Sim4me Portal

8/11/2019 Sim4me Portal

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January20, 2011

SimSci-Esscor

SIM4MEPortal 2.0.1with PIPEPHASE 9.5User Guide


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All rights reserved. No part of this documentation shall be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means,

electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,

without the prior written permission of Invensys Systems, Inc. No

copyright or patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the

information contained herein. Although every precaution has been

taken in the preparation of this documentation, the publisher and the

author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any

liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the

information contained herein.

The information in this documentation is subject to change without

notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Invensys

Systems, Inc. The software described in this documentation is

furnished under a license or nondisclosure agreement. This software

may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of these

agreements.

2010 by Invensys Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Invensys Systems, Inc.

26561 Rancho Parkway South

Lake Forest, CA 92630 U.S.A.

(949) 727-3200

http://www.simsci-esscor.com/

For comments or suggestions about the product documentation, send

an e-mail message to

[email protected].

Invensys, Invensys logo,PIPEPHASE, SIM4ME and SimSci-Esscor

are trademark of Invensys plc, its subsidiaries and affiliates.

All other brands may be trademarks of their respective owners.


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Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................. 3

OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................. 4

GETTING STARTED.................................................................................................................................. 5

COMPONENTS OF SIM4ME PORTAL ................................................................................................ 12

SIM4ME PORTAL PANE........................................................................................................................... 12

WORKBOOK.............................................................................................................................................. 15

SIMSCI MENU ........................................................................................................................................... 16

NEW FEATURES IN SIM4ME PORTAL .............................................................................................. 18

CASE STUDY............................................................................................................................................. 18

MULTI SIMULATION LINK........................................................................................................................ 20

MISCELLANEOUS FEATURES..................................................................................................................... 24

HOW TO................................................................................................................................................. 26

FAQS ........................................................................................................................................................... 27

SIM4ME PORTAL CHECKLIST............................................................................................................ 34

UTILITY TO CHECK PORTAL REQUIREMENTS ........................................................................................... 34

CHECKLIST PROCESS FOR PORTAL STARTUP ............................................................................................ 36

MANUAL INSTALL PRE-REQUISITES............................................................................................... 37

DOTNET FRAMEWORK............................................................................................................................. 37

VSTO 2005 SE ........................................................................................................................................ 37

MICROSOFT OFFICE PRIMARY INTEROP ASSEMBLIES (PIAS) ................................................................... 37

EXCEL WORK SHEET SECURITY SETTINGS ................................................................................................ 43

CODE ACCESS SECURITY.......................................................................................................................... 50


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Overview

Overview

SIM4MEPortal provides an Excel interface to PIPEPHASE

TMsoftware. It enables the users

to interact live with a PIPEPHASE simulation model using Excel work sheet without

requiring any knowledge of coding or simulation techniques. SIM4ME Portal allows the userto:

Open a PIPEPHASE simulation file (ppzip file) in Excel work sheet.

Change some defined attributes in the simulation file.

Run the simulation from Excel work sheet.

See the results back in Excel work sheet as well as all appropriate errors and warning

messages.

See the Solution history of the simulation

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Getting Started

Getting Started

SIM4ME Portal can be launched in 4 ways:

1. From within PIPEPHASE software, select View Output->Open SIM4MEPortal.

2. From PIPEPHASE software, click the SIM4ME Portal icon from thePIPEPHASE toolbar.

3. In stand-alone mode, it can be activated through a desktop shortcut or start-menu itemat SIMSCI-->SIM4MEPortal.

4. When a simulation is run through button, the user can launch the portal from the

S4MPortal option available on the Run Simulation and View Results screen.

To launch the SIM4ME Portal from PIPEPHASE software, follow the procedure given

below:

1. Start PIPEPHASE and open any ppzip.

2. From the View Output menu, click Open SIM4ME Portal.

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Getting Started

3. An Open file dialog box appears as shown below.

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Getting Started

4. Enter a name for the new Excel work sheet file and click Open. By default, the nameselected will be the name of the ppzip file. But, you could over-write to suit your

preference.

5. A pop-up message is displayed as shown below.

6. Click Yesto create the SIM4ME Portal.

7. Now, a Flowsheet Explorer containing all attributes of the ppzip appears as shownbelow:

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Getting Started

8. Select the desired variable(s) from the Flowsheet Explorer, drag and drop them ontoany worksheet in the Excel workbook.

9. Modify the simulation variables in the Excel worksheet and click theRunbutton.

10. The simulation (ppzip) with modified values is run from within the Excel work sheetand the output is written back to the Excel worksheet.

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Getting Started

To launch the SIM4ME Portal in stand-alone mode:

1. Click the Startbutton and choose Program Files. From the Program Files list, choose

SIMSCI and select SIM4ME Portal.

