting more
details later on. You can then verify the model works before continuing on. This has
the advantage of immediately generating a potentially useful model. Having the first
draft of the model can also help you to communicate first results with all the
interested parties and find out what your most critical parts are.
22. Interact with decision-maker constantly it is important to keep constant flow of
communication between the developer and decision-maker. This helps to ensure
that the correct problem is solved, to keep the decision-makers interest and
involvement with the study. This will build a solid ground for a model credibility
because the decision maker understands and agrees with the models
assumptions.
23. Address loops and iterations with special care more complex processes will
always have some details, such as reactors, or a recycle streams, or loop that
requires more attention and tend to bring calculation problems. While calculating
firsts iterations, simplify it as much as you can, fix the values if possible to reduce
the number of variables, until your model is ready for the full calculation cycle. This
will save both time and nerves!
24. Continue adding details - add relatively small sections of model and then verify
each section before adding more detailed calculations.
25. Save, backup and copy your system after gaining any valuable result! Constantly!
26. Discover - Simulation is often a process of discovery. You will gain knowledge as
you go from the effort to accurately describe the system to the early simulation
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results. Often this new information may move the study in new directions. A certain
amount of agility is appropriate in responding to such needs;
27. Dont get distracted - however, too much agility can prevent project completion. At
such times, you must take the difficult step of telling all your interested parties and
superiors "no" and use all the mentioned above to justify your point. While no one
likes to hear the word no, you must communicate that a result of the project may
not return any useful results within your deadline or budget. Optimize your time to
make sure that defined objectives are completed and only then allow the project to
explore some unanticipated directions.
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Model Verification and Validation

Verification is concerned with determining whether the conceptual simulation model and
model assumptions have been correctly translated into calculation.
Although verification is a simple in concept, debugging a large-scale simulation program
is a difficult and arduous task due to the potentially large number of program paths
therefore very much dependent on the developers experience.
Validation is the process of determining whether a simulation model is an accurate
representation of the industrial plant, for the defined objectives of the study. If a model is
valid, then it can be used to make decisions. There is no such thing as absolute model
validity, nor is it even desired. Indeed, a model is supposed to be an abstraction and
simplification of reality. The more time and money that is spent on model development,
the more valid the model should be in general.
28. Model verification - Building a model is the process of creating a representation of
the real system adequate to support meeting the stated objectives. Verifying the
model is the process of ensuring that the model really does what you think it is
doing. While building and verifying the model are two different tasks, they are
covered under a single topic to emphasize the importance of always doing them
iteratively.
29. Start verification with trickiest sections first - Although starting simple, ones you
start going deeper in the analysis, resolve and verify most trickiest sections first - A
more experienced simulation engineers might implement the hardest or trickiest
sections first to eliminate some project risk early on. A modeler with some "agile"
background might do the highest priority or most important sections first. With this
latter approach, at any stage the most important aspects of the model have been
completed. This helps reduce the risk of running out of time or budget without being
able to produce any meaningful results.
30. Avoid building the entire model before starting verification process Beginners in process simulation tend to build a large part of the model first, or
perhaps even the entire model, before starting verification. This is a significant
cause for project failure. When you start verifying a large model, there is so much
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going on that understanding the detailed interactions becomes difficult or

impossible. It is much more effective to take an iterative approach instead build a
piece of the model, verify it, then continue adding additional pieces of logic to the
model.
31. Verification after each section completion - In each cycle of verification, you
want to definitively answer two questions. Does the section of model I just built
perform as I intended? When this new section interacts with previously built
sections of the model, does the entire model still perform as intended? As your
model gets larger, you might want to make your new sections smaller to make
answering the second question easier.
32. Check the model in a wide variety of situations A few quick tests of the model
to see how it performs far from design conditions shouldnt take too much of your
time and jet it can give good feedback about its possibilities. Make test in a wide
variety of situations, such as high volume, low volume, or recovering from a failure.
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Analysis and reporting

