Computerized Optimization of an Engineered Modular Plant Topology

A computer-implemented method includes obtaining an amount of a resource and/or capability of a process module, and dividing this amount by the maximum amount of the respective resource and/or capability to obtain a theoretical utilization of the resource and/or capability as the theoretical utilization of the process module. A pool of available process modules is searched to identify candidate process modules to replace the process module. The theoretical utilization for each candidate module is determined and an optimized topology of the plant is generated by replacing the process module with a candidate process module that has a same or a higher theoretical utilization than process module.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims priority to International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2020/054785, filed on Feb. 24, 2020, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to the optimization of the topology of modular industrial plants that are to execute a given industrial process according to a given recipe and are assembled from re-usable modules.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In many industrial applications, there is a need to quickly reconfigure plants from one production process to another production process. For example, the product that is being produced may be under quick evolution, and every improvement in quality is to be brought into the production process as quickly as possible to maximize customer satisfaction. There are also some products that are so concentrated in terms of end effect per unit mass or volume that a year's supply may be produced in only a few weeks' time. Pharmaceutical compositions, which are delivered to patients in doses on the order of a few ten or a few hundred milligrams, are prime examples of such products.

Plants for manufacturing such compositions may be assembled as modular plants from self-contained modules that take in one or more educts on one or more input ports, process the one or more educts to one or more products by performing one or more physical and/or chemical actions, and deliver the one or more products on one or more output ports. The modules are linked together in a temporary manner for the time during which production of one a particular compound is desired. When production of this compound is finished and production of the next compound is desired, the modules are uncoupled from one another, so that they can be re-used in a different configuration. EP 3 318 935 A1 discloses an exemplary method of operating a physical process module in a modular process plant.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure describes systems and methods for at least partially automating the engineering process through transforming, by computer, an engineered topology that is able to execute the given process into an optimized topology that is able to execute the same process but utilizes the physical process modules better. This objective is achieved by a computer-implemented method for optimizing a given topology of a modular plant and by a method for manufacturing a modular industrial plant.

More specifically, the present disclosure describes a computer-implemented method for optimizing a given topology of a modular industrial plant that is to execute a given industrial process. The industrial process as a whole may take in one or more educts and convert these educts, by performing a sequence of specific tasks given in the recipe, into one or more products. The tasks are performed by the process modules that are assembled according to the topology. The method starts from a given topology that may be a human-engineered topology, but may also be a topology that, starting from such a human-engineered topology, has already been optimized in one or more computerized steps.

The method starts with obtaining, for at least one process module in the given topology, the amount of at least one resource and/or capability of the module that is utilized when the process is executed according to the recipe. This amount is divided by the maximum amount of the respective resource and/or capability that this process module is able to provide. This yields a theoretical utilization of the resource and/or capability, which may also be regarded as the theoretical utilization of the process module.

A pool of available modules is searched for candidate process modules that are able to take the place of the at least one process module in the execution of the given recipe and fit into the given topology. In other words, the given process is still executed according to the same given recipe if the at least one process module under consideration is replaced with one of the candidate process modules.

For each candidate process module, the theoretical utilization of the corresponding resource and/or capability of this candidate process module that would ensue if the at least one process module under consideration were to be replaced by this candidate process module is obtained and assigned to this candidate module. From the given topology, an optimized topology is generated by replacing the at least one process module that is currently under consideration with a candidate process module that has a same or, preferably, a higher theoretical utilization than the at least one process module.

If the theoretical utilization of the new module in the optimized topology is higher than the theoretical utilization of the old module that was in its place in the previous topology, this means that the amount of the resource and/or capability installed in this place now more closely matches the demand for this resource and/or capability.

If the theoretical utilization of the new module is the same as the theoretical utilization of the old module, then the new module is at least equivalent to the old one in terms of resource utilization. Among such equivalent modules, one module may be chosen according to any other optimality criterion. In this manner, the topology of the plant may be improved with respect to this other criterion without having to take a turn for the worse in terms of resource utilization.

