A component oriented modelling approach for fluid-dynamic piping system simulation (FluiDyS)

The current industrial design practice mainly foresees a static analysis and design of distributed piping systems while leaving the solution of problems arising from plant dynamic behaviour to designer experiences and/or to "ad-hoc" developed dynamic simulation models. In this paper, we describe a component oriented modelling approach used for developing a simulation tool (FluiDyS) that allows a rapid and easy dynamic modelling and control algorithm design of even highly complex distributed piping systems. This modelling approach consists in developing standard state-space mathematical models, suitably defined and associated to particular elementary "physical components" whose composition allows modelling of a generic distributed piping system. This approach guarantees great flexibility (an even highly complex model is developed by simply assembling its system components), scalability (the same system can be simulated at different detail levels) and modularity (each component can be easily varied both by changing the associated parameters and by substituting the component model with another of the same class). Two applications are also presented which show the good numerical/experimental agreement and proves the effectiveness of such a tool when dealing with combined process/control performance optimisation problems and control system design and tuning.