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 a process module in the given topology, an amount of at least one resource and/or capability of the 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 process module is able to provide, thereby obtaining a theoretical utilization of the resource and/or capability as the theoretical utilization of the process module;
• searching, in a pool of available process modules, for candidate process modules that are able to replace the 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 process module is replaced by the respective candidate process module;
• assigning the theoretical utilization to each candidate process module;
• and
• generating an optimized topology of the plant from the given topology by replacing the process module with a candidate process module that has a same or a higher theoretical utilization than the process module.