Method and system for modeling operations of a physical plant

A method of modeling operations of a physical plant, the physical plant comprising at least a first machine component and a second machine component of an industrial machine, and at least one physical connection between the first and second machine components, and the method comprising:

• performing, via a processor-based system, a plurality of simulation cycles with a first model of the first machine component and a second model of the second machine component, wherein the first model runs on a first embedded controller on the first machine component and the second model runs on a second embedded controller on the second machine component, wherein the first model comprises first proprietary data of a first vendor that is kept secure and not shared with the second model, wherein the second model comprises second proprietary data of a second vendor that is kept secure and not shared with the first model, wherein the processor- based system comprises a control system having the first and second embedded controllers, wherein the first and second vendors are different from one another, wherein each of the first and second machine components comprises at least one of rotating equipment, a compressor, a pump, a turbine, an engine, an electric motor, or a heat exchanger, wherein the first and second models comprise a neural network, wherein, for each of the plurality of simulation cycles, the method comprises:
• receiving as input into the second model, first model values for operational parameters of the physical connection generated from the first model of the first machine component;
• receiving as input into the first model, second model values for operational parameters of the physical connection generated from the second model of the second machine component, wherein the first and second model values are different for the same operational parameters of the same physical connection;
• updating the first model with the second model values for the operational parameters and updating the second model with the first model values for the operational parameters;
• receiving real-time operational sensor data from sensors coupled to the first machine component and the second machine component;
• updating the first model with the real-time operational sensor data received from the second machine component and updating the second model with the real-time operational sensor data received from the first machine component;
• synchronizing, via the processor-based system, the first and second models, including converging the first and second model values to a common modelled solution value for the same operational parameters at the common location of the same physical connection, via iteration through the plurality of simulation cycles, wherein synchronizing comprises improving an accuracy of the modeling of the operations of the physical plant in real-time;
• providing, via the processor-based system, as output a simulation of behavior of the first and/or second machine components using the first and/or second models synchronized via the plurality of simulation cycles;
• and
• changing, via the processor-based system, one or more operational parameters of the physical plant based on the simulation using the first embedded controller, the second embedded controller, or a combination thereof.

A system comprising:

• a first machine component of an industrial machine of a physical plant, wherein the first machine component comprises a first embedded controller having a first model configured to model the first machine component;
• and
• a second machine component of the industrial machine, wherein the second machine component comprises a second embedded controller having a second model configured to model the second machine component, wherein a control system of the physical plant comprises the first and second embedded controllers, wherein the first model comprises first proprietary data of a first vendor that is kept secure and not shared with the second model, wherein the second model comprises second proprietary data of a second vendor that is kept secure and not shared with the first model, wherein the first and second vendors are different from one another, wherein each of the first and second machine components comprises at least one of rotating equipment, a compressor, a pump, a turbine, an engine, an electric motor, or a heat exchanger;
• wherein the control system is configured to perform a plurality of simulation cycles with the first and second models, wherein the first and second models comprise a neural network, wherein, for each of the plurality of simulation cycles, the control system is configured to:
• generate first model values via the first model for operational parameters of a physical connection between the first and second machine components, and generate second model values via the second model for the operational parameters of the physical connection between the first and second machine components, wherein the first and second model values are different for the same operational parameters at a common location of the same physical connection;
• receive real-time operational sensor data from sensors coupled to the first machine component and the second machine component;
• and
• update the first model of the first embedded controller with input of the real-time operational sensor data and the second model values for the operational parameters to improve control by the first embedded controller, and update the second model of the second embedded controller with input of the real-time operational sensor data and the first model values for the operational parameters to improve control by the second embedded controller;
• and
• wherein the control system is configured to synchronize the first and second models, including converging the first and second model values to a common modelled solution value for the same operational parameters at the common location of the same physical connection, via iteration through the plurality of simulation cycles, wherein the synchronization is configured to improve an accuracy of modeling of the first and second machine components,
• wherein the control system is configured to provide as output a simulation of behavior of the first and/or second machine components using the first and/or second models synchronized via the plurality of simulation cycles;
• wherein the control system is configured to change one or more operational parameters of the physical plant based on the simulation using the first embedded controller, the second embedded controller, or a combination thereof.