Computerized optimization of an engineered modular plant topology

A computer-implemented method for optimizing a given topology of a modular plant configured to execute an industrial process according to an engineered recipe, the method comprising:

• obtaining, for an original process module in the given topology, an amount of at least one resource and/or capability of the original process module that is utilized when the industrial process is executed according to the engineered recipe, and dividing the amount by a maximum amount of the respective resource and/or capability that the original process module is able to provide, thereby obtaining a theoretical utilization of the resource and/or capability and assigning the theoretical utilization of the resource and/or capability as the theoretical utilization of the original process module;
• searching, in a pool of available process modules, for one or more candidate process modules that are able to replace the original process module in the execution of the engineered recipe and fit into the given topology;
• obtaining, for each candidate process module, a theoretical utilization of the corresponding resource and/or capability of the respective candidate process module that will ensue when the original process module is replaced by the respective candidate process module;
• assigning the theoretical utilization to each candidate process module;
• generating an optimized topology of the plant from the given topology by replacing the original process module with a candidate process module that has a same or a higher theoretical utilization than the original process module;
• and
• executing the industrial process by sending commands based on the engineered recipe to process modules of the optimized topology of the plant,
• wherein the resource and/or capability comprises a count of services of the original process module and of the one or more candidate process modules, respectively.