2. An Open file dialog is displayed. Enter a name for the new Excel work sheet file andclick Open.

3. A pop-up message is displayed. Click Yes.

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Getting Started

4. A Choose Simulation dialog box is displayed. Browse and select a ppzip file to be

linked to the SIM4ME Portal and click Open.

5. The SIM4ME Portal for the linked ppzip file is opened.

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Getting Started

6. Repeat the steps 8 -10 as mentioned in the above procedure.

Once a SIM4ME Portal is configured as described above, you can just double-click the file to

launch it. The file is launched after selecting the appropriate license.

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Components of SIM4ME Portal


SIM4ME Portal consists of two parts. They are:

SIM4ME Portal Pane Excel Workbook

SIM4ME Por tal Pane

The components of SIM4ME Portal Pane are summarized below:

Feature Description

Flowsheet Explorer The Flowsheet Explorer displays a tree view of the unit

operations and streams available in the flowsheet. The unitoperations and streams are grouped under their respectiveclasses. Each class has a hierarchical structure of entries. Each

unit operation or stream is associated with a parameter group,

which may have one or more parameters associated with thegroup.

The Flowsheet Explorer is a floating window, which can be

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resized and moved to any preferred location.

Run Sequencer Tab The Run Sequencer tab allows the user to define the order of

simulation in which the user wants to execute them. When a

simulation is disconnected, the sequence will be automatically

updated. It contains a list box to define the sequence ofsimulation files.

Linked ParametersTab

If a large number of parameters from the flowsheet explorer aredragged and dropped onto the worksheet, it can become

difficult to quickly locate the parameters in the Excel sheet.

The Linked Parameters tab displays the live linked parameters.

Double-click on any parameter. It will point to the parameters

location in the Excel sheet.

Messages Tab The Messages Tab displays the pre-processing warnings/errorsgenerated by PIPEPHASE software.

Run

Auto Run

The Run button executes the ppzip file from Excel work sheet.

The "Auto-Run" option causes the ppzip to run continuouslywhenever any change is made in the Excel workbook.

User Mode Select this check box to display the portal file from User

Mode. In User Mode, the FS explorer becomes inactive and

new drag-drop to the spreadsheet is prevented.

Filter The Filter button filters the parameters based on the string you

supply. Note that it does not filter at a group level or at a Unitoplevel. In the current implementation, it only filters at the

attribute level.

Example: Enter "Temp" as the string. It gives all instances of

Temp in the Flowsheet Explorer.

Parameters

The input values and output/calculated values of the all the parameters can be identifiedwith an icon in front of the parameter.

Input values for all the Unit Op and Stream parameters will appear with a

BLUE icon for identification.

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Calculated values for all the Unit Op and Stream parameters will appear witha GREENicon for identification.

Color Coding

1. When the input parameters which are drag-dropped on to the excel sheet are

modified, the modified values are shown in RED.2. After hitting the run button, if the PIPEPHASE simulation file converges (Run

completes successfully), the run button is shown in BLUEwith the modified inputparameters returning to BLUEcolor.

3. After hitting the run button, if the PIPEPHASE simulation file does not converge

(Run fails), the run button is shown in REDwith modified input parameters stillin REDcolor.

4. When you do a Restore Input Data, the run button is shown in PINK.

UOM

The current UOM Slate is the current slate in PIPEPHASE flowsheet. You cannot over-

ride the slate in the current phase. You can change the UOM of individual scalarattributes or full vectors by clicking the UOM cell on the worksheet and choose the

option to Change Units or Convert Value.

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Note:Change Units leaves the associated value unchanged when units are changed.

Convert Value converts the value along with the associated units of measure.

Workbook

The Workbook consists of the Solution History worksheet and other worksheets.Variables can be dragged and dropped from Flowsheet Explorer onto any worksheet

except the Solution History worksheet since the SIM4ME Portal program generates it.

Input values can be changed in the worksheets and the simulation can be run byclicking theRunbutton in Flowsheet Explorer.

Parameter Details

It is possible to provide custom descriptions to variables as desired. For example, you

may want to rename F1.Temperature(User Input) as Flash Temp.

When a worksheet has many cells containing variables linked to PIPEPHASE

SOFTWARE and cells containing description modified by the user, it can become very

difficult to identify the variable, which was originally contained in the cell.

Right-click on the cells and select SIM4ME View parameter details to view thedetails of the actual link to PIPEPHASE software.

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SimSci menu

The SIM4ME Portal menu has an additional drop-down menu, SIMSCI. The SIMSCI

menu in the Portal has options to disconnect the SIM4ME Portal from Simulation,Refresh, Add Case Study, Case Studies Layout, Add and Remove Simulation, Stream

Link, Help, and About.

Flowsheet

Explorer

Once the Flowsheet Explorer is closed, it can be invoked from this

option.

Disconnect

Simulations

Disconnects Simulations from the workbook.

Refresh After creating a workbook, it is possible that the user modifies

(from PIPEPHASE software) a PIPEPHASE simulation file such asrenaming a Unitop/stream, deleting a Unitop/stream, or modifyingan input value.

