OTS jargon and definitions

It is very important to clarify some definitions at the beginning of this book as there is a mix-up in the industry, and many terms are used interchangeably; for example, Initial Conditions (ICs) and snapshots, snapshots and backtracks, scenarios and ICs, and more.

While the nuclear and thermal power OTS industries have standards, the oil and gas, chemical, pharmaceutical, and, in general, process OTS industries do not have one. Perhaps this chapter can serve as a starting point to achieve this; therefore, in this chapter, there will be more concentration toward OTS projects within these industries.

Nuclear power plant simulators are used for operator training and examination. The standard is ANS-3.5-2018 and can be found on the American Nuclear Society website at https://www.techstreet.com/ans/standards/ans-3-5-2018?product_id=2090333.

This link was valid at the time of writing. If the link does not work, you can try searching for the standard name Nuclear power plant simulators for use in operator training and examination.

Additionally, there are fossil fuel power plant simulators – the functional requirements standard is ANSI/ISA 77.20.01-2012 and can be found on the American National Standards Institute website at https://webstore.ansi.org/Standards/ISA/ANSIISA7720012012.

This link was valid at the time of writing. If the link does not work, you can try to search for the standard name Fossil Fuel Power Plant Simulators – functional requirements.

Next, we will look at the jargon terms used in the process industry regarding OTS projects. I will explain each one so that we have a baseline definition to remove any vagueness around these established terms in the industry.