Simulation Techniques

Paulus Tangkere
Industrial Model Simulation
Session 4

Simulation
Imitation of reality.
to understand the behavior of a
system.
to insure that we are doing the
right thing.

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Simulation Modeling

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The process of designing and creating a

computerized model of a real or
proposed system for the purpose of
numerical experiment to develop
better understanding of the
behavior/dynamics of that system under
a given set of conditions.
Simulation is a powerful tool for design,
modeling, analysis, and optimization of
systems.

Simulation Process

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Start
Initialization
Routine

Main
Program

Timing
Routine

Event
Routine

Library
Routine

Is
simulation
over?

Report
Generator
Stop

Systems Modeling and

Simulation Steps

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Elements of Simulation
Model

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1. Entities: items being processed by and flow

through the system, e.g. parts, cars, customers
2. Attributes: properties/characteristics assigned
to entities, e.g. part types, time arrived in a
queue
3. Variables: changeable quantities defined to
reflect the characteristics of the system, e.g. we
may define two state variables for a M/M/1
system:
Server status (states): idle or busy
Number of items waiting in queue

Elements of Simulation
Model

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4. Events: an event is an occurrence of something

that changes the state of the system (e.g. arrival

or departure of a customer in a M/M/1 system)
5. Resources: means by which to process entities
(e.g. machines, operators, fork-trucks)
6. Queues (buffers, waiting lines): storage space for
entities waiting for required resource)
7. Activities/processes: an activity is a period of
time during which an entity (entities) is serviced
(e.g. processed or transferred). The duration of
an activity is known a priori, and can be
scheduled (e.g. processing time, transfer time)

Elements of Simulation
Model

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8. Statistical accumulators: variables that collect

and keep track of statistics during the progress of

simulation to obtain required output performance
measures.
9. Simulation clock: a mechanism to keep track of
current (simulated) time in a simulation. It lurches
from the time of one event to the time of next
event.

Case Service Station

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A customer who arrives and finds the server idle enters

service immediately and the service times are random
variables that are independent of the inter-arrival times. A
customer who arrives and finds the server busy joins the
end of a single queue. Upon completing service for a
customer, the server chooses a customer from the queue
(if any) in FIFO manner.
The simulation will begin in the empty-and-idle state (no
customers are present and the server is idle).

Case Service Station

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Case Service Station

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Case Service Station

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Case Service Station

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Case Service Station

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Case Service Station

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