Patent ID: 7756696

Claim:
A simulation system for simulating a technical plant, the simulation system comprising: at least one simulation computer, including at least one process engineering process model of a technical plant to be simulated as a software program, the process engineering process model being configured to simulate a process engineering process running in the technical plant, the technical plant being produced by a series of interacting plant components and a mathematical model, the interacting plant components being represented by a graphical display of the interacting plant components and of connections between the interacting plant components, and the mathematical model including a set of equations including dependent and independent variables of the process engineering process, an automation engineering process model belonging to an automation engineering device used for at least one of monitoring, controlling and regulating the technical plant, as a software program, the automation engineering process model being configured to simulate functionality of automation devices, which are used in an actual technical plant, for at least one of monitoring, controlling and regulating plant components, the automation process model including a further set of mathematical equations for simulating at least one of control and regulation algorithms used in the automation devices, wherein if automation functions are implemented in the actual technical plant in the form of a hardware solution, the automation functions include the automation engineering process model, a Web server for connecting to at least one of an Internet and an Intranet, so that access to the process model can be made via at least one of the Internet and the Intranet, and an O&O software program for operation and observation of the simulated technical plant; and at least one client computer, including an Internet browser for connecting the at least one client computer to at least one of the Internet and the Intranet; wherein the simulation computer includes a project engineering tool as a software program, the project engineering tool being capable of changing at least one of the process engineering process model, the automation engineering process model and the O&O software program, the at least one client computer accesses, via the internet, each of the software programs on the simulation computer for simulating the technical plant, and the same O&O software program is for executing on both the simulation computer and at an actual technical plant for operation and observation of the actual technical plant.