Patent ID: 7463940

Claim:
A computerized method for modular development of industrial process models comprising: collecting a plurality of flowsheets, wherein each flowsheet includes a corresponding one of a plurality of groups of unit models; combining the plurality of flowsheets to create a combined model, wherein each of the plurality of flowsheets maintains its identity in the combined model; directing that a first macro associated with a first flowsheet be run; automatically executing, in response to the directing, the first macro and other macros by the same name as the first macro; displaying a graphical representation of the combined model; modifying a first of the plurality of flowsheets; recombining the first of the plurality of flowsheets with the combined model, wherein recombining the first of the plurality of flowsheets with the combined model comprises: breaking any connections between unit models in the combined model that are duplicates of unit models in the modified first of the plurality of flowsheets; deleting the unit models in the combined model that are duplicates of unit models in the modified first of the plurality of flowsheets; importing the modified first of the plurality of flowsheets an as imported flowsheet; and reestablishing the imported flowsheets input/output streams that match the broken connections by both name and structure; and performing an operation on the combined model, wherein an associated operation is automatically performed on the modified first of the plurality of flowsheets.