In the September 2011 issue of Control, Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner interview MYNAH's Alex Muravyev on the future of dynamic simulation in The Key to Process Knowledge and Sustainable Manufacturing.

Getting the Right Talent

Most business analysts agree that the future of a company is inextricably tied to the talent of the company.  In 2003, Nobin William (MYNAH's VP of Technology) and I were forming the plans to develop the next generation of dynamic process simulation.  Our goal was to build a breakthrough technology that allowed the development of dynamic simulations for operator training and control system testing without the expense and limitations of current offerings in the marketplace.  We had a concept of what we wanted to accomplish but we needed the "talent".  We were missing an in-house team of experienced industry experts that had developed dynamic simulations in the past, had working experience with the current leading industry offerings and could help us design the simulation platform of the future. 

Then one day, Greg McMillan called me to introduce a friend of his that was looking for a new challenge, Dr. Aleksandr Muravyev.  I remember sitting in the presentation that Alex gave us on his experience in modeling and advanced control, thinking, "I have got to figure out a way to hire this guy".  Our MiMiC Simulation Software would not be the solution it is today without the contributions of Alex Murayvev.

Alex Muravyev working on a dynamic process model in MiMiC

Dr. Aleksandr Muravyev, MYNAH Simulation Consultant

Alex is an industry expert in many ways.  Before he imigrated to the US, he developed an indepth knowledge of advanced process control, dynamic process modeling and thermodynamics as a professor at Kiev Polytechnic Institute in the Ukraine.  Alex also worked with Greg McMillan and other Monsanto Engineering Fellows on the development of dynamic simulations for Monsanto, Solutia and Bayer processes.  Since joining MYNAH, he has worked on high fidelity models for numerous customers and also designed MiMiC's Advanced Modeling Objects for Distillation Towers, Separators and our new Pressure / Flow Solver.  

Alex's models are built using his in-depth knowledge, thorough experience with other solutions and practical engineering approach. In my experience, there are few people you can say this about, but when Alex gives you an answer, it is almost always correct.  His practical and creative approach is displayed in the new Pressure / Flow Solver in the next release of MiMIC.  Alex's experience with other dynamic simulation packages led him to take a different approach that overcomes the limitations with these other offerrings.  See Greg McMillan's discussion on this new approach in his Modeling and Control Blog post from January 2011.

Back to Control Talk

Who better to interview Alex on the future of dynamic process modeling than Stan Weiner and Greg McMillan who, collectively, have as much experience with the practical application of these solutions as anybody and have probably witnessed every operator error or mishap imaginable.  Greg is a strong advocate for dynamic modeling, not only for operator training, but also for controls design.  Greg has stated on numerous occasions that by building a model "... the user gains better knowledge of the process which allows better controls to be developed and better operator actions to be taken".  The article, The Key to Process Knowledge and Sustainable Manufacturing, is a must read if you are considering using dynamic simulation for operator training or control system development.  

Other resources for learning more about the use of dynamic process simulators and the virtual plant:

• Greg McMillan's Blog - Modeling and Control, Dynamic World of Process Control
• Control Talk - When the Virtual Plant Came, the Window to the Future Opened
• Control Talk - Operators Unleashed
• Business Case for the Virtual Plant Using MiMiC Simulation Software

I look forward to your comments, questions, or suggestions.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Mart Berutti, 09/23/11