Discontinuous Processing

Prior to the middle 1980s, batch control systems were expensively assembled using various combinations of minicomputers, distributed control systems, and programmable controllers. A complete control system must be able to accommodate both batch and continuous processes to optimize the whole business plan. To do this, a plant's batch processing operations ought to be integral with the balance of the many continuous portions of that plant. The procedural control model of the SP88 defines what equipment to use, and when to use it. It involves the methods of production, the sequence of operations, the control strategies, and the safety overrides necessary to protect personnel, equipment, and product. The recipe model portion of the SP88 standard involves everything about the product being made through all the procedures and use of equipment. The recipe is the orchestration of the other model components and the direct driving force behind the control system.