Unified Feature-based Product and Process Modeling and for Energy Engineering

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On top of the previous discovery grant effort, the applicant is proposing a continued research; the theme is computer based product and process modeling technology for energy engineering. This proposal aims to systematic core mechanisms for effectively integrating different engineering design, analysis and application software tools used in engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) companies of Alberta. Basically, a theoretical unified feature modeling scheme addressing the interoperability problem is to be studied within the engineering informatics context. The short term goals are to investigate generic constraint modeling and process interaction management methods. For the first aspect, the research is expected to provide an open functionality that can systematically record, evaluate and propagate changes of diverse engineering constraints. If successful, the solution in this aspect will offer self-defining feature types that support flexibility in feature definition, information sharing and mapping for both product and process engineering domains. For the second aspect, it can be appreciated that every engineering process can be represented as a series of interactions and the cyclical updates along the engineering development; the product development steps can be fully represented and managed if a generic and flexible interaction modeling method can be invented. These two aspects are to be the supporting pillars for the proposed sustainable engineering management technology. The long-term goal is to investigate the systematic modular architecture and semantic models for a new generation inter-disciplinary information platform that can support the life cycles of product and process development. The engineering scope covered ranges from physics phenomena modeling with simulations, to engineering tool conceptualization and development, and further to supporting engineering projects, product development and manufacturing processes. This ambitious research will eventually enables integrated virtual engineering platform supporting “phenomenon-engineering-product-process” cycles without incompatibility. This proposed enabling technology emphasizes supporting a collaborative and concurrent engineering environment for multiple disciplinary players and applications. The targeted industrial applications are in EPC companies of the energy production sector in Alberta. The key tasks proposed include conceptualizing and developing a generic method that support computer-aided engineering applications with the unified feature scheme, and further developing a prototyping system to demonstrate the functionality of the future engineering information system. The specific research outcomes are those industrial applicable core technology methods and semantic models that enable the innovative unification of different feature concepts on top of the scalable prototyping platform; more application-oriented generic mechanisms and modules are to be investigated, designed and verified to solve typical cyclic problems in product and process engineering. This proposal also covers industrial adoption effort which develops pilot industrial application modules that can demonstrate the key engineering functionality and scalability with the application cases from a few typical companies. For highly qualified personnel training, 2 PhD and 2 Master graduate students are to be fully supported. More industrial collaboration projects can be generated based on this generic research proposed. Publishing high quality papers will help in knowledge dissemination; attending international conferences and conducting seminars are planned as well for this purpose.