System modelling can be applied to almost any scenario that can be conceptualised and therefore is not restricted simply to hardware systems. JAHCon has carried out simulation modelling of Power Station equipment, Waste Water Pump stations, Pulp Mill equipment, Sulphur Removal Plant, Mine vehicle support fleet etc. using a range of sophisticated software tools.
While each case is necessarily unique, JAHCon's approach to the development of the model and associated trials is based on close consultation with client staff to determine the scope of the study, gather preliminary data, develop an initial model, refine the data and model and communicate the findings. One or more 'workshops' are used both during the model build phase and afterwards to communicate results and their implications to staff. These workshops also greatly enhance the understanding of the modelling work undertaken and generate increased 'buy-in' on the part of those involved. Formal reporting of results and recommendations are provided and ongoing support for future model refinements can be arranged as required.
In practice there can be several iterations through these and other stages before sufficient confidence has been established in the model to accept the results.
Application of system modelling results are typically used in two main areas.
New plant at the pre-design or design stage to determine system configuration, redundancy, costs, Reliability, Availability, Productiveness, Spare Parts requirements, Staffing mix and numbers, support functions, etc.
Existing plant analysis to identify areas where improvement is feasible and quantifying the costs and benefits of any proposed changes.
The advantages of building an integrated system model with its accompanying improvement in understanding of system components and interactions are many with the following being just a few.
Building the model forces us to carefully consider all aspects of each asset, procedure and methodology as well as the inter-connectivity of these assets and can significantly raise awareness of the plant amongst staff, employees and contractors.
No other approach gives us as good an opportunity to investigate the complex interactions between assets, procedures and systems within the organisation.
The model provides a ‘communication’ tool which allows those involved to clearly understand the cause and effect relationships of different equipment, systems and processes.
The model allows us to compress the time scale from many years for the real plant to just seconds or minutes of simulation time. This allows us to explore the effect of proposed changes without having to wait many years to see the results.
The use of a model allows us to evaluate changes to a system before it’s built thereby achieving optimum design before any assets are purchased.
Modelling allows us to explore the effect of proposed changes to the design of an existing plant without the cost or disruption of making these changes - e.g. RAMS studies (RAMS - Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, Sustainability).
Modelling eliminates the safety and environmental implications of trials or design changes which might not be allowed on real plant until proven, because of these concerns.
‘Virtual assets’ can be modeled alongside physical assets providing a more realistic estimate of their impact. This allows us to include the effects of procedures, methodologies, permit systems and practices as well as ‘hardware’.
The model can be refined over time as additional or improved data becomes available and understanding of the plant increases. The resulting model is a powerful training and communication tool and helps to capture and integrate changes made by different people over time.
The model has a clear link to the risk assessment process by providing an objective means of developing risk management strategies, exploring their likely effectiveness and estimating the cost of implementing them.
The model allows various configurations of assets, different performance estimates and cost estimates to be built into one integrated model which can be run in ‘model time’ rather than real time thereby allowing various scenarios to be evaluated quickly and cheaply.
Typical scenarios that can be modelled include the following.
System Capacity Modelling.
System Reliability & Availability.
System Maintenance cost.
Spare parts usage.
Asset Reliability & Asset Availability.
Asset Maintenance cost.
Production impact from changes.
etc.
These benefits are available, albeit at a reduced level even when relying on uncertain data, especially in the early stages of the models development. In the absence of historical data for a particular plant representative data can be obtained from credible library sources, similar equipment history and engineering assessment and judgment.
Whatever the data source the development of the model provides insights into plant characteristics and behaviour even when the data quality is low as our 'questions' at the early stages are fairly unsophisticated and basic data can help answer these preliminary questions. Over time we start to ask more targeted and sophisticated questions and also collect and generate better data to support these questions.
For additional information on system modelling services provided by JAHCon please contact us using the numbers provided on the 'Contact Us' page of this site.
