Implementation of the digital twin of an interconnected atmospheric tank process

This article presents the implementation of the digital twin of a process of interconnected atmospheric tanks, the parametric design was implemented with the help of software intended for computer-aided design based on the information provided by the manufacturer’s sheets and performing reverse engineering. A mathematical model is proposed using non-linear differential equations implemented in Matlab simulink, which reflects the fluid dynamics within the hydraulic plant reacting to disturbances generated by the control elements in real time. The digital twin was evaluated by executing different tank filling and emptying scenarios whose results were compared with tests in the physical plant, obtaining a good approximation of the results and ensuring that the mathematical model reacts to disturbances generated by the control elements in real time. By integrating the information obtained from the mathematical model with the 3D parametric model we obtain a software tool that is centralized, efficient and reproducible in which operators can experiment and accelerate the acquisition of knowledge as well as identify and classify control optimization opportunities of the studied process, emphasizing the fact of supporting decisionmaking without wasting valuable resources.