SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SIMULATION, MODELING AND SCHEDULING OF EQUIPMENT PREPARATION IN BATCH PROCESS MANUFACTURING FACILITIES

• US 20020035457A1
• Filed: 08/13/1999
• Published: 03/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Peter G. Brown
• Original Assignee: Peter G. Brown
• Inventors: BROWN, PETER G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,043,414 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/6
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/0006 Controlling or regulating processes controlling or regulating in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00006 Large-scale industrial plants
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00015 Scale-up
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00029 Batch processes
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 17/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/00 Programme-control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/19 characterised by positioning or contouring control systems, e.g. to control position from one programmed point to another or to control movement along a programmed continuous path
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41885 characterised by modeling, simulation of the manufacturing system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32234 Maintenance planning
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32354 Divide, analyse process into subprocesses, until elementary unit operations
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32361 Master production scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32364 Simulate batch processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/04 Manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/30 Computing systems specially adapted for manufacturing

Abstract

A method and system for simulating, modeling and scheduling equipment preparation procedures in the biopharmaceutical production process is described herein. The use of process vessels in batch process manufacturing is optimized through the use of peak load scheduling frames. The system and method includes the steps of identifying soiled process components and their associated equipment preparation procedures. After the soiled process components are identified, a master list of soiled process components and their associated equipment preparation procedures is generated. After the soiled process components and the equipment preparation procedures are identified, the equipment preparation procedures are scheduled out based on preparation equipment protocols to generate a equipment preparation load summary table. Next, the size and capacity of the preparation equipment is determined based on the information in the load summary table. After the size and capacity of the preparation equipment is determined, an equipment preparation time line is generated.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling and simulating solution equipment preparation in a batch process manufacturing facility, comprising the steps:

(1) determining equipment preparation procedures associated with solution preparation equipment;

(2) generating a master list of soiled process components to be prepared by said equipment preparation procedures;

(3) generating an equipment preparation load table based on tasks in a biopharmaceutical production process; and

(4) generating an equipment preparation time line that schedules said solution equipment preparation in said equipment preparation procedures.