Such partial automation reduces the cost of the plant both in terms of physical process modules and in terms of human engineering hours, thereby increasing the productivity of the final industrial plant assembled from process modules according to the topology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG.1is a schematic flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of the method100for optimizing a given topology2of a modular industrial plant1. The modular plant1is to execute a given industrial process according to a given engineered recipe3. The topology2may be engineered to execute this recipe, and/or it may also be the result of a previous optimization.

In step110, for at least one process module21-23in the given topology2, the amount of at least one resource and/or capability21a-23aof the process module21-23that is utilized when the process is executed according to the recipe3is obtained. This amount is divided by the maximum amount of the respective resource and/or capability21a-23athat this process module21-23is able to provide. The result is the theoretical utilization21b-23bof the resource and/or capability21a-23a, which may also be regarded as the utilization of process module21-23. It is pre-set which resource and/or capability21a-23ais to be investigated.

In step120, a pool6of available process modules24-27is searched for candidate process modules24-27that are able to take the place of the process module21-23under consideration and also fit into the given topology2.

Specifically, for each input port I of the at least one process module21-23that is utilized according to the given topology2, it may be determined in block121whether the candidate process module24-27has a corresponding input port I. It may then also be determined in block122, for each output port O of the at least one process module2123that is utilized according to the given topology, whether the candidate process module24-27has a corresponding output port O. If both determinations are positive (truth value 1), then it may be determined in block123that the candidate process module24-27fits into the given topology2.

Alternatively or in combination, it may be determined in block124whether, in the state where all connections to ports I, O of the candidate process module24-27have been made according to the given topology2, all ports I, O of the candidate process module24,27that are required for running the utilized services of the candidate process module24-27are connected. If it is determined in subsequent block125that a utilized service of the candidate process module24-27cannot run because a connection to a port I, O is missing (truth value1), it may be determined in block126that the candidate process module24-27does not fit into the given topology2.

In step130, for each candidate process module24-27, the theoretical utilization24b-27bof the corresponding resource and/or capability24a-27aof this candidate process module24-27that would ensue if the at least one process module21-23were to be replaced by this candidate process module24-27is obtained. This theoretical utilization24b-27bis assigned to the candidate process module24-27. Here, the resource24a-27awhose theoretical utilization24b-27bis determined corresponds to the resource21a-21aof the process module21-23under consideration.

In step140, an optimized topology2* of the plant1is generated from the given topology2by replacing the at least one process module21-23with a candidate process module24-27that has a same or a higher theoretical utilization24b-27bthan the at least one process module21-23under consideration. As discussed before, the process may be repeated. I.e., the optimized topology2* may be fed into step110again to increase the utilization in more places. For example, after one module21-23previously used according to the topology2has been freed up in the optimized topology2*, this module21-23may be put in the pool6of available modules in lieu of the module that has taken its place in the optimized topology2*. This may open up new possibilities for increasing the utilization further.

According to block141, it may be determined whether two or more candidate process modules24-27have a same theoretical utilization24b-27bthat is the same or higher than that21b-23bof the at least one process module21-23. If this is the case (truth value 1), according to block142, the candidate process module24-27with the lowest total number of input I and output O ports may be chosen as the candidate process module24-27to replace the at least one process module21-23.

According to block143, for two or more candidate process modules24-27having theoretical utilizations24b-27bthat are at least as high as that21b-23bof the at least one process module21-23, the value of at least one predetermined key performance indicator7that would ensue if the at least one process module21-23were to be replaced by this candidate process module24-27may be evaluated. Then, according to block144, the candidate process module24-27with the best resulting value of the key performance indicator7as the candidate process module24-27to replace the at least one process module21-23. Which value of the key performance indicator7is best may be determined according to any suitable optimality criterion8.

According to block115, the utilized amount of the at least one resource and/or capability21a-23amay be specifically obtained for multiple different process modules21-23in the given topology2. After passing through steps120and130as discussed before, in block145within step140, a respective candidate optimized topology2′ of the plant1may then be generated for each different processing module21-23that the optimization is started from. In step150, a value of at least one key performance indicator7that would ensue if the candidate optimized topology (2′) were to be implemented may be determined. In step160, from the set of candidate optimized topologies2′, one optimized topology2* may be chosen according to the values of the key performance indicator7and at least one optimality criterion8.