The Refresh option will update the Excel work sheet cells in theSIM4ME Portal with the current values of the PIPEPHASE

simulation file (ppzip).

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Add Case Study This option allows the user to add a case study example.

Case Studies

Layout

This option toggles the format of case study grid arrangement from

Horizontal to Vertical cycles and vice-versa.

Add Simulations This option is used to add a simulation to the portal file.

Remove/Replace

Simulations

To remove/replace simulations in the portal.

Stream Link Stream Link option provides an ability to link vectors like

composition from one simulation to another.

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New Features in SIM4ME Portal


Case Study

This feature allows users to add a Case Study Example. The following steps areperformed to add a Case Study and to work on it.

1. Click on a particular cell in the worksheet and then click onSIMSCI --> Add

Case Studyoption to create a case study example.

2. An empty Case Study grid is created at the selected cell location on the

worksheet with

Runbutton inactive.Deletebutton active selecting delete option removes the case

study grid completely.

3. Drag-drop the parameters on the worksheet cell indicating "Add Param here".

The input parameters are indicated with Blueflag and calculated parametersare indicated with Greenflag on Flowsheet explorer.4. The parameters after being dropped on the case study grid take the appropriate

format as shown below in the snapshot. TheRunbutton gets activated.

5. Provide the case study iterations by entering random value under input

parameter (Blue) column in case study grid.6. As soon as random value is entered in the cell under input parameter column,

case study grid expands and denotes this entered value as CYCLE2. This is

iteration 2 of the case study run.

7. Right-click the cell under input parameter column in case study grid to findthe "SIM4ME - Generate Points" context menu.

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8. Click on SIM4ME - Generate Pointsoption to define the case study cycles.

9. The Define Case Study Cycles dialog box appears using which three different

sets of data can be defined for the case study cycles. As shown in thisexample, one set of three cycles is defined starting with 375 and step size of

10.

10. Click theRunbutton of the Case Study grid.

11. The Case Studies Run Configuration window pops up giving details about the

iterations under execution. The calculated parameters get updatedsimultaneously for changes in the respective input parameters.

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12. Change the "Include/Exclude" Flags from 1 to 0 for columns to exclude aparticular parameter from case study run. Similarly, change the

Run/Exclude flags from 1 to 0 for rows to exclude a particular cycle from

case study run.

13. Click on SIMSCI -> Case Studies Layout.

14. This option toggles the format of case study grid arrangement from Horizontal

to Vertical Cycles and vice-versa. After this, the cycles are shown in columnsand parameters are shown in rows for new case study grid. The rest of the

functionalities are same as described above.

Mul t i Simu lat ion L ink

This feature is used to add a simulation to the portal file. The following steps describe

how to add a simulation:

1. Sim4Me Portal for EX1_LIQUID-PUMP.PPZIP is launched as a starting

condition. Click SIMSCI -> Add Simulations.

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2. Sim4Me Portal - Choose Simulation dialog box will pop up. Select a single

simulation by clicking on it or multiple simulations using the Ctrl key and thenclick Openbutton.

3. When new simulations are added to the portal file, The following changes areseen in the portal file:

New simulations get added to the Flowsheet Explorer in the tree node

The newly added simulations get added in the Simulations Added box

of the Run Sequencer Tab

The mouse hover tool tip when pointed on the name of the simulation

in Flowsheet Explorer tab, it shows complete path of the simulation.

The Run Sequencer Tab has following components:

a. Simulations Added Box:The added simulations are shown in this box.b. Simulation Run Sequencer Box:The simulations to be executed using

Runbutton are shown here.

c. Suppress Warning Checkbox:Warnings during running the simulationare suppressed when this check box is selected.

d. Run Counter field:The defined run sequence completes number of

iterations mentioned in this field.

e. Add Button:Highlighting the simulation from Simulations Added boxand clicking onAddbutton copies the simulation to the Run Sequence.

f. Remove Button:Highlighting the simulation from Simulation RunSequence and usingRemovebutton removes it from the run sequence.

g. Move to Top, Move Up, Move Down, and Move to Bottom Arrows:These arrows are used to re-define the order of run sequence.

The Run Sequencer Tab is shown in the snapshot below:

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4. Drag-drop few parameters from different simulations on the worksheet. The

Linked Parameter tab has following components:a. Unit Class:The Unit class of the parameter dropped on the worksheet is

displayed under this column.b. Unit Name:The Unit Name of the parameter dropped on the worksheet is

displayed under this column.

c. Parameter Name:The name of the parameter dropped on the worksheetis displayed under this column.d. Simulation Name:The complete path of the simulation that the

parameter, when dropped on the worksheet, belongs to is displayed under

this column is displayed under this column.

The design of the Linked parameter tab is as expected. When double-clicked onany of the rows, it points to the respective parameter reference on the worksheet.