Once you are done with development, verification and validation, you can finally start to
do your research and analysis. Although this doesnt mean that you are done with
development and revalidating. Most probably, you will be coming back and forth in a
couple of circles as you start doing analysis; because you will discover details you first
neglected. That is fine. But it is also the key reason to try to get to the analysis phase as
soon as you can. It is easier to go back than to spend too much time focused on details
that perhaps will not be important for analysis phase.
Analysis phase differs in some aspects. Whether it is static or dynamic study which you
are doing. How many variations are expected and how many variables are there to look
at. It is most probably that you will need to start from a wider goals and that analysis will
lead you to the key points, key variables and key cases.
Lets see some key points:
33. Analysis and Reports -- Determine who will be involved in the analysis phase of
the project and define the form and content of the results to be delivered as you
would like to do this step right, otherwise your hard work might be misinterpreted
and you could not get the right credit for it. It is much better to identify such items at
earlier stages in project so you can adjust your work accordingly.
34. A process flow diagram - be focused on your process flow scheme as much as
possible, and be guided by it through analysis and reporting. It will make results
easier to comprehend both for you and your superiors.
35. Dont panic in case of getting unexpected results Unexpected results are not
a problem they are a primary reason for doing a simulation. Unexplainable results
are a problem. Make sure to find the explanation for your unexpected results. They
are an amazing ground for learning. If they cannot be explained, then go back and
try to find the reason. In most cases that might lead to discovery of a bug that must
be fixed. Are your input data accurate? Can you confirm that simulation software
didnt miss the calculation? Use controls in the software to allow you to step through
a model or to "break" execution at a particular location, time, or condition. Often
there will be a watch window that allows you to explore the detailed system state at
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any time or for any object to help further clarify what is happening. The verification
process is certain to be an enlightening and quite necessary part of the project.
36. Using graphical trends graphical trends, whether static or dynamic are very
useful for evaluation of your simulation results and try using them as much as
possible. They help you in visualization how your simulated process is responding,
especially for dynamic analysis; therefore any possible errors can be detected
easily. It is also a very good way to use them to communicate the essence of a
model to decision-makers and other people who do not understand or care about
the technical details of the model. Thus, it is a great way to enhance the credibility
of a model. Trends are especially important for evaluation of simulation models
used for training operators and process engineers.
37. If there is a problem - isolate it if there is a problem and you still didnt
recognize it, try to define key variables as fixed to exclude most interaction
possible. You will find your own problem by methodically walking through the
interactions.
38. Communicate problems Try discussing your problems with your co-workers.
Very often, just by explaining the problem to somebody else, we come to our own
a-ha moment. Also, a question coming from your colleague can lead you to take a
look at something you have been ignoring.
39. Validation of completed model - One common validation technique is to start with
a model of the existing system and compare the results with the real process.
Results can also be compared to some data found in literature. Make sure to
understand all the results of the analysis.
40. Use your previous experience as much as you can both for the verification
and communication of results before they are finalized Communicating the results
with all the interested parties or your superiors is another validation technique. If
there are colleagues who know the process well, their reaction might show you
some measure of confidence.
41. Analysis check which model factors and/or variables have the greatest impact on
the performance measures.
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42. Additional analysis - During the experimentation phase you will be generating the
scenarios identified in the functional specification. Most likely, you will also need a
few additional scenarios based on what you have learned as the project
progressed.
43. Again, focus on goals while doing analysis - Your primary goal should be to help
make the best decision possible given the time and resources allocated. While you
might have other personal goals such as to build credibility or make a profit, it is
likely those goals will be met if you concentrate on helping the stakeholders.
44. Presenting the results - Although you need to have data to support your
conclusions, do not overwhelm your superiors and decision-makers with too many
details. Try to provide information in the context needed: simple, informative and
concise. Also, try to be as least technical as you can and see the big picture. That
often is hard when you are too involved with your problem, but it is very important
so keep it in mind.
45. Make everyone aware: a model is only an approximation - Don't over-represent
the accuracy of the output data. Acknowledge and even emphasize to your
decision-makers that the model is an approximation and it will not generate exact
answers, however the value of this approximation is enormous if done right!
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Consultation Options
Interested in further
to help you solve your
simulation problems?
Need assistance and consultation for a project, ask a quotation at:
info@model.hr
Interested in
on SimulateLive.com?
Get in touch at: marketing@simulatelive.com
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Further reading and References

1. Banks, J., J. S. Carson, B. L. Nelson, and D. M. Nicol. 2001. Discrete-Event System
Simulation, Third Edition, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, N. J.
2. Law, A. M. and W. D. Kelton. 2000. Simulation Modeling and Analysis, Third
Edition, McGraw-Hill, New York.
3. Luyben, L.W. 1999. Process Modeling, Simulation and Control for Chemical
Engineers, Second Edition, McGraw-Hill, New York
4. Knopf, E.C, 2012., Modeling, Analysis and Optimization of Process and Energy
Systems, John Wiley&Sons, Inc.
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45 Tips and Tricks to Build and Manage

Process Simulation Tips and Tricks

Simulation is used for doing performance evaluations of industrial processes including

Formulate the problem

Collect data and information

Formulate the problem

Project planning and defining the assumptions

8. Developing Functional Specification - For the projects where interested parties

Collect data and information

Planning the Time Frame

Model Verification and Validation

going on that understanding the detailed interactions becomes difficult or

Analysis and reporting

to help you solve your

Get in touch at: marketing@simulatelive.com

Further reading and References

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