According to block117, the utilized amount of the at least one resource and/or capability21a-23amay be specifically obtained for a combination of two or more interconnected process modules21-23, rather than for just one process module21-23. Then, according to block127, the searching of step120may be specifically performed for candidate process modules24-27that are able to replace said combination of process modules21-23, rather than just one process module21-23. The candidate process modules24-27still need to fit into the given topology2, as in the case where they are to replace just one process module21-23. According to block147in step140, the optimized topology2* of the plant may be generated by replacing the combination of two or more interconnected process modules21-23, rather than just one process module21-23, with a candidate process module24-27that has a same or a higher theoretical utilization24b-27bthan said combination of two or more process modules21-23. For a combination of modules, a theoretical utilization is defined in exactly the same manner as for an individual module.

FIG.2shows a simple example of an engineered topology2for a modular industrial plant1. The topology2comprises a tempering module21, a combined mixing and stirring module22, and a distillation module23. An input I* of the to-be-run process as a whole is fed into input port I of the tempering module21. The outcome of the tempering leaves output port O of the tempering module21and enters the combined mixing and stirring module22at an input port I of this module. The stirred substance leaves output port O of the mixing and stirring module22and enters the distillation module23at input port I. The distilled product is the output O* of the to-be-run process as a whole and leaves the distillation module23at output port O.

The pool6of available modules24-27comprises one stirring module24with two input ports I and one output port O, one stirring module25with one input port I and one output port O, a combined stirring and tempering module26, and another distillation module27.

In the engineered topology2, the tempering module21and the distillation module23are already fully utilized. They each provide one service as a resource21a,23a, and this service is needed for the process that is to be executed, so the utilization21b,23bis 1. Therefore, the is no replacement for these modules that might improve utilization21b,23b. However, it is possible to replace distillation module23with distillation module27that then will have the same utilization27bof 1. This may be advantageous if the distillation module27is advantageous with respect to some key performance indicator7, compared with distillation module23.

Combined stirring and mixing module22provides two services, namely stirring and mixing, as resource22a. Only one service, namely the stirring, is being used according to the topology, so the utilization22bof the combined module22is only 0.5.

Replacing the stirring and mixing module22with the stirring module24would result in an utilization24bof 1. However, in this example, stirring module24has two input ports I and expects both of them to be connected for the stirring to work. Therefore, while the stirring module24would improve utilization, it does not fit into the topology2because it would not function if inserted in the place of the combined module22.

The stirring module25has one input port I and one output port O. This means that this stirring module25fits into the topology2. It also has an utilization25bof 1 when inserted in the place of the combined module22. Therefore, replacing the combined module22with the stirring module25improves the utilization and frees up the combined stirring and mixing module22for other uses in other plants on the same site.

The tempering function of tempering module21and the used stirring function of combined module22might also be consolidated into one module by inserting the combined tempering and stirring module26in the place of modules21and22. Module26provides two services as its resource26a, and this resource26awould have an utilization26bof 1. However, module26has two output ports O and expects both of them to be connected if both the stirring and the tempering are needed. Therefore, akin to module24, combined module26cannot replace modules21and22because it does not fit into the topology2.

FIG.3is a schematic flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of the method200for manufacturing a modular industrial plant1to execute a given industrial process according to a given engineered recipe3. In step210, starting from a given engineered topology2of the plant1, an optimized topology2* of the plant1is generated using the computer-implemented method100described before. In step220, the physical process modules21-27that are contained in the optimized topology2* are physically connected according to the optimized topology2*. In this manner, the modular industrial plant1is produced.

Starting from a recipe of the industrial process that is to be executed, it is quite easy for an engineer to come up with at least one topology that will allow the process to be executed. For example, the engineer may choose to pick most modules in the topology from a small set of universal modules that each provide a lot of different process functions. This minimizes engineering time, but may be sub-optimal for the outcome of the process and also for the productivity of a site where several modular plants assembled from a common set of available modules are to be operated.

