COMET MODULE DESIMPLIFY

DeSimplify is a COMET Module within the COMET Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies Program, funded by BMIMI, BMWET, the Federal States of Vienna and Upper Austria, and its scientific partners. COMET is managed by FFG.

The project is breaking new ground by developing a process modelling architecture that combines process engineering, digitalization, AI, machine learning, fluid dynamics, and mechanistic models. This architecture provides companies in the Chemical Process Industry with a toolkit that enables them to create tailored models for their unique processes, thereby achieving greater stability, quality, efficiency, and sustainability.

As the name suggests, we are actually "de-simplifying", meaning we intentionally do not simplify. Reality is complex, and a simple model does not reflect it accurately. So we dare to take the complex approach, desimplifying current state-of-the-art models, linking unit operations, and going across scales to deliver a modelling framework that – for the first time – allows us to capture the inherent complexity of (bio-)chemical processes while ensuring real-time capability.

Get the quick facts about the COMET Module DeSimplify:

Factsheet DeSimplify (PDF)

PARTNERS

Developing intelligent digital models for complex processes in the chemical and recycling industries requires partners with expertise, capabilities, and the courage to be pioneers of innovation:

Selected company partners:

Festo Gesellschaft m.b.H.

Next Generation Recyclingmaschinen GmbH, NGR

Thermoplastkreislauf GmbH, TPK

Selected scientific partners

Johannes Kepler University Linz, JKU Linz

Vienna University of Technology, TU Wien

University of Vienna, UNI Wien

Selected international partners

Karlsruhe Institute Of Technology, KIT

Technical University of Denmark, DTU

TECHNICAL FRAMEWORK

The modelling architecture addresses the computational limitations of simulating complex (bio-)chemical processes, where multi-physics phenomena and phase transitions interact across microscopic and macroscopic scales. Current high-fidelity models capable of capturing these multi-scale dynamics are computationally too slow for real-time application and remain restricted to isolated unit operations.

To resolve this, the system introduces the isaPMA (integrated, smart, and advanced Process Modelling Architecture), an open-source, parallelized environment designed for detailed multi-scale simulation that eliminates the traditional trade-off between virtual representation accuracy and computational speed.

To achieve real-time capability and seamless integration, this architecture is implemented through several core technical pillars:

Surrogate Modelling: High-fidelity simulation data is utilized to derive fast, robust surrogate models suitable for integration into real-time control architectures.

Open Standards: The architecture adheres strictly to FAIR modelling principles, ensuring interoperability between linked model constituents and allowing the seamless accommodation of data-based models.

User Accessibility: An AI-based translation layer makes complex multi-physics configurations accessible to non-expert operators.

Ultimately, this normative architecture enables flexible, end-to-end process simulation, paving the way for advanced Model-Based Digital Twin (MB-DT) process control.

THE WORD IS OUT

DeSimplify has been headlined as the “Next Stage of Innovation” and described as a “particularly impressive example of the projects' follow-on impact”: “By combining machine learning with advanced simulation technologies, these processes are to be precisely predicted and optimized in the future. This will make it possible to improve recycling methods, reduce material losses, and develop high-quality recyclates for demanding applications.”

"With DeSimplify, we combine cutting-edge simulation methods with industrial application, establishing the scientific foundation for more efficient processes and, consequently, high-quality recyclates and a more powerful circular economy."

FFG COMET MODULES

COMET Modules are thematically defined research areas within the COMET Competence Centers Program which carry out excellent top-level research to open up new topics being way beyond the state-of-the-art:

Link to the COMET Modul De Simplify at the COMET Landing Page

Link to the FFG COMET Modul project data DeSimplify at the FFG website

Link to the FFG COMET Modul project data DeSimplify Factsheet PDF at the FFG website

Link to the COMET landing page

Link to the FFG website