CAPEOPEN: Experiences from a Standardization Effort in Chemical Industries

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CAPE-OPEN Experiences from a Standardization
Effort in Chemical Industries
Jörg Köller, Lehrstuhl Informatik V, RWTH Aachen
koeller_at_informatik.rwth-aachen.de
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CAPE-OPEN
Background and Motivation

• The CAPE-Open project was initiated by the
  operating companies
• The market was dominated by a few software
  vendors
• Users want a standard satisfying their own needs
• Users want an open market and new business
  models
• The economic power of the operating companies
  allowed a user driven standard development
• Overview
• Define the application domain and its problems
• Deduce the project structure from this
• Take a look at different project areas

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Process Simulation
A wide scope, a large market, a land of
opportunities
Process simulation is the representation of a
chemical process by a mathematical model which is
then solved to obtain information about the
performance of the chemical process. It is a
vital tool in the chemical industry, food
processing industry, oil industry.

• Speed up and cost reduction of plant development,
• construction, and operation by
• Steady-state simulation for process design
• Training simulators for operators
• Data acquisition and reconciliation
• Advanced control, monitoring and diagnostic
• Optimisation of processes

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Problem
Incompatibility of Process Simulators

• Efficient process simulation requires access to
  more than one simulator and integration with
  in-house proprietary software.
• Every simulator has strengths/weaknesses and
  proprietary interfaces
• Integration is slow and costly
• It is difficult for industry to exploit advances
  made by research institutes and specialist
  suppliers of simulation elements.
• Cape-Open develops Open Standard Interfaces for
  process simulation
• simulators can be built out of standard
  components developed independently

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CAPE-OPEN Interfaces
Main components in a process simulation
Simulation Executive and GUI
Assembling Process Simulators from Reusable
Software Components
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Project Structure
CAPE-OPEN Work Packages

• Vertical projects focus on a single domain
• Three horizontal projects aim at coordination and
  technical and conceptual level

• Validation Quality assuranceand integration
• Method Tools Technicalexpertise, general
  framework
• Management Coordination

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Methods and Tools
Objects, Middleware, Methods, Web

• UML (Unified Modelling Language)as a semi-formal
  notation
• Use Cases, Sequence Diagrams, State Event
  Diagrams, Class Diagrams
• COM/CORBA IDL Interface Specifications
• Interfaces, methods and arguments
• C/VB API examples
• Distribution of standard specification as HTML
  documents and pdf documents
• Partially generated from IDL specification
• Groupware (BSCW) for distribution, communication,
  and deployment

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The CAPE-OPEN Work Process
Uses UML notation in CO-specific process

• 1 Define Users Requirements
• 2 Define Software Components and Interfaces
• Deliverable Interface Specification Draft
• 3 Develop Prototype with Standard Interface
• Standalone test of component until satisfactory
• Deliverable Prototype
• 4 Assembly test
• Do revisions in 2,3 until satisfactory
• 5 Finalization
• Deliverable Interface Specification

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BSCW as a Groupware Tool
Basic Support for Co-Operative Work

• Developed in the COOP-WWW project together with
  the GMD
• Most important features
• web-based
• complete access via a web browser (Navigator,
  IE,...)
• it can store almost any kind of document
• versioning mechanisms
• Successfully used by project members for document
  exchange and notification about changes

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The Validation Activity
Assurance of compatibility and assessment of
quality

• Design and interfaces done more or less
  independently in the vertical projects
• Monitor interrelations across work packages
• Detect problems in interoperability
• Comprises representatives of all work packages
• Prototypes built for testing standalone and
  across simulator prototypes
• Test harnesses developed independently
• An interface repository provides on-line access
  to standard specifications, documentation, and
  testing facilities
• Applicability of interfaces to existing software
  has been proven
• Wrapping e.g. legacy FORTRAN libraries
• Ensure that existing in-house software can be
  preserved

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The Business Point of View
Business Models need to adapt to the technology

• Acceptance of the standard may cause a major
  shift in the simulation software market
• Importance of large simulation systems may
  decrease
• Specialist component suppliers may enter the
  market
• More competition through open markets
• Possibility to compare and exchange makes market
  transparent
• Uneasiness concerning incompatibilities must be
  addressed
• Service companies support useful configurations
• Tailored component suites can be developed
• New business models are possible
• Pay per use via internet

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Conclusion and Outlook
CAPE-OPEN is only the first step!

• All major milestones have been achieved during
  the project
• Dissemination of the standard is on its way
• Successful interoperability demonstrations at
  conferences and meeting by vendors and academia
• User support currently in follow-up project (CO
  Integration Laboratory Network)
• Follow-up project Global CAPE-OPEN has been
  started
• Extension of the scope to more applications
• More partners including USA and Japan
• Project structure has proven useful and remains
  almost unchanged