There is a general tendency that the more different process functions one single module unites, the less this module will excel in performing every single one because the uniting of all those functions requires some technical trade-off. Therefore, for every process function, the best performance may be expected from a process module that is dedicated to this particular process function. The situation is somewhat akin to the field of computing: A generic CPU may be able to perform any task, but if one task (like mining Bitcoin) is to be performed in the fastest and most energy-efficient manner, there may be no way around an ASIC that is dedicated to this one task.

On a site where a modular industrial plant is being run, there is usually more than one such plant running at any given time. The concurrently running plants are usually assembled from process modules that are taken from a common pool of process modules. This introduces an inter-dependency between the topologies of the concurrently running plants, and the efficiency of module utilization needs to be assessed site-wide, i.e., across the borders between the individual plants.

In a toy example, process A is to be executed on a first plant and needs a module capable of heating a substance, process B is to be executed on a second plant and needs a module capable of heating and stirring a substance, and the pool of available modules comprises heaters, stirrers and one universal module capable of heating and stirring. While it is a working solution to use the universal module for process A, this has the downside of requiring two more modules (a heater and a stirrer) for process B, so process A and process B together need three modules. It is better to use a simple heater for process A and to use the universal module for process B; this saves the use of a stirrer.

Therefore, by improving utilization of individual process modules, the topology of a plant that is to execute one process can be made more “friendly” towards other processes to be run on different plants on the same site without having to know any details about these other processes. The optimization happens within the scope of only one process, which is much more tractable computationally than an optimization across all plants on a given site.

The criterion of theoretical utilization introduces a layer of abstraction behind which any amount of complexity of the process may be “hidden”. When considering a particular process module, the optimization is focused on this process module alone and does not require any further information about what shall happen with the products of this process module later. Theoretical utilization is therefore a very useful framework to condense the optimization of the topology, which was previously an art performed by engineers, into a numerical optimization problem that can be easily solved by computer. Specifically, a large set of candidate process modules that may take the place of a process module under consideration may initially be created, and from this large set, the best candidate process module may be found by a computer. Thus, the optimization of the topology is not just taken from the field of human engineering and automated “as it is”. Rather, it is transformed into a form that is easily tractable for a computer, but would be much harder to understand for an engineer.

The given topology may specifically comprise: the feeding of at least one input of the industrial process as a whole to at least one input port of a process module; the delivery of at last one output of the industrial process as a whole from at least one output port of a process module; and at least one interconnection between an output port of a first process module and an input port of a second process module.

Typically, one input (i.e., educt) of the process as a whole will pass through multiple process modules and interact with at least one other such input on the way before finally being converted into an output (i.e., product) of the process as a whole.

The engineered recipe may specifically comprise a temporal sequence of process steps. Each step may comprise sending at least one command to at least one process module, and/or performing at least one action by at least one process module. Based on the recipe, it is known which process functions are needed at any one time, so it is straight-forward to engineer a topology of process modules that is able to execute the process according to the recipe. Also, any later amendments to the topology proposed by the optimization may be easily checked for whether the topology is still compatible with the recipe after the amendments.

In the recipe, at least one transition between successive steps may specifically comprise waiting for at least one process module to reach a state that meets at least one predetermined criterion. This simplifies the engineering of any further steps because said state may be taken as a given.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the pool of available process modules comprises, for each available process module, a mapping between services provided by this process module and process functions from a predetermined list. In this manner, the terminology regarding the services may be unified between different modules. For example, a service “Temp” of a first process module, a service “Heat” of a second process module, and a service “Tempering” of a third process module may all provide the process function of “Tempering”.

The pool of available process modules may further comprise, for each available process module, a mapping between service parameters and limits of these service parameters on the one hand and function parameters of the process functions and limits of these function parameters on the other hand. In this manner, the parameters and their limits may be unified as well. For example, a first process module capable of tempering may specify a maximum voltage to a heating coil, a second process module capable of tempering may specify a maximum current through a heating coil, and a third process module capable of tempering may specify a maximum wattage of the heating coil. All these different specifications may be mapped to respective maximum temperatures that may be used during tempering.

