Design-kit: An object-oriented environment for process engineering

This paper outlines the structure and implementational features of the DESIGN-KIT, a software support environment developed to aid process engineering activities such as: synthesis of process flowsheets, configuration of control loops for complete plants, planning and scheduling of plant-wide operations and operational analysis. Based on object-oriented and data-driven programming styles, the paper discusses how the DESIGN-KIT is constructed to provide a rich repertory of declarative and procedural knowledge for the development of analytic- or design-oriented knowledge-based expert systems. A series of illustrations describe the construction of knowledge bases, graphic interface support, equation-oriented simulation and design, order-of-magnitude analysis, reasoning strategies and other facilities of the DESIGN-KIT.