5. Run the simulation after defining the run sequence using Run Sequencer tab.

Then the following processes take place:

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a. The simulation under Run Sequence that is being executed is captured in

status bar as shown in snapshot below.

b. The solution history worksheet gets updated in the same order as definedin run sequence.

c. Messages that appear during Run are captured in Messages tab.d. If any of the files is not converged, a confirmation message "Do you want

to continue?" pops up. Select Yesto continue to the next simulation in run

sequence and selectNoto stop the Run activity completely.e. The files which converge are indicated in Bluecolor on Run Sequence

Section while the failed files are shown in Redcolor.

6. Click on theRemove/Replace Simulationsoption under SIMSCI menu. The

following process takes place:

a. Option to select the simulations to be removed/replaced pops up as shown

in the snapshot below.

b. After clicking on OKbutton, the Flowsheet explorer tree nodecorresponding to that particular simulation vanishes.

c. If there are any parameters on the worksheet corresponding to the

simulations removed, they get grayed out until they are added back.d. The names of the simulations removed get removed from the run

sequencer tab and linked parameter tab.e. The names of the simulations replaced get replaced with the run sequencer

tab and linked parameter tab.

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f. If the simulations are added back to the portal file using "Add

simulations", they appear only in the Simulations added section of the runsequencer tab.

Miscel laneous Features

1. Stream Link Feature:This feature can be accessed by clicking on a particular cell inthe worksheet and clicking on SIMSCI -> Stream Linkoption to link a vector like stream

composition vector from one simulation to another. As part of the ability to handle

multiple simulations, linked simulations have the ability to link an output vector streamfrom a simulation earlier in the sequence to an input vector in a simulation later in the

sequence.

When two vectors like composition vectors from different simulations are

connected, the composition of components gets connected via Excel worksheet formulas, which are left for users to connect as per their choice.

Whenever users run the early simulation, the associated streamcomposition data gets automatically passed to the later simulations by

using the provided Excel work sheet formulas.

This linking is useful mostly in cases where large number of elements is

present in the stream vector.

For large vectors, if the linking is performed outside the Stream Link grid,the performance of the application slows down. To help users connect the

large vectors efficiently, Stream Link feature is quite useful.

As shown in the snapshot below, the output Vector needs to be dropped

into the second column of the stream link grid whereas input vector needs

to be dropped into the forth column. The Excel work sheet formula linking

can be done as per users choice. By default, there is no formula linkbetween the two vectors.

Clicking on theDelSL#1button, user will get options to select either one

of the vectors or both the vectors. Selecting the Both Streams optionwill clear the stream link grid from the worksheet.

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2. Macro Support:Sim4Me Portal 2.0.1 provides macro support which enables click onRunbutton. Any portal 2.0.1 file when prepared consists of a pre-defined macro

RunMacro. Users can call this macro in their pre-defined macro, which enables theclick onRunbutton of the Document Action. When theRunbutton is clicked using

macro, the run sequence under Run Sequencer tab gets executed.

3. Ability to select Individual vector elements:Portal 2.0.1 allows the selections of

individual elements of a vector such as individual components in a stream, rather than all

components of the stream.

4. Make Run button always visible:Portal 2.0.1 keeps Run button static so that it is

always visible, no matter how much the variable tree is expanded.

5. Ensure Forward Compatibility of Portal files:Portal 2.0.1 supports forward

migration of all Portal files. Any portal file, which is prepared using versions prior toPortal 2.0, gets automatically upgraded when tried to open in Portal 2.0.1. A backup of

the original portal file is kept as _v11.xls at the same location that could be opened in the

previous version of Sim4Me Portal.

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How To

How to open an already linked SIM4ME Portal file?

Double-click the Excel work sheet file you created. It will open up and automaticallylaunch the Flowsheet Explorer for the ppzip. (OR) In SIM4ME Portal, select an already

created workbook.

How to launch "SIM4ME Portal" in stand-alone mode?

Go to Start-->Program Files-->SIMSCI--> SIM4MEPortal

How to open the SIM4ME Portal if location/name of the files get changed?

a. Open SIM4ME Portal, Book1.xls. (This has already been configured from

a1.ppzip.)b. This action will try to connect to PIPEPHASE Server.

c. If the associated simulation file does not exist at the original location/the file is

renamed, then following message pop-up saying associated simulation file ismissing.

d. Click OK. New message box pops up to replace the missing simulation as below.


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SIM4ME Portal Checklist

FAQs

Q1) Can I switch between PIPEPHASE GUI and Portal for data entry?A) No. You cannot work simultaneously. You need to end the Portal session before

working on PIPEPHASE GUI.

Q2) Why does the error message - File cannot be opened. Portal is working in

this directory appear? Why am I unable to open any file?

