Glossary defines the key concepts in apiMAX™

Concept	Definition
apiMAX™	An open development environment for building and running chemical process models.
Calling Model	A case model which integrates a composite items and calls it when it is run.
Case Model	A computer representation of a process or a process area. It is constructed by using parameterized models, which have their attributes defined depending on the respective case.
Composite Model	A parameterized model that is specified as a network of fundamental models and/or other composite models. It is used to represent a single action, activity, or unit operation and it has an associated symbol.
Compound Block
Connector Model	An element used in a composite model to make a connection of an equipment with a stream.
Container
Data depository	A databank stored in the flow sheet of the process, carrying data related with the process, easy to retrieve by the engineer.
Data set	A collection of data, usually presented in tabular form. The data set may comprise data for one or more members, corresponding to the number of rows.
Data item	A named component of a data set corresponding to one row in the data table.
Data Reconciliation	A method to discover inconsistencies between data computed by the model of the process and the data that seems to be in the real process, and to correct them.
DDE	A technology for Dynamic Data Exchange between apiMAX™ and Excel.
Declaring model
Dimensional units
Dynamic Modeling	A representation of a process using various equations/algorithms/process knowledge where time is variable.
Energy Profiles	A study which introduces some changes to a current plant operation, in order to demonstrate improved performance of the process as compared with current operation. Improvement is usually related with lowering operating costs of the process.
Equipment	A process unit where the inlet suffers chemical and/or physical transformation resulting an outlet with different properties. It is a single unit operation or a collection of unit operations and is, physically, a single, self-contained entity
Fundamental Model	A parameterized model, that is specified directly by its transfer function Y = F(X).
Inlet connector
Input	An entrance or change which is inserted into a model and which activate/modify a process.
Interface	A component of an equipment model which specifies the inputs and outputs of that model. The entry/exit points of the interface are the only means of connecting to/from the equipment model when using it in constructing another model (either equipment or process area).
Internal units
Item	The basic building block of the models. It can be a graphical item, such as lines, polygons, texts, or it can be a model, such as composite, or stream, when it gets into the composition of another model.
Iteration sequence	The order in which the composing models must be considered during the solving of the model.
Local Units Settings	A model's specific configuration of units of measure.
Knowledge Modeling	A method for the translation of knowledge into a reusable form using various equations/algorithms.
Method
Model	A mathematical representation of a chemical process.
Parameterized Models	A model that has some of its inputs undefined. Those inputs are defined on a case by case basis, later, when the model is used. Its solely purpose is to be used as a building block for other models.
Process Analysis	Evaluation of an existing process in order to gather data necessary for achieving a specific goal (resolve process issues, increase process knowledge).
Process Area	A collection of process equipments. It can be a subset of an entire process or the entire process.
Process Design	Generates process data necessary for new process construction (new process configurations, new equipment).
Process Optimization	A method to determine configuration and/or process data necessary to maximize or minimize some parameter(s).
Project	A collection of Models and/or Items related in some way.
OLE	Object Linking and Embedding. Microsoft technology that enables the creation of documents by incorporating elements created using different kinds of software.
Outlet connector
Sequence Model
Sensor
Service
Solve Models	Compute the overall outputs of that model given its inputs.
Species	A common name for molecular fragments, ions, etc., as entities being subjected to a chemical process or to a measurement.
Stream Model
Steady-State Modeling	Representation of a process during a specific period/instance of time via the use of various equations/algorithms/process knowledge. In this case, time is not a variable.
Symbol	A graphical representation for a model instance. The symbol can be represented by: 1) an image or 2) a set of basic graphical shape objects, such as line, rectangle, circle, ellipse, text.
Unit operation	The basic step in a process.
Unit Types
Variables/Properties	A quantity which may assume any one of a set of values in a given range. In apiMAX™ are defined input, output and state variable or properties.
What-if-Scenarios	A method to compare the results of a model when a given range of values are modified in the chosen what-if parameters. What-if-scenarios can be performed for costs or duration, to obtain high-end and low-end cost estimates.

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