As part of an advanced automation project, Grupo Miesa developed a virtual simulation solution based on SIMIT that made it possible to fully validate the control system and train operating staff before commissioning, without the plant’s physical hardware.
The environment faithfully reproduced the behaviour of the process —dynamic response, alarm management, simulated failures and real-time adjustments— and the model has been used as an OTS (Operator Training System) for realistic operator training.
Simulated process
- Discrete process – grain preparation: conveyors with rotation detectors, mills, energy metering and alarms
- Continuous process – solvent extraction: steam control and control of hexane extraction, with valves, sensors, PID loops and critical alarms in an ATEX environment
Technical solution
- Standard and specific libraries: ChemBasic, Flownet and Contect
- Custom scripts for special signals
- Control Module Types (CMT) for standardised engineering
- Simulated physical calculations: flows, heat balances and energy consumption
- Integration with PCS 7 through virtual controllers
Results
- Complete validation of logic, alarms, loops and sequences before testing on site
- Shorter commissioning times and lower costs
- Early operator training with no risk
- A robust, safe solution aligned with the customer’s standards