MFM News

IWFM2018 at Okayama University

Post date: Jan 23, 2018 8:15:38 PM

During discussion with Professor Akia Gofuku from Okayama University earlier this month it was decided, that the 4th International Workshop on Functional Modelling (IWFM2018) will take place at Okayama University later this year. Further details will be provided, when the official invitation arrive.

EGoIF - An MFM model creator and editor

- Created by Norwegian company Eldor

Post date: Jan 12, 2018 2:04:54 PM

Late last year the Norwegian company Eldor, which is part of a consortium involving DHRTC at DTU, DTU Elektro, ConocoPhilips and Mærsk Oil commercializing the functional modelling tool MFM developed at DTU Elektro over the past 30+ years, released the first version of their cloud based MFM model creator and editor. Safepark has for a number of years been associated with the MFM research activities at DTU Elektro, and have through this connection access to the cloud based editor for non-commercial usage.

After registering at the EGolF with you company email and a user chosen password you can log into the editor and start creating you own MFM projects and MFM models. Safepark used our access to create a MFM model of the view of the functional view of a chemical plant from 10000 m.

Eldor EGolF screen on your first visit to site

EGolF Welcome message after registration

The first time you visit the EGolF site, you see the screen to the left. Press the button "Register" in the black bar to the left at the top. You are then asked to enter you email address and a password. Shortly after submitting this information you will receive a confirmation mail with the subject "Welcome to EGolF" and the following graphics:

Just press "Click to Join" to start the EGolF.

When you start EGolF you will see the screen to the left. On the black bar at the top there are three labels "EGolF", "MFMConcepts" and "My Documents". Upon startup the editor displays "My Documents". The folder names "My Models" and "My Libraries" can be customized, and subfolders in the terms of projects can be added to "My Models". Either a single project folder or the whole "My Models" folder can be shared with other registrered users. The sharing can be either read only or read and edit. It is unclear if the edit access, which under Linux is normally labelled "write" access, allows for deletion of whole models.

Once you click on "My Models" you get the option to either add a folder or project. The folder options allows you structure your documents, so each subfolder e.g. is related to a specific customer. With a project you can only created models, but not subfolders.

The the left is the first MFM we created in EGolF - A 10.000 m View of a Chemical Plant, which include sourcing of raw materials, transport of raw materials to plant, plant for conversion of raw materials into products, distribution of products, and finally the actual products. The "10.000 m View of a Chemical Plant" is a good starting point for discussion of safety issues related to transport of raw materials or distribution of products, and also related to handling of both in the plant.

If you are interested in learning more about MFM in general, then contact Prof. Morten Lind, and if you are interested in using EGolF, then contact Managing Director of Eldor Technology Bjarne André Asheim.

Commercial MFM for off-shore oil & gas

Consortium created to make this happen

Post date: Jun 22, 2017 12:20:49 PM

On Wednesday, June 14th, 2017 an agreement was signed between DTU Electrical Engineering, Danish Hydrocarbon Research and Technology Centre at DTU, Conoco Phillips and Eldor - a Norwegian company which services the oil & gas industry. The consortium has two aim: 1) to create a support system to help operators deal better with alarms, and 2) Further development of the theory behind MFM by a number of Post Doc and Ph.D projects at DTU and other Danish universities. Read more on the aims of this activity at DHRTC site.

The diagram on the right is a schematic of an MFM model of the Japanese Monju reactor, which has been published in paper by Lind et.al.

MFM and time to be discussed

at Kyoto Conference

Post date: Mar 11, 2016 8:05:50 PM

At a scientific conference later this year at Kyoto in Japan it will be discussed how Multilevel Flow Modeling include the two types of time: chronos and kairos.

It turns out that in Greek mythology, there are two gods associated with the two different kinds of time, which roughly correspond to the Greek words chronos and kairos.

Chronos corresponds to regular cycles, and kairos corresponds to progressive flows. Chronos is clock and calendar time, measurable and predictable, recurring in known cycles. Kairos is experienced time, which is nonrecurring and not as predictable, but it flows. Kairos is quality time, such as when we talk about having a good time together, finding the right time to say something sensitive, or looking for the right time to make an investment. Initial discussions in the Lind research group indicates, that the MFM syntax already has means of representing the two types of time. Morten Lind will discuss the two types of time and how MFM can handle both at a scientific conference in Kyoto later this year.

Conventional ODE's or PDE's normally account for only chronos.

IWFM2015

15 excellent research results presented

Post date: Mar 11, 2016 1:32:31 PM

Last year 15 excellent pieces of functional modeling research were presented at the 2nd International Workshop on Functional Modeling at Okayama University, Okayama, Japan. The workshop was well attended with participants from several continents, and lively discussions around the contributions. If you missed the conference, then you can read the abstracts in the attached Book of Abstract, and contact the authors for further information.

IFWM2015 Book_of_Abstracts.pdf

MFM commercialization project

Kick-off reception

Post date: May 21, 2015 7:01:29 PM

Today a reception at the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark marked the kick-off of a project between the Technical University of Denmark at Kongens Lyngby northwest of Copenhagen, Denmark and the Norwegian company Eldor. The aim of the project is to make the Multilevel Flow Modeling technology, which Professor Emeritus Morten Lind has been working on for more than 25 years useful for the oil and gas industry in areas such as response to alarms. Eldor already serves the oil and gas industry in areas such as control room and improved operations, control and safety systems & alarm management, and telecommunications and industrial IT. The company sees the MFM technology as a tool to improve their existing offerings to the oil and gas industry. Eldor is located in Forus, which is not far from Stavanger - the Oil Capital of Norway.

"Assessing Operational Situations"

Ph.D.-thesis to be defended on May 29th

Post date: May 21, 2015 6:12:22 PM

On Friday, May 29th 2015, at 1:30 PM Xinxin Zhang will defend her PhD-thesis "Assessing Operational Situations". The defense will take place in Auditorium 11 in Building 308 at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in Kongens Lyngby a bit Northwest of Copenhagen. Xinxin Zhang is a native of China, and her research in the area of functional modeling of engineered systems have been carried out at Department of Electrical Engineering under the guidance of Associate Professor Ole Ravn and Professor Emeritus Morten Lind, while Professor Emeritus Sten Bay Jørgensen and Niels Jensen from Safepark have followed the studies closely. Official oponents at the defense will be Professor Ian Cameron from the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Queensland in Australia and Professor Akio Gofuku from Okayama University in Japan.

The work of Xinxin Zhang has focused on the extention of Multilevel Flow Modeling to be an aid for operators assessment of abnormal operational situations in complex engineered systems, such as nuclear power plants, chemical plants, or infrastructure. The defense is open to the public, and everyone is welcome.

So if you already are in Copenhagen for the PSE2015-ESCAPE25 conference, then why not drop by DTU on Friday, May 29th?

2nd IWFM in Okayama, Japan

Post date: Mar 11, 2015 7:53:26 AM

Professor Akio Gofuku at Okayama University in Japan organizes the 2nd international Workshop on Functional Modelling (IWFM), IWFM2015, on March 30-31, 2015. The workshop is a follow up of the workshop held at DTU, Kongens Lyngby in 2012.

You are very much invited to attend, and you find details here: http://www.mif.sys.okayama-u.ac.jp/~ifwm2015okayama/

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