Towards a holistic methodology of efficient virtual preparation and commissioning for production systems

Abstract: The industry elaborates on the possibilities of applying virtual engineering work to excel in production system development. For example, Virtual Commissioning as a concept for testing and validating system performance in advance of on-site commissioning has proven beneficial in multiple areas of development. Some areas include reducing on-site commissioning time, guaranteeing functional behavior, and removing potential errors, resulting in a smoother integration of new and upgraded systems. Nevertheless, it has been hard to prove the financial benefits and actual gain from VC compared to the more trusted traditional methods. The lack of standards mixed with the increasing complexity of systems and experience from prior attempts is one of many reasons. This thesis has identified different vital areas crucial for adopting virtual elements into the value chain of the development process within the automotive industry. It is of the highest importance to understand the prerequisites of a project’s ability to integrate virtual preparation for efficient commissioning and further break down the technical requirements of modeling and simulation in a multidisciplinary digital architecture. With more quantified data and insight from Virtual Commissioning attempts, it is possible to adopt knowledge to future projects and find ways to increase the utilization of the invested virtual engineering work. The thesis investigates the challenges of implementing virtual preparational methods for efficient commissioning to achieve flawless launches for all implementation projects of production systems. In addition, the research aims to find ways to increase the utilization of the constructed models, decrease the cost of virtual development and testing, and verify functionality and accuracy for optimal levels of simulation.