Adaptation and testing of data reconciliation software for CAPE-OPEN compliance

The experience gained in the development of a CAPE-OPEN 1.0 thermo socket for the BELSIM-VALI software is presented. VALI is a data validation and reconciliation software that provides consistent mass and energy balances, reliable and accurate Key Performance Indicators and soft sensors. It is not a simulation software per definition, but rather a powerful equation based software that is used online, to monitor and manage the operations of different processes. VALI has its own thermodynamic database of chemical compounds (> 800 fluids, > 650 solids) and methods. After demands of our clients it was decided to make VALI compliant with other thermodynamic packages via a CAPE-OPEN 1.0 thermo socket. The source code of the VALI physical property modules had to be modified, to call the Material Object components instead of built-in thermodynamic functions (thermo socket). In the user interface, we had to develop a CAPE-OPEN thermo plugs viewer to allow the selection of a CAPE-OPEN thermo plug from our Graphical User Interface (GUI). Several case studies were analysed, with performance comparison between the native thermodynamic model, and properties obtained from several CAPE-OPEN thermoplugs. We will particularly analyse here the modelling of a gas liquefaction system and a distillation case study.