Mathematical Modelling

Abstract

Systems are usually designed to meet some type of specification—for example, position and velocity requirements, product composition, temperature, pressure and flow requirements—and in order to achieve this design, methods or techniques are employed from the particular branch of engineering involved; in our case this usually means electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and chemical engineering. In most cases only steady-state design methods are used. This results in a system that will produce the required specification in idealised conditions or circumstances only—that is, in theory only—because the design techniques are not exact, but are based usually on simplified empirical formulae; disturbances upon the system are neglected, as also are variations in the raw materials that are to be used in the process.