Patent ID: 7476020

Claim:
A method for simulating the dynamic temperature behavior of at least one part of a process plant, the process plant part comprising an industrial-scale reactor with an industrial-scale reaction vessel for carrying out a chemical and/or a physical reaction, an industrial-scale temperature-control device interacting with the industrial-scale reaction vessel, an industrial-scale heat-transfer unit interacting with the industrial-scale temperature-control device, and an industrial-scale process control unit for at least controlling the industrial-scale temperature-control device, the method comprising the steps of: providing a laboratory-scale device, comprising a laboratory-scale reaction vessel, a laboratory-scale temperature-control device interacting with the laboratory-scale reaction vessel, a laboratory-scale heat-transfer unit interacting with the laboratory-scale temperature-control device, and a laboratory-scale process control unit for operating and controlling the laboratory-scale device; deriving temperature control data, corresponding to predetermined time intervals, from a mathematical model that describes the dynamic temperature behavior of the process plant part and that is derived at least partially from a heat balance of the process plant part, the temperature control data comprising at least one of a temperature profile and a set of temperature setpoints; and controlling the laboratory-scale device using the derived temperature control data in association with the laboratory-scale process control unit.