Pulp Paper & Logistics


ANDRITZ 9


to an operational plant in real time, a true Digital Twin must run concurrent to the plant’s operation, receive operation data in real time, process this data, and then generate valuable results in a timely manner. From a technical perspective,


the combination of three components enables a true Digital Twin of processes to be formed: High-fidelity models, real-time connectivity to the operation being simulated, and a robust simulation environment.


The models that matter most High-fidelity models are at the heart of any Digital Twin. The term ‘fidelity’ corresponds to how realistically the models represent the process. Once high- fidelity models are built, they can be used for different applications within the Digital Twin structure. Andritz provides a true Digital


Twin solution for the pulp and paper industry using IDEAS simulation software and its unique execution platform. A unique feature of IDEAS is its ability to combine continuous processes with discrete events (human characteristics and interventions). This enables IDEAS to simulate pulp and paper processes spanning the entire life cycle of a mill – from feasibility studies, engineering, construction and commissioning to operation and online optimization - and then combine each individual process unit into a single, interconnected high-fidelity model. Andritz ensures the high fidelity of IDEAS models by combining the process, mechanical/physical, and control/ logic aspects of a mill. Building a true representation of the entire mill operation requires


consideration of information obtained from process descriptions and calculations, P&IDs, physical layout drawings, equipment characteristics and data sheets, material-balance equations, chemical reactions, and lab test data as well as discrete events. The control system behavior and logic are integrated, as is operation data when available to further tune the models. Once the modeling process


is complete, the simulated, or virtual, mill behaves in the same way as the actual mill, providing realistic dynamic process responses. This simulation is then tied into the Andritz execution and communication platform, which is connected to mill’s control and monitoring systems. Through the Andritz execution platform, the virtual mill can be accessed and used by Andritz’s Digital Twin applications (also developed using IDEAS software)


for a variety of purposes at different stages of the project life-cycle.


Benefits of Digital Twin technology Digital Twin applications have a wide range of uses. During the early stages of a project, Digital Twin applications can analyse the pros and cons of various design scenarios, eliminate design mistakes, identify potential bottlenecks and early engineering flaws, and inform necessary equipment specifications. Operator training simulators similar to flight simulators can be built using the digital replica of the mill. Later in the life cycle, applications can be used to measure the conditions and/ or physical characteristics of a process and provide virtual measurements where real-world measurements are impossible and real-time plant-wide optimisation


becomes possible. Digital Twin technology can also


be used to simulate the future operation of a mill, providing insights that can be used to conduct maintenance, manage inventory, guard against process failures, and minimise the impact of major events such as shutdowns. For example, one of Andritz’s


Digital Twin applications, called the IDEAS Designer, can be used to automatically run the virtual mill through thousands of what-if design and equipment scenarios in order to optimize the circuit design and determine the most competitive net present value (NPV).


Another, the IDEAS Instructor,


allows operators to train using the virtual rather than real plant environment. And the IDEAS Guardian application connects to the mill’s real-time operation, allowing numerous what-if scenarios to be run rapidly 4


January/February 2019


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