Abstract
The term Digital Twin was first introduced in 2010 by NASA particularly used in aerospace industry. Subsequently, the concept quickly spread through other fields. As of today, no standard organization has provided an official and unique definition of Digital Twin for process industries. However, there are three important aspects that are common throughout various descriptions. When simulation is the core functionality of a process (1) along the entire life cycle of a plant (2) with direct linkage to the operation (3), it is called that the process has a Digital Twin. In this paper, our focus is on the metallurgical process characteristics, hence it is called process digital twin.
From technical perspective, combination of three components allows formation of an effective digital twin for processes: robust simulation environment, high fidelity models, real time connectivity to operation. Digital models are the heart of any Digital Twin solution. Once accurate and representative models are built, which represent the reality of a process, they can be used for different applications within the Digital Twin structure e.g. virtual instrumentation, condition monitoring and optimization.