Specialist provider of dynamic simulation services to the process industries
Services
There are many facets to a well-managed simulation project. APESS can help with most of them...
Dynamic Simulation Models
APESS can produce the right model for you. As simple as possible but no simpler. We'll make sure your model is built on the right fundamentals, using the best available theory and best available data so that you can have the maximum confidence in the model predictions. Simple or complex, but always fit for purpose.
Dynamic Simulation Studies
Will my compressor surge? Does my control system provide suffiicient protection to disturbances? Are my controllers tuned appropriately for what I need? Is there enough capacity in my system to absorb external disturbances?
These are all questions that can't be answered using steady state models. OTOH, dynamic models can provide quantitiative data to enable you to make informed judgements and decisions about your process.
Extensions and Customisations
Extensibility is a great feature of many of the best simulation software systems. However, it is rarely easy to create your own model because specialist skills are required. This is where APESS can help. We've been down this road before and have the know-how and experience to bring your ideas to fruition.
Training
If you want basic training in process simulation software, then you're best asking the software vendors. However, most users need detailed knowledge in specific areas, and may be less interested in other areas. APESS can customise training to your needs. We'll give you the fundamentals and then focus on practicalities in your area. We believe in learning-by-doing so we emphasise practical exercises over endless Powerpoint slides.
APESS also produces Operator Training Workbooks. This is a low cost alternative to developing skills in your operating team. Each workbook is based on generic screenshots that include at least one oddity that can be used to diagnose a process issue. Test yourself and your team to find the problem, diagnse ot correctly and recommend a course of action. A marking scheme is included for quantitative assessment.
OTS
An Operator Training Simulator (OTS) is a big investment for any company. There are considerable hardware costs and a very substantial engineering cost. The challenge in producing an accurate, reliable and fit-for-purpose model of your process should never be under-estimated and should never be trivialised. Parts of this work can be sub-contracted internationally to save some cost but this comes with its own risks because a model is built from more than just P&IDs and data. It is vital to transmit your process knowledge to an engineer who can understand the key issues and develop an appropriate implementation, which requires experience as well as know-how. This is where APESS comes in. We can provide technical management of your OTS project using some of your resources, some of ours to optimise execution and delivery.
We summarised some of our experience in this article for Hydrocarbon Processing in 2008: "OTS Myths and Misgivings".
Updates and Model Maintenance
The skills and experience required to build a good model are often hard to come by. Consequently, model building often gets outsourced, which means that the ability to update and maintain your models is not built or retained internally. Fortunately, APESS can help. We've had experience of many models and many processes so we're conscious of the rights and wrongs of updating and mainatining models. We'll treat them with care and enhance them, as required. We'll also be straight with you about what can be fixed and where your model is operating at the limits of the available technology.