# Presentation: 199629

## The pdXi Project

***Joe Halford***
***DuPont Engineering***

***A Presentation for The ECC Conference***
***4  September 1997***
***San Diego, CA***

**Overview**

## pdXi Purpose

**To establish an ongoing Institute to develop and maintain open approaches to electronically exchange and manage process data between:**
**computer applications**
**databases**
**organizations**
**within the Process Engineering discipline and with other disciplines.  The term process data refers to stream and equipment data and other data used to support the process engineering activity over the entire life-cycle of processing facilities.**

## pdXi Background

- AIChE CAST ad hoc committee from 1989 to 1991
- Successfully organized in 1991 as an AIChE sponsored research project, supported by thirty companies (Owner-operators, E&C Contractors, and System vendors).
- Initial data modeling project conducted from 1991 to 1993.
- Demonstration prototype created in 1994.
- Current focus on sponsoring development of ISO data standards and  practical implementation tools.

## Current Sponsor Companies

**ABB Lummus**
**Air Products**
**Amoco Chemical**
**Aspen Tech**
**Bechtel**
**B-JAC**
**Brown & Root**
**Chevron**

**Chemical**
**DuPont**
**Exxon**
**HTFS**
**HTRI**
**Hyprotech**
**Linde AG**

**M. W. Kellogg**
**Mobil R&D**
**Rohm & Haas**
**Simulation**

**Sciences**
**Snamprogetti**
**Union Carbide**
**UOP**

**Eastman**

## The Process Data Exchange Problem

**Company X**

**Company X or Y**

**Thermo**

**Process**

**Mechanical**

**Hydraulics**

**Costing**

**Env./Safety**

**Documents**

**Thermo**

**Process**

**Mechanical**

**Hydraulics**

**Costing**

**Env./Safety**

**Documents**

**In-house **
**Programs**
**& Databases**
**	****+**
**Commercial**
**Programs &**
**Databases**
**	****=**
**10 to 30 **
**Programs &**
**Databases**

**Engineer**

## The pdXi Solution

**Company X**

**Company X or Y**

**Thermo**

**Process**

**Mechanical**

**Hydraulics**

**Costing**

**Env./Safety**

**Documents**

**Thermo**

**Process**

**Mechanical**

**Hydraulics**

**Costing**

**Env./Safety**

**Documents**

**In-house **
**Programs**
**& Databases**
**	****+**
**Commercial**
**Programs &**
**Databases**
**	****=**
**10 to 30 **
**Programs &**
**Databases**

**Common**
**Process **
**Data **
**Exchange**
**Format**

## pdXi Approach & Objectives

**Accomplish Two Complementary Objectives **
_**In**_ _**Parallel**_** with Equal Priorities:**
- Develop an ISO/STEP Application Protocol
- for Process Engineering Data (AP 231).
- Develop a commercial-grade software interface to achieve practical data exchange before AP 231 is completed and approved.

## pdXi Partners and Enablers

- PDIT, Inc. - primary contractor for technical work on AP 231.
- Simulation Sciences - contracted to produce the pdXi Application Programming Interface (API).
- University of Missouri at Rolla - produced first version of pdXi data models.

**pdXi** Partners and Enablers

## AP-231 Scope

- Title: ***Process Engineering Data: Process Design and Process Specifications of Major Equipment***.
- Substance thermophysical properties and thermodynamic model parameters
- Conceptual process description
- Process simulation results
- Process specifications of major process equipment
- shell & tube heat exchangers, vessels, centrifugal compressors and pumps, tower internals
- Process connectivity
- Basic control strategies
- PFD information

## Items NOT in AP-231

- Physical representations of equipment
- Detailed simulation control information
- Drawings (e.g., PFD or P&ID)
- Complete descriptions of batch recipes and control methods
- Detailed mechanical equipment design
- Management of design changes

## AP-231 Status

- Working Draft of Group 1 requirements document (ARM) issued; issues/comments being addressed
- Application Interpreted Model (AIM) development in progress, planned for release by 4Q97
- Activity initiated to begin harmonization with other AP’s, specifically AP-221 and AP-227
- Commercial Implementation to begin in 1998
- International Standard Approval Target:  1999

## Features of pdXi Interface

- Programming utility for applications to access data
- Current mechanism - file transfer between computer applications or organizations
*Working Form *and *STEP Form *of data transfer provided
- Dual-level (high and low level API) approach to programming interface and EXPRESS-driven working form schema definition largely isolates utility toolkit and applications from underlying data schema changes as model evolves

## Using an API

**Application 1**

**Low API**
**(Instance 1****)**

**Working Form**
**Schema**

**EXPRESS**
**Data Model**

**Schema**
**Compiler**

**Working Form**
**(Instance 1)**

**SDAI **
**Data Repository**

**Application 2**

**Low API**
**(Instance 2****)**

**Working Form**
**(Instance 2)**

**Part 21**
**Data File**

**High API**
**(Instance 1****)**

**High API**
**(Instance 2****)**

## pdXi Software Interface Status & Path Forward

- Collaboration between Simulation Sciences and **pdXi**** **sponsor companies for trial implementations
- Application Programming Interface (API)
- C++, C and FORTRAN callable
- Validation Procedure Development
- Testing
- test suites being developed for testing trial implementations and to serve as basis for standards conformance
- Issuance

## Planned Schedule for API

**1996**

**1997**

**Final acceptance of functional specifications**

**Testing by ****pdXi ****membership**

**General issuance**

**1998**

**Industry****implements**

## Key Technical Issues

- Extend models:
- Plant operations support and dynamic simulation
- Batch Systems (engage the batch process industry)
- Control Systems/Control Elements (working with ISA and others)
- Protection systems, relief systems, flare systems
- Merge **pdXi** Software Interface and AP 231 Work, resolving all differences.

**Notes:**
25
Over the several months, we will continue to extend the demonstration prototype to include heat exchanger information and unit operations data sufficient to support simulator to simulator data exchange.

We will also be looking to extend the models to include support for plant operations and dynamic data.  Many of these efforts will include working with others and leveraging where we can.  The scope will include plant piping systems, control systems, support for real-time process data, protection systems and MSDS information.  We are also looking to establish a liaison with DIPPR for standard approaches to accessing physical property databanks.

## Key Business Issues

- Expand Membership:
- Additional Chemical Companies
- Additional Oil & Gas Companies
- Additional E & C Contractors
- Engage the Pharmaceutical Industry
- Engage the Power Industry
- Increase International Participation
- Identify and pursue collaborations with organizations and projects with similar goals

## For more information

- John Baldwin, Technical Director
- Process Data eXchange Institute
- P.O. Box 10138
- College Station, TX  77842
- Telephone: (409) 690-7225
- Fax: (409) 690-6559
- Internet: *baldwin@proinfo.com*
- Web: *www-chen.tamu.edu/pdxi*

- Marilyn  Williams, Staff Assistant
- American Institute of Chemical Eng.
- 345 East 47th Street
- New York, NY   10017-2395
- Telephone: (212) 705-7332
- Fax: (212) 752-3297
- Internet: *mariw@aiche.org*

- Call, fax, email or write:

**Notes:**
30
For those of you who are interested in hearing more, and in seeing the prototype live, we invite you to meet with those of us who are here from pdXi sponsoring companies over lunch today.  We can show the demonstration prototype live, provide you with some additional information and try to answer any questions you may have.  If you can’t meet us for lunch, then I would encourage you to contact Marilyn Williams at the AIChE office.

That concludes my prepared remarks.  I will be happy to entertain any questions you may have at this time.