In a further particularly advantageous embodiment, the resource and/or capability whose utilization is assessed specifically comprises a count of services of the at least one process module under consideration or of the candidate process module, respectively. This high level of abstraction allows to convert utilization into a number that is usable for the optimization without needing to know any details about the internal processes of the module.

For example, the service may specifically comprise one or more of: heating or cooling a substance, and/or keeping the temperature of the substance at a desired value; stirring a substance; filling at least one vessel with a desired amount of a substance; discharging a desired amount of a substance from at least one vessel; dosing a desired amount of a second substance into a first substance; intermixing a mixture of two or more substances by mechanical interaction with this mixture; distilling at least one substance from a mixture of two or more substances; transitioning at least one substance; and inertizing at least one sub stance.

In a further particularly advantageous embodiment, the resource and/or capability specifically comprises a quantity of at least one educt processed per unit time, and/or a quantity of at least one product produced per unit time. Many process modules are available with different quantitative capacities, and the used capacity should ideally match the capacity that is actually being used. For example, if a batch size is 1 cubic meter, it is not optimal to use a stirring module that is able to hold 3 cubic meters of mixture. This stirring module may be needed in another plant on the same site where the batch size is actually 3 cubic meters; if it is instead tied up in a place where it is only filled with 1 cubic meter, another 3 cubic meter module needs to be bought at additional expense. Also, the 3 cubic meter module takes up more valuable floor space than really needed in the 1 cubic meter process. If heating is required during the stirring, heating up a volume of 3 cubic meters instead of 1 cubic meter inside the module may also consume an overly high amount of energy.

In a further particularly advantageous embodiment, the resource and/or capability specifically comprises a measurement range, and/or a dynamic range, of at least one measurement instrument of the at least one process module or of the candidate process module, respectively. Akin to the previous examples, if a measurement instrument with a large measurement range is tied up in a process where only a fraction of this range is used, it may not be available in another plant on the same site where the large measurement range is needed. Also, if only a small fraction of the measurement range is used, the resolution of the measurement may suffer. In many measurement instruments, an analog-digital converter maps analog measurement values from the measurement range to digital output values that are expressed in a fixed number of bits, e.g., 32 bits. If only one eighth of the measurement range is actually used, then the information will be encoded within one eighth of the range of digital output values, i.e., in just 4 bits. In this case, most of the acquired information is thrown away. The measurement results only have full resolution if the measurement range is fully used.

In a further particularly advantageous embodiment, determining whether a candidate process module from the pool of available modules fits into the given topology specifically comprises: for each input port of the at least one process module that is utilized according to the given topology, determining whether the candidate process module has a corresponding input port; for each output port of the at least one process module that is utilized according to the given topology, determining whether the candidate process module has a corresponding output port; and if the candidate process module has a corresponding port for each utilized input port and output port of the at least one process module, determining that the candidate process module fits into the given topology.

This ensures that every connection that shall be made to the process module under consideration according to the topology can also be made to the candidate process module.

The check whether the candidate process module fits into the given topology may optionally be postponed until after the candidate process module has made it to the “shortlist” of candidate process modules that may make it into the optimized topology by virtue of its good theoretical utilization. This may save computation time during the optimization, particularly if the check whether the candidate process module fits into the given topology takes a lot longer than the calculation of the theoretical utilization of this candidate process module.

In the context of this check, a corresponding input port of the candidate process module may specifically be an input port that serves the same process function as the input of the at least one process module under consideration. Likewise, a corresponding output port of the candidate process module may specifically be an output port that serves the same process function as the output port of the at least one process module. In this manner, the determination whether the candidate process module fits into the given topology may be made more accurate particularly in a case where the candidate process module is a universal module that unites different process functions in one physical module. If an input port or an output port of the candidate process module is free, but this port pertains to a different process function than that used in the at least one process module that the candidate process module is to replace, the process will be executed differently after the change and may violate the given recipe.

