Real-time synchronized control and simulation within a process plant

A simulation system for simulating the operation of a process control network as connected within a process plant, the simulation system comprising:

• a simulated process control network that uses one or more simulated process variable signals to produce one or more simulated control signals based on a set of controller state variables to simulate the operation of the process control network as connected within the process plant;
• a process model communicatively connected to the simulated process control network that uses the one or more simulated control signals to produce the one or more simulated process variables based on internal state variables associated with the process model;
• and
• an update module communicatively connected to the process control network, the simulated process control network, and the process model, wherein the update module periodically receives a first state variable vector indicative of values of internal state variables associated with a current configuration of one or more controllers of the process control network during operation of the process control network and periodically receives a second state variable vector including a set of control input variable values sent from the process control network to process plant equipment during operation of the process control network and including a set of process variable values measured within the process plant during operation of the process plant, wherein the update module periodically configures the controller state variables of the simulated process control network with the first state variable vector so as to synchronize the simulated process control network with the process control network during operation of the process control network, and wherein the update module periodically uses the set of control input variable values from the process control network and the set of process variable values of the second state variable vector to determine a process model state vector including the internal state variables associated with the process model and uses the process model state vector to update the process model.