A) If PORTAL.STP is present in the folder, the above error message comes. Itappears due to 2 reasons:

i. The user has active session of Portal in that folder and is trying to re-openanother file in the same folder. It is not allowed and PORTAL.STP file stops

to proceed further. If you want to open another file, close the Portal and the

simulation before opening a new simulation.ii. The other reason could be abnormal termination or crash and PORTAL.STP is

not cleaned up from the folder. The solution is to either delete the

PORTAL.STP file manually or use Stop button on Run Simulation and ViewResults window.

Q3)How to operate the Standalone mode of Portal using PIPEPHASE input file

(.INP)?A) You can launch Standalone Portal from Start\Programs\...\PIPEPHASE

9.5\SIM4ME Portal. The Portal asks you to select an INPUT file to be linked. Change

the parameters, Run and Close the Portal file (name.xls). It asks Do you want to savename.xls?. Click Yesto save the changes. It confirms, Do you want to save

simulation file?. It does not update the input file for any option. The input file

remains unchanged. When the Portal file (name.xls) is re-opened, it detects the

changes and displays the following message: The Portal has value which is differentfrom the simulation file. Do you want to retain the Excel work sheet value?

Q4)How to operate the Standalone mode of Portal using PIPEPHASE database

file (.PPZIP)?A) You can launch Standalone Portal from Start\Programs\...\PIPEPHASE

9.5\SIM4ME Portal. The Portal allows you to select a PPZIP file to be linked. Changethe parameters, Run and Close the Portal file (name.xls). It asks Do you want to save

name.xls? Click Yes to save the changes. It again asks, Do you want to save

simulation file. Click Yes to update the PPZIP file. The Portal file and database file(.PPZIP) will have same values.

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Q5) Is Database association equivalent when running from standalone portal or

from GUI?

A)No, it is not equivalent. When the Portal is launched from GUI, the Portal file is

always connected to .INP database. Alternatively, when the Portal workbook is

created in standalone mode, it is either connected to .PPZIP or .INP database. If the

Portal file is connected to .PPZIP database in standalone mode, a database conflicterror appears on opening the same file from GUI and appending it. This is a limitation

and the workaround is to connect standalone Portal workbook with .INP database in

order to open the Portal file from GUI.

Q6)Can I open old PPZIP file (created before version 9.4) using standalone

portal?

A) No. You will get the error "Database migration for older versions not supported -

Try opening problem in GUI to convert".

Q7) In PIPEPHASE Output Units of Measurement options, I have selected the

option "Add to Standard Output". But, I always see the values shown in OutputSlate in SIM4ME Portal. Why?

A) At this point, by default only one Output UOM Slate is supported in SIM4MEPortal.

Q8)How are the Optimization parameters (Decision variable, Objective

Parameters or Constraints) are defined in Portal?

A) Optimization parameters (Decision variable, Objective Parameters or Constraints)

which are characters are shown in one cell in the Portal. Then, you have to define thestatus of the decision variable as 0 or 1 and its value in the next row. For example,

the second decision variable is defined in GUI as Compressor E003- Set Power-Relative perturbation=0.001. The portal displays this as-

DECI0002.Item E003

DECI0002.Attribute SET POWER

DECI0002.Status of Decision

Variable

1

DECI0002.Relative Perturbation 0.001

Q9)When SIM4ME Portal is launched from Standalone mode to any

PIPEPHASE file, will I be able to launch the same file using PIPEPHASE

Software?

A) No.

Q10)Which PIPEPHASE Software features are not supported in Portal?A) Gas Lift Analysis, Nodal Analysis, Line Sizing, Link Plots (P or T vs. Distance),Link Profile, Flow pattern and TACITE are not supported in the Portal.

Q11) Can I change global defaults or calculation methods from the Portal?

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A) No, you cannot change all global defaults or calculation methods from portal,

since you cannot change pressure drop correlations or inside diameters at global level.However, you can change some of the global parameters such as number of iterations,

standard pressure and temperature, minimum/maximum pressure and temperature

limits, tolerance etc.

Q12) Where can I see the run time messages?

A) The Portal does not display any run time messages. After completing the run, you

need go to Messages tab to see the run time messages.

Q13) Does Portal check the range or validity of the data?

A) No. It checks the ranges for pressure, temperature, pipe ID and pipe length. Thebad data input can make PIPEPHASE API Serverunstable.

Q14) Is there any difference in results when run from GUI and Portal for

multiple times?

A) No. Both are same. Only difference is that GUI always starts from initialestimates, whereas Portal takes the last results as initial estimate for next run.

Q15)Why Description and Value cells cannot have different alignmentformat?A) As Description and Value cells for an attribute are clubbed together. Theycannot have different alignment format once the attribute is dropped on the excel

worksheet. However, a workaround is available. The user can pre-format the

alignment of the cells where he wishes to drop the attribute (Scalar or Vector) toachieve the required alignment and then drop the attribute.