For example, if the process module under consideration has two output ports for a dosing service, and the candidate process module has also two output ports for a dosing service, this is compatible with the given topology. But if the candidate process module only has one output port for a dosing service, while its second output port is for a tempering service, then this is not compatible with the given topology: if the candidate process module replaces the process module under consideration, the input port of another process module connected to the second output port of the candidate process module is supposed to receive a substance treated by the dosing service, but receives a tempered substance instead.

The determining whether the candidate process module fits into the given topology may further comprise: determining whether, in the state where all connections to ports of the candidate process module have been made according to the given topology, all ports of the candidate process module that are required for running the utilized services of the candidate process module are connected; and in response to determining that a utilized service of the candidate process module cannot run because a connection to a port is missing, determining that the candidate process module does not fit into the given topology.

For example, an older process module under consideration may only require connections for the input and output of substances to work, but a newer-generation candidate process module may additionally require a signal connection to a safety interlock system to halt the process in case a leakage of substances is detected. If this candidate process module takes the place of the older process module, it will not work because the safety interlock is not connected.

In a further particularly advantageous embodiment, in response to determining that two or more candidate process modules have a same theoretical utilization that is the same or higher than that of the at least one process module, the candidate process module with the lowest total number of input and output ports is chosen as the candidate process module to replace the at least one process module. The total number of input and output ports is another indicator of utilization of the candidate process module: If two candidate modules are able to play the same role in the industrial process as per the recipe, but one of them has extra ports, those extra ports are not mandatory for playing said role in the industrial process. Like the theoretical utilization discussed above, this indicator is an abstract one that does not require detailed knowledge about the internal processes of the candidate process module.

For example, two candidate process modules may provide only a tempering service that is used in the context of the process, so that in terms of services, they both have full theoretical utilization. But while the first candidate process module only has an input for the to-be-tempered substance and an output for the tempered substance, the second candidate process module also has an output port for various measurement values that are gathered during the tempering. Since both candidate process modules are usable in the place of the process module under consideration, the output port for the measurement values appears not to be required for the tempering in the context of the process. Therefore, it is preferable to use the first candidate process module. The second candidate process module might be needed in another plant elsewhere on the site where tempering under supervision using the measurement values is required.

In a further particularly advantageous embodiment, for two or more candidate process modules having theoretical utilizations that are at least as high as that of the at least one process module, the value of at least one predetermined key performance indicator that would ensue if the at least one process module were to be replaced by this candidate process module is evaluated. The candidate process module with the best resulting value of the key performance indicator is chosen as the candidate process module to replace the at least one process module. A key performance indicator is a summary figure of merit that may, for example, be attributed to the modular industrial plant, to the process executed by this plant, to a combination of multiple plants or processes running on the same site, or even to a whole site where multiple plants or processes are running. Thus, a key performance indicator may be used as a tool to rate the improvement that the optimized topology brings about across plant borders.

In this manner, the optimization may be at least partially focused on the predetermined key performance indicator. A better value of the key performance indicator causes a candidate process module to be preferred, under the boundary condition that the theoretical utilization at least does not get worse.

The key performance indicator may specifically comprise one or more of: a cost of executing the industrial process; a total number of modules in the industrial plant; a throughput from one or more educts to one or more products of the industrial process as a whole; and energy consumption of the industrial process. In particular, the cost of executing the industrial process may include the cost for use of the modules. For example, there may be multiple specialized candidate modules that may perform a particular process function and improve the theoretical utilization because they do exactly what is needed, and nothing more. But on the other hand, the use of a highly specialized, ultra-high-quality module may be more expensive than the use of a module that is less universal than the previously envisaged one but more universal (and thus less utilized) than the highly specialized one.

In a further particularly advantageous embodiment, the utilized amount of the at least one resource/capability is specifically obtained for multiple different process modules in the given topology. A respective candidate optimized topology of the plant is generated starting from each of these different process modules. For each candidate optimized topology, a value of at least one key performance indicator that would ensue if the candidate optimized topology were to be implemented is determined. One optimized topology is chosen from the candidate optimized topologies according to the values of the key performance indicator and at least one optimality criterion.

