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Integrated modeling and symbolic manipulation is leveraged for the derivation, construction, maintenance, and reuse of application-independent models. Related models created for different applications share a common ancestry and maintain model consistency while enabling the models to share informati

Integrated modeling and symbolic manipulation is leveraged for the derivation, construction, maintenance, and reuse of application-independent models. Related models created for different applications share a common ancestry and maintain model consistency while enabling the models to share information about the process. Environment independent proper ancestor models (PAMs) are created for generic components of a process, such as a distillation or flash column. Models underlying an application may be comprised of various representations of multiple such processes corresponding to many different physical components. PAMs contain symbolic representations of different sub processes that occur within a process or component. A user makes assumptions about the component, by indicating how sub processes are to be considered or not considered. PAMs are then modified in accordance with the assumptions to derive a specific environment model (SEM).

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What is claimed is: 1. A computer implemented method of creating process models, the method comprising: selecting a symbolic generic model for a component represented in a symbolic language; choosing assumptions about a component to be modeled; and applying the assumptions to the symbolic generic m

What is claimed is: 1. A computer implemented method of creating process models, the method comprising: selecting a symbolic generic model for a component represented in a symbolic language; choosing assumptions about a component to be modeled; and applying the assumptions to the symbolic generic model to derive a component specific model reflecting the assumptions; and storing the component specific model on a computer-readable medium. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the symbolic generic model comprises symbolic representations that are environment independent. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the component specific model reflects an environment of the process to be modeled. 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the symbolic language is selected from the group consisting of Mathematica, Axiom, MAPLE and ADIFOR. 5. The method of claim 1 and further comprising maintaining a log of assumptions and applied model transformations. 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the symbolic generic model comprises a proper ancestor model. 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the component specific model comprises a specific environment model. 8. The method of claim 1 wherein multiple specific models are derived from multiple symbolic generic models corresponding to multiple components in a process or manufacturing facility. 9. The method of claim 1 wherein the symbolic generic model is a flash column. 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the symbolic generic model comprises representations of parameters selected from the group consisting of a rate of change of the mass of vapor, rate of change of a mass of liquid, energy change of a vapor, energy change of a liquid, pressure equilibrium correlation, thermal equilibrium correlation, vapor and liquid enthalpy equations, equal pressure, gas law, and volume correlation. 11. The method of claim 1 wherein the assumptions about the component to be modeled are chosen from a log of assumptions. 12. A system for creating process models, the system comprising: means for selecting a symbolic generic model for a component represented in a symbolic language; means for choosing assumptions about a component to be modeled; means for applying the assumptions to the symbolic generic model to derive a component specific model reflecting the assumptions; and means for storing the component specific model on a computer-readable medium. 13. The system of claim 12 wherein the symbolic generic model comprises symbolic representations that are environment independent. 14. The system of claim 13 wherein the component specific model reflects the environment of a process being modeled. 15. The system of claim 12 and further comprising maintaining a log of assumptions and applied model transformations. 16. The system of claim 12 wherein the symbolic generic model comprises a proper ancestor model. 17. The system of claim 12 wherein the component specific model comprises a specific environment model. 18. The system of claim 12 wherein multiple component specific models are derived from multiple symbolic generic models corresponding to multiple components in a process or manufacturing facility. 19. The system of claim 18 wherein the symbolic generic component comprises representations of parameters for a flash column selected from the group consisting of a rate of change of the mass of vapor, rate of change of a mass of liquid, energy change of a vapor, energy change of a liquid, pressure equilibrium correlation, thermal equilibrium correlation, vapor and liquid enthalpy equations, equal pressure, gas law, and volume correlation. 20. A computer readable medium having instructions for causing a computer to perform a method of creating process models, the method comprising: selecting a symbolic generic model for a component represented in a symbolic language; choosing assumptions about a component to be modeled; applying the assumptions to the symbolic generic model to derive a component specific model reflecting the assumptions; and storing the component specific model on a computer-readable medium. 21. A development environment for process modeling comprising: a set of generic models, each comprising a environment independent symbolic representation of a component; an interface that provides selectable environment specific assumptions for each component to be modeled; and a set of environment specific representations of the components derived from the generic models based on the assumptions.