Q16)Do I need to check Excel work sheet Security Option for Running Sim4MePortal?A) Yes. The following needs to be checked prior to running Sim4Me Portal.In ExcelToolsMacroSecurityTrusted PublishersTrust Access to Visual

Basic Project, turn this flag ON.

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Q17) Is the Horizontal Scroll bar implemented in FS explorer?

A)Currently there is no Horizontal Scroll bar implemented in FS explorer. Very largecaptioned items and their attributes may not be visible properly.

Q18) Can I search for a link say "LINK" or a Source say "S001" or an attribute

say TEMPERATURE" on the Flow sheet Explorer?

A) Yes. In this case, type in the first few letters of the string in the Filter search boxplaced on the FS explorer. You will get the filtered results in the FS explorer. Notethat you need to expand all the nodes of the FS explorer to see the filtered results.

Q19) What are the drag-drop restrictions in SIM4ME Portal?

A) a. Multiple drag-drop of various groups and/or various attributes is not currentlysupported. Individual items must be dragged and dropped one by one onto the

spreadsheet from FS explorer.

b. While dragging and dropping a vector onto the spreadsheet, you cannot selectindividual elements of the vector. The current version of SIM4Me Portal allows only

drag-drop of complete vector.

Q20)What are the limitations present in Excel work sheet functionalities?A)Normal Excel work sheet functionalities like Cut and Paste are not supported for

vectors. If these operations are performed using keyboard shortcuts like "Ctrl+X" and

"Ctrl+V"; there would not be any message but the procedure will fail to copy theunits, as the UOM control would remain in the original cell.

The Copy and Paste operation, however, does not give any message when used either

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through keyboard shortcuts or right-click options. It merely copies the parameter and

pastes it in another place. The pasted value does not have any link with the copiedparameter. Sim4Me portal does not treat it as a live variable. So any changes made to

the actual parameter will not be reflected in the pasted parameter.

It is advised as of now to not to use Cut, Copy and Paste functionalities for vectors inthis version.

Q21) I dragged and dropped a vector attribute onto an empty cell just below

scalar attribute, but it is gives me a message Existing parameter reference

would be overwritten Why?

A)The vector attribute requires two cells above the location of dropping to place thevector heading and vector UOM. If you drop just one cell below the scalar attribute,

this message will pop-up. Please drop the vector two cells below scalar.

Q22) Can I drag/drop whole folder from Flowsheet Explorer to cells?

A) No. You have to drag/drop each parameter one by one.

Q23) What should I do when a Portal file is emailed from another PC to my PC?

A) When a Portal file is emailed from another PC to your PC, you should not double-

click the Portal file. The Portal file should be saved at any location on your PC. You

should then start Portal in stand-alone mode using this Portal file and direct it to thePIPEPHASE file that it is trying to connect. Double-clicking the emailed portal file

would fail to connect to simulation. Ensure to link a PIPEPHASE file before

proceeding.

Q24) If any Pop-up window comes over UOM control, then the image shadows

UOM control formatting. What should I do?

A) To restore the UOM control, just drag the mouse pointer over the damaged UOM

control.

Q25)What Operating System specifications do I need to have on my machinebefore installing Sim4Me Portal?A) SIM4ME Portal is supported on Win 2000, Win 2003 & Win XP. Microsoft Excel2003 Professional with SP2 is required.

Q26) Is there any sample Portal file to get user started? If yes, how to use the

sample file?

A) Yes. It is available in ..\User\Samples\Portal folder

Q27) Does Portal work for all license security types?

A) No, Portal works only for Flexlm 9.5 and USB security licenses.

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Q28) Does PIPEPHASE Portal co-exist with Pro/II-Portal?

A) Yes, it co-exists. But, you cannot open and run PIPEPHASE-Portal andPRO/II-Portal simultaneously. Also, you cannot open PRO/II-Portal file using

PIPEPHASE Portal and vice-versa.

Q29) When you Zoom in/Zoom out on the Portal Worksheet, text on UOMwidget is invisible. What should I do?

A)This is a limitation on Portal that when you Zoom in/Zoom out on the Portal

Worksheet; text on UOM widget is invisible. To view the text on UOM widgetproperly, you should set 100% zoom on the Portal worksheet.

Q30) What happens if you drag-drop scalars underneath vectors for which the

length may change?A) If you drag-drop scalars underneath vectors for which the length may change then

their arrangement/format will be disturbed. It is advisable to drop scalars abovesuch vector.

Q31)What will happen when MS Office is installed after installing SIMSCI

application using Portal module?

A) While installing SIMSCI application using Portal module, portal requires some

pre-requisites like proper version of MS Office to be installed before installing Portal

module. If required MS Office version is not available at the time of installation,SIMSCI application will display the message "the required MS office version is not

available" and hence it will not work.

To make it work, user will have to install required MS Office version in the machine.Then user is required to go to Add/Remove programs and modify the SIMSCI

application install to update the Portal module.

Q32) How to make Global Changes for Link Elements from Portal?