The reasoning behind this is that on the site where the modular plant is to be run, there is usually a limited stock of physical process modules. There may be multiple places in the given topology where a candidate process module may take the place of another process module in order to improve utilization and/or a key performance indicator. In particular, there may be more such places than there are instances of this candidate process module available. This means that a choice has to be made where to put the available instances of the candidate process module in order to achieve the maximum effect.

For example, there may be two places in the given topology where only a simple stirring function is needed. In the first place, the topology contains a multi-functional process module that has three more functions on top of the stirring. In the second place, the topology contains an even more multi-functional process module that has five more functions on top of the stirring. If the simple stirring module is inserted in the second place, this frees up the more valuable module for use in another place within the topology, or even for use in another plant on the same site.

In a further specially advantageous embodiment, the utilized amount of the at least one resource and/or capability is specifically obtained for a combination of two or more interconnected process modules. The searching is specifically performed for candidate process modules that are able to take the place of said combination of process modules and fit into the given topology. The optimized topology of the plant is generated by replacing said combination of two or more process modules with a candidate process module that has a same or a higher theoretical utilization than said combination of two or more process modules.

In this manner, a plurality of functions that reside in the interconnected modules may be consolidated in a candidate process module, under the condition that this does not create a new under-utilization. For example, a combination of a stirring module and a tempering module may be replaced by a combined stirring and tempering module that provides no other services. But a multi-functional module that provides five other services on top of the heating and stirring will not be proposed as a candidate process module because said five other services would be left idle. The consolidation of multiple functions into one process module may save floor space and energy, but this advantage may be over-compensated if a multi-functional module is tied up for this without actually using all of this module.

The optimized topology may be presented to an engineer in any suitable manner. For example, in a rendering of the given topology on a display, any process module that the optimized topology suggests to replace may be rendered differently from other modules to indicate that an advantageous replacement is available. For example, the process module may be rendered pale or in a different color, or a box may be drawn around the process module in the rendering. The process module may be made clickable, so that a click on it causes the display to show the suggested replacement from the pool of available modules.

The disclosure also describes a method for manufacturing a modular industrial plant to execute a given industrial process according to a given engineered recipe. According to this method, starting from a given engineered topology of the plant, an optimized topology of the plant is generated using the computer-implemented method described above. Physical process modules are then physically connected according to the optimized topology, so that the modular industrial plant results.

As detailed above, many of the advantages of the methods are brought about by the computerization of the methods. Therefore, the invention also provides a computer program with machine-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more computers, and/or an industrial control system, cause the cone or more computers, and/or the industrial control system, to perform one of the methods described above. The disclosure also provides a non-transitory computer storage medium, and/or a download product, with this computer program.

LIST OF REFERENCES

1modular industrial plant
2given topology of plant1
2* optimized topology
2′ candidate optimized topology
21-23process modules in topology2
21a-23aresources of modules21-23
21b-23btheoretical utilization of resources21a-23a
24-27available process modules in pool6
24a-27aresources of modules24-27
24b-27btheoretical utilization of resources24a-27a
3given recipe to be executed by plant1
6pool of available process modules24-27
7key performance indicator
8optimality criterion
100method for optimizing given topology2
110obtaining theoretical utilization21b-23b
115considering different process modules21-23as starting points
117considering combinations of modules21-23
120searching for suitable modules24-27in pool6
121determining match of input ports I of modules24-27
122determining match of output ports O of modules24-27
123determining that candidate module24-27fits in topology2
124determining whether all required ports are connected
125determining whether missing connection impedes a service
126determining that candidate modules24-27does not fit in topology2
127considering combinations of modules21-23
130obtaining theoretical utilization24b-27b
140generating optimized topology2*
141determining that multiple modules24-27have same utilizations
142considering total number of input I and output O ports
143evaluating value of key performance indicator7for modules24-27
144choosing candidate module24-27with best performance indicator7
145obtaining multiple candidate optimized topologies2′
147considering combinations of modules21-23
150determining key performance indicator7for candidate topologies2′
160choosing optimized topology2* from set of candidates2′
200method for manufacturing modular industrial plant1
210generating optimized topology2* by method100
220physically connecting modules21-27in optimized topology2*