The Use of Simulink for Process Modelling in the Sugar Industry

Process modelling for the purposes of equipment design, simulation or evaluation has been carried out in the sugar industry using a range of different techniques. Methods employed in the past have included the development of specialised simulation tools using computer programming languages or spreadsheets. Some use has also been made of commercial flowsheeting packages, as well as the SUGARS software package which was developed specifically for this application. However, each of these modelling techniques suffers from a number of limitations, with none providing both ease of use and the flexibility to allow detailed in-house process knowledge to be designed into the system. SIMULINK is a commercial software system, overlaid on the MATLAB programming language, which is widely used for modelling, simulating and analysing steady state or dynamic systems using block diagrams. In the current study, the use of the SIMULINK software to develop a library of model blocks describing sugar industry operations is demonstrated, focusing on the diffuser extraction and boiling house operations. The potential of the software for future application is highlighted.