A new approach to integrated process systems engineering - the VIBE Agent environment

This paper summarises a new type of Agent based development software especially designed for integrated process engineering system applications, ranging from early front end option design and analysis through to detailed Plant Manufacture. What is novel here is;that a systematic life cycle approach to modelling: can be used that is enabled through an advanced Agent based environment, VIBE (Virtual Business Environment). The term "modelling" refers not only to the usual process equipment or flowsheet models but also to explicit models of the engineering tasks themselves. The models and tasks that are performed with them are brought together into one coherent framework. The VIBE environment provides a common means of representation and communication that allows a fast and efficient level of operation both at fine and coarse levels within the system. The ability to move seamlessly between modelling level representations, engineering and higher level business processes is a key feature of the environment. It is clear from the results so far that the agent based approach within VIBE when applied to the integration of process systems engineering tasks within an industrial context has much to offer over other distributed object or component based programming approaches. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.