A)Use GFROM and GNETWORK (under Global Changes tree) to make the globalchanges in the network.

If the user needs to change the link devices value from a certain value x to y, user

need to enter the required values in GFROMandGNETWORK. If the user needs to

change the link devices value globally, then user is required to keep the GFROMvalue as 0 and change the value in GNETWORK.When the user runs the simulation, both the GFROM and GNETWORK values will

be reset to 0.

Q33) Where can I see the manifold unit in Portal?

A)Manifold unit is visible under Junctions node in Portal. Only manifold valves withactive connection (Status 2) are shown. All valves with 0 or 1 status are not shown in

Portal.

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Portal provides Excel work sheet interface to our products. It uses the following Microsoft

products and installs:

1. Microsoft Excel 2003 Professional with SP2 or Excel 2007 or Excel 2010

2. .Net Framework 2.0 Service Pack 13. Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Office Runtime, Second Edition

4. Microsoft Office 2003/2007 Primary Interop Assemblies

After the installs, Portal runs the Code Access Security Tool (Caspol.exe), which

provides FullTrust to the Portal Dlls and executables. Portal also requires certainsecurity settings with respect to ActiveX, Macro and VBA in Excel work sheet.

Portal checks for existence of Microsoft Excel work sheet before installing the program.

It also installs .Net Framework, VSTO and Office PIAs (#2, 3 and 4). Portal runs intoissues when all/a few of these pre-requisites are not installed or the security settings are

not according to the Portals requirements. You can manually check whether these pre-

requisites are installed by opening Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel, (StartControl PanelAdd/Remove Programs) for the following programs:

In Microsoft Vista, .Net Framework 2.0 Service Pack 1 is installed as a part of theoperating system; so you will not find it in Add/Remove programs. Also, Primary Interop

Assemblies are not required if Office 2010 is installed.

Integrations team has developed a utility to check for the installation pre-requisites andPortal requirements. These checks are also done during Portal startup.

Uti l ity to Check Portal Requ irements

The utility (Portal_PrerequisitesCheck.exe) is deployed along with this document with

the product (in the ..Portal\Bin area). This utility creates the report text file

(PORTAL_Check.txt) in the same directory where the executable resides.Run this utility and then examine the report to diagnose the problem. A sample report is

shown below.

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Checking for Portal Pre-requisites ...

20:00:40-10/03/2010; Checking for Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 ...

20:00:40-10/03/2010; Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 installed - OK

20:00:40-10/03/2010; Checking for Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Office Runtime...

20:00:40-10/03/2010; Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Office Second Edition Runtime installed - OK

20:00:40-10/03/2010; Checking for active Microsoft Excel work sheet Version ...

20:00:42-10/03/2010; Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007. Office Version 12.0.6425.1000 - Valid for

PORTAL

20:00:42-10/03/2010; Checking for the MS Office PIA's installation...20:00:42-10/03/2010; Microsoft Office 2007 Primary Interop Assemblies installed - OK

20:00:42-10/03/2010; Checking for Microsoft Office Policy dll's...

20:00:42-10/03/2010; required security policy dlls are present - OK

20:00:42-10/03/2010; Checking for Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007 Excel work sheet Settings..

20:00:42-10/03/2010; Trust Access to the VBA in Excel work sheet is Checked20:00:42-10/03/2010; Excel Macros are disabled. Please enable Macros (see section 2.4 in

Sim4MePortal_Checklist.doc)20:00:42-10/03/2010; ActiveX settings for Excel work sheet are disabled. Please enable ActiveX (see section 2.4

in Sim4MePortal_Checklist.doc)

20:00:42-10/03/2010; Checking for Installed Office Language ...

20:00:42-10/03/2010; Installed Office Language English

20:00:42-10/03/2010; Checking for the Sim4me Portal versions installation...

20:00:42-10/03/2010; Sim4me Portal 2.0.1 Installed at location - D:\SIMSCI\SIM4MEPortal201 - Valid path

20:00:42-10/03/2010; Checking Caspol permissions for Portal 2.0.1 ...

20:00:43-10/03/2010; 1.7. Url - *: FullTrust Portal2.0.1 - OK

Following checks are for information purpose ...

20:00:43-10/03/2010; Checking for Operating System version ...

20:00:43-10/03/2010; WIN_XP X86 Service Pack 3-English

20:00:43-10/03/2010; Checking for the System Regional Language settings...20:00:43-10/03/2010; Regional Language settings are set to ENU(United States)

20:00:43-10/03/2010; Checking for the SIMSCI CFI versions installation...

20:00:43-10/03/2010; CFI 3.2 Installed at location - D:\SIMSCI\SIMSCICFI32 - Valid path20:00:43-10/03/2010; CFI 3.2 PVUom.ocx registered

20:00:43-10/03/2010; CFI 4.0 (VC071x32) Installed at location - D:\SIMSCI\SIMSCICFI40 - Valid path20:00:43-10/03/2010; CFI 4.0 PVUom.ocx registered20:00:43-10/03/2010; CFI 4.0 (VC090x32) directory not found

20:00:43-10/03/2010; Checking for Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable...

