Fundamental concepts of modelling; The science of simulation
William J. Garland · OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) · 1990
This paper addresses the roles of simulation in science and engineering:the extended calculator, the prototyper and the intuition generation medium. Simulation has emerged as a wing of science that is orthogonal to experimentation and theory. It has the pedestrian role of the extended calculator in that simulation provides a numerical bridge between symbolic theory and hard experimental data. In this role, discovery has been assisted. But, simulation has proved to be more than a super calculator. The nuclear industry and computational fluid dynamics are but two examples of areas that use simulation to replace experimentation (prototyping) for cost and danger reasons. Further, there is an emerging role of graphics and artificial intelligence in the discovery process. Simulation is clearly becoming not only a tool that reduces the tedium, but one that enhances the creative process. The paper looks at the state of the art in thermalhydraulics and considers the emerging trends. A general modelling scheme is proposed and a system view is used to suggest the criteria for 'optimum' simulation models for the working environment.