Information models of asset types in the context of the life cycle of complex assets in process plants

The manual selection of assets such as sensors, pumps or control systems in the engineering of process engineering production plants is time-consuming and requires specific domain knowledge. In addition, coordination between the component manufacturer, system integrator and plant operator requires a continuous exchange of information, which must be accompanied by repeated process conformity checks. In the pharmaceutical sector and other regulated industries, this accounts for a large part of the engineering effort, as replacing an asset can go hand in hand with a necessary recertification of the system. Previously published work in this area shows that standardized information models, such as the Asset Administration Shell (AAS), offer an opportunity to speed up the exchange of information between all parties involved and make it more efficient.

Information models are based on so-called meta-models, which describe the structural composition, the permissible elements and their references to each other. In the respective modeling, a distinction is made between asset types and asset instances, following the object orientation approach known in the engineering sector. However, the definition of type or instance-based information is not defined with sufficient precision and shows differences in relation to the domain, the role or the respective use case. This circumstance makes the standardization of this process considerably more difficult.

Research Questions:

• How can a type be defined in the modeling of assets?
  • What is the type of an asset that is only produced once as a unique item?
  • Which rules for classification according to type or instance information can be established for modeling?
• What is the modeling relationship between the type and instance information model throughout the life cycle of the asset?
  • How can the different responsibilities of the manufacturer and operator be taken into account?
• How can type and instance information of an asset be modeled over the entire life cycle with regard to continuous engineering?
• How can partially complete, complementary models be tested and merged?

Teaching

• ITAT (Praktikum)
• Forschungspraktikum (Ansprechpartner)

12/2023 - today
Research assistant at the Chair of Automation Technology (VSA) at the Institute of Control Systems (IRS)
with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Mike Barth at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

03/2023 – 11/2023
Automation and software engineer at OPVengineering GmbH
Software development for the automation of specialized electric motor test benches

2018 - 2022
Master's degree (M.Sc.) in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at KIT

• Specialization: Sensor Systems
• Master thesis at IRS and Fraunhofer IOSB on the topic “Investigation on the Measurement Accuracy of a Laser-Induced Damage Threshold Testbed in the Short-Wave Infrared”

2014 - 2018
Bachelor’s degree (B.Sc.) in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at KIT Bachelor thesis at ITIV on the topic “Conception and evaluation of methods of pattern recognition in time series of dynamic systems in the automotive context”