20:00:43-10/03/2010; Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable, SP(0) installed

20:00:43-10/03/2010; Checking for Machine User Account Control settings...

20:00:43-10/03/2010; Unable to determine the User Account Control Settings

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For any further clarification, contact the SIMSCI technical support team.

Checkl ist Process fo r Portal Startup

Portal code checks for the following settings each time it is installed from the product

GUI or in the standalone mode:

1. VSTO 2005 SE2. Microsoft Office PIAs

3. Excel work sheet Security settings

If any of the setting is not installed, Portal will exit with a message describing the issue

and the procedure to fix it.

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Manual Install Pre-Requisites

DotNet Framework

In the program files, locate NetFx20SP1_x86.exe or dotnetfx.exe in theISSetupPrerequisites folder. Double-click this setup file to install the DotNetFramework.

VSTO 2005 SE

Double-click the setup file vstor.exe from the folder VSTO2.0SE located at the following

path: \supportdir\ThirdPartyUtilities\VSTO2.0SE to install the Visual Studio 2005

Tools.

Micros oft Off ice Primary Interop As semb l ies (PIAs )

Install Microsoft Office PIAs only if Office 2003 or Office 2007 is installed.

Note: Office 2010 does not require these PIAs.

Check for .NET Programmability Support

Check if .NET Programmability Support is selected for Excel work sheet. To check

this, follow the procedure given below:1. Go to Control Panel

2. Select Add or Remove Programs3. Select Microsoft Office 2003 or 2007 and click ChangeNote that the procedure to check .NET Programmability Support is different based on the

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Microsoft Office 2003

To check .NET Programmability Support in Microsoft Office 2003, follow the steps

listed below:

1. Select the Add or Remove Features option as shown in the figure below.

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2. Select the Choose advanced customization of applications check box as

shown in the figure below.

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3. If .NET Programmability Support is not installed,

( ) then select it from the Microsoft OfficeExcel work sheet drop-down menu.

4. Select Run from My Computer and click Update as shown in the figurebelow.

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Microsoft Office 2007

To check .NET Programmability Support in Microsoft Office 2007, follow the procedure

given below.

1. Select the Add or Remove Features option as shown in the figure below.

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2. If .NET Programmability Support is not installed,

( ) then select it from the Microsoft OfficeExcel work sheet drop-down menu.

3. Select Run from My Computer and click Continue as shown in the figurebelow.

Installing Microsoft Office PIAs

To install Microsoft Office 2003 PIAs, run the o2003pia.msi file from the following

path: ..\supportdir\ThirdPartyUtilities\O2003PIA

To install Microsoft Office 2007 PIAs, run the o2007pia.msifile from the following

path: ..\supportdir\ThirdPartyUtilities\O2007PIA

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Excel work s heet Securi ty Sett ing s

Excel 2003

Portal requires Macros to be enabled and access to VBA projects granted. In Excel 2003,the following steps illustrate the procedure to change the settings(ExcelToolsOptionsSecurityMacroSecurity).

1. From the Tools menu, select Optionsas shown below. An Options window

appears.

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2. In the Options window, under the Securitytab, click the Macro Securitybutton. A Security window appears as shown below.

3. In the Security window, select the Low. You are not protected from

potentially unsafe macros. Use this setting only if you have virus scanning

software installed, or you have checked the safety of all the documents youopen. option under the Security Leveltab.

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4. In the Security window, select the Trust all installed add-ins and templatesand Trust access to Visual Basic Project options.

5. To confirm change, click OK.

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Excel 2007/2010

If Excel 2007/2010 is installed then, in addition to Macros and VBA access Portal

requires ActiveX controls to be enabled. The following path shows the procedure tochange the settings:

(OptionsTrust CenterTrust Center SettingsMacro Settings / ActiveXSettings).

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3. In the Trust Centre window, under theActiveX Settingstab, select the Prompt

me before enabling Unsafe for Initialization (UFI) controls with additional

restrictions and Safe for Initialization (SFI) controls with minimal restrictionsand then click OK.

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Note: If the user does not have permission to change these settings then add user folder

(or folder where xls file resides) to the trusted locations in Excel work sheet (Options Trust CenterTrust Center SettingsTrusted Locations).

4. In the Trust Center window, under the Trusted Locationstab, click the Add

new locationbutton.

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5. Browse and click the user folder and select the Subfolders of this location arealso trusted check box as shown in the image below.

Code Acc ess Secur i ty

When you run the utility Portal_PrerequisitesCheck.exe and in the generated report fileyou see the following message then run the utility CaspolPortal.exe from the ..\Portal\Bin

area.

Portalx.x is not granted FullTrust permission

Sim4me Portal

Documents