Generating Design Options in Basic Engineering Using the Semantic Web
- Chemical process design begins with a pen and paper draft of a block flow diagram (BFD). This BFD is then further specified into a process flow diagram (PFD), which contains more detailed design decisions and elaborates on the type of unit operation or equipment to realize the functional process steps. Currently, most of this design workflow is done manually and relies on heuristics and engineering expertise. Instead, this contribution automates the generation of design alternatives in the early stages of process design using semantic web technologies.
DEXPI Process, a newly developed standard, offers a semantic data model designed to formalize design information relevant for BFDs and PFDs. Using the DEXPI Process standard to formalize basic BFDs, our approach queries publicly available standards, reference data libraries (RDLs), and ontologies to generate design options that shall then be further investigated in simulation tools. The queries retrieve lists of equipment types capableChemical process design begins with a pen and paper draft of a block flow diagram (BFD). This BFD is then further specified into a process flow diagram (PFD), which contains more detailed design decisions and elaborates on the type of unit operation or equipment to realize the functional process steps. Currently, most of this design workflow is done manually and relies on heuristics and engineering expertise. Instead, this contribution automates the generation of design alternatives in the early stages of process design using semantic web technologies.
DEXPI Process, a newly developed standard, offers a semantic data model designed to formalize design information relevant for BFDs and PFDs. Using the DEXPI Process standard to formalize basic BFDs, our approach queries publicly available standards, reference data libraries (RDLs), and ontologies to generate design options that shall then be further investigated in simulation tools. The queries retrieve lists of equipment types capable of realizing respective functions. Throughout this process, our framework makes use of the SPARQL query language as part of the semantic web technology stack. The key benefit of this approach is its reliance on dynamic, linked open data rather than on hard-coded relationships between process steps and equipment. This ensures that data can be regularly updated and sourced from multiple providers. In doing so, our work showcases the importance of RDLs and linked open data, encouraging engineers, equipment vendors, and other stakeholders to adopt technologies for machine-accessible data.
We demonstrate the functionality of this workflow by generating design alternatives for the well-known Tennessee Eastman process. In this case study, our system successfully identifies a range of feasible design alternatives, illustrating both the potential of the semantic web approach and the current limitations of available RDLs. While this work focuses on generating design options in basic engineering, future research aims to use semantic web technologies to generate P&ID base structures starting with information from BFDs and PFDs.…


| Autor*innen: | Shady KhellaORCiD |
|---|---|
| Koautor*innen: | Erik EscheORCiD, Jens-Uwe Repke |
| Dokumenttyp: | Vortrag |
| Veröffentlichungsform: | Präsentation |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| Jahr der Erstveröffentlichung: | 2025 |
| Organisationseinheit der BAM: | 2 Prozess- und Anlagensicherheit |
| 2 Prozess- und Anlagensicherheit / 2.2 Prozesssimulation | |
| DDC-Klassifikation: | Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / Chemische Verfahrenstechnik / Chemische Verfahrenstechnik |
| Freie Schlagwörter: | Artificial Inteligence; DEXPI; Knowledge Graph; Process Design; Semantic Web |
| Themenfelder/Aktivitätsfelder der BAM: | Chemie und Prozesstechnik |
| Chemie und Prozesstechnik / Anlagensicherheit und Prozesssimulation | |
| Veranstaltung: | PEMT 2025 - Annual Meeting of Process Engineering and Materials Technology |
| Veranstaltungsort: | Frankfurt am Main, Germany |
| Beginndatum der Veranstaltung: | 10.11.2025 |
| Enddatum der Veranstaltung: | 11.11.2025 |
| Verfügbarkeit des Dokuments: | Datei im Netzwerk der BAM verfügbar ("Closed Access") |
| Datum der Freischaltung: | 08.01.2026 |
| Referierte Publikation: | Nein |
| Eingeladener Vortrag (wissenschaftliche Konferenzen): | Nein |

