Week 13 - Simulation

https://engineering.purdue.edu/~engelb/abe565/week13.htm

Week 13 - Simulation
Assignment:
Review this document. Find and review a journal article that describes the development of a simulation and its application. Provide a brief written review (due Mon Dec 1).

Introduction to Simulation
Simulation is a tool that has been commonly used to assist with systems analysis. Simulation is still widely used and is often use in combination with other techniques that we have examined - including linear programming, expert systems, and neural networks. In its broadest sense, computer simulation is the process of designing a mathematical-logical model of a real system and experimenting with this model on a computer. Thus simulation encompasses a model building process as well as the design and implementation of an appropriate experiment involving that model. These experiments or simulations, permit inferences to be drawn about systems: Without building them, if they are only prototyped systems Without disturbing them, if they are operating systems that are costly or unsafe to experiment with Without destroying them, if the object of an experiment is to determine their limits of stress In this way, simulation models can be used for design, procedural analysis, and performance assessment. Simulation modeling assumes that we can describe a system in terms acceptable to a computing system. In this regard, a key concept is that of a system state description. If a system can be characterized by a set of variables, with each combination of variable values representing a unique state or condition of the system, then manipulation of the variable values simulates movement of the system from state to state. A simulation experiment involves observing the dynamic behavior of a model by moving from state to state in accordance with well-defined operating rules designed into the model. Changes in the state of a system can occur continuously over time or at discrete instants in time. The discrete instants can be established deterministically or stochastically depending on the nature of model inputs. Although the procedures for describing the dynamic behavior of discrete and continuous change models differ, the basic concept of simulating a system by portraying the changes in the state of the system over time remains the same.

Example - Simulation of a Bank Teller

As an example of the concept of simulation, the processing of customers by a teller at a bank will be considered. Customers arrive at the bank, wait for service by the teller if the teller is busy, are served, and then depart the system. Customers arriving to the system when the teller is busy wait in a single queue in front of the teller. For simplicity, assume that the time of arrival of a customer and the service time by the teller for each customer are known and are shown below. Our objective is to manually simulate the above system to determine the percent of time the teller is idle and the average time a customer spends at the bank.
Customer # 1 2 3 Time of Arrival (Minutes) 3.2 10.9 13.2 Service Time (Minutes) 3.8 3.5 4.2

1 of 8

8/24/2013 11:44 AM

Week 13 - Simulation

https://engineering.purdue.edu/~engelb/abe565/week13.htm

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

14.8 17.7 19.8 21.5 26.3 32.1 36.6

3.1 2.4 4.3 2.7 2.1 2.5 3.4

Since the simulation is the dynamic portrayal of the changes in the state of a system over time, the states of the system must be defined. For this example, they can be defined by the status of the teller (busy or idle) and by the number of customers at the bank. The state of the system is changed by a customer arriving to the bank, and the completion of service by the teller and subsequent departure of the customer. To illustrate a simulation, we will determine the state of the system over time by processing the events corresponding to the arrival and departure of customers in a time-ordered sequence. The manual simulation of this example corresponding to the values in the above table is summarized in the table below by customer number. It is assumed that initially there are no customers in the system, the teller is idle, and the first customer is to arrive at time 3.2.
Customer Number (1) Arrival Time (2) Start Departure Time in Time in Service Time Queue Bank Time (3) (4) (5)=(3)-(2) (6)=(4)-(2)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

3.2 10.9 13.2 14.8 17.7 19.8 21.5 26.3 32.1 36.6

3.2 10.9 14.4 18.6 21.7 24.1 28.4 31.1 33.2 36.6

7.0 14.4 18.6 21.7 24.1 28.4 31.1 33.2 35.7 40.0

0.0 0.0 1.2 3.8 4.0 4.3 6.9 4.8 1.1 0.0

3.8 3.5 5.4 6.9 6.4 8.6 9.6 6.9 3.6 3.4

In the above table, columns (1) and (2) are taken from the first table. The start of service time given in column (3) depends on whether the preceding customer has departed the bank. It is taken as the larger value of the arrival time of the customer and the departure time of the previous customer. Column (4), the departure time, is the sum of the column (3) value and the service time for the customer given in the first table. Values for time in queue and time in bank for each customer are computed as shown in the above table. Average values per customer for these variables are 2.61 minutes and 5.81 minutes, respectively. The above table presents a good summary of information concerning the customer but does not provide information about the teller and the queue size for the teller. To portray such information, it is convenient to examine the events associated with the situation. The logic associated with processing the arrival and departure events depends on the state of the system at the time of the event. In the case of the arrival event, the disposition of the arriving customer is based on the status of the teller. If the teller is idle, the status of the teller is changed to busy and the departure event is scheduled for the customer by adding his service time to the current time. However, if the teller is busy at the time of an arrival, the customer cannot begin service at the current time and, therefore, he enters the queue (the queue length is increased by one). For the departure event, the logic associated with processing the event is based on queue length. If a customer is waiting in the queue, the teller status remains busy, the queue length is reduced by one, and the departure event for the first waiting customer is scheduled. However, if the queue is empty, the status of the teller is set to idle. An event-oriented description of the bank teller status and the number of customers at the bank is given in the table below. The events are listed in chronological order. The results indicate that the average number of customers at the bank in the first 40 minutes is 1.4525 and that the teller is idle 20 percent of the time.
Event Customer Event Number Number Teller Teller

2 of 8

8/24/2013 11:44 AM

Week 13 - Simulation

https://engineering.purdue.edu/~engelb/abe565/week13.htm

Time

Number

Type

in Queue

in Bank

Status

Idle Time

0.0 3.2 7.0 10.9 13.2 14.4 14.8 17.7 18.6 19.8 21.5 21.7 24.1 26.3 28.4 31.1 32.1 33.2 35.7 36.6 40.0

1 1 2 3 2 4 5 3 6 7 4 5 8 6 7 9 8 9 10 10

Start Arrival Departure Arrival Arrival Departure Arrival Arrival Departure Arrival Arrival Departure Departure Arrival Departure Departure Arrival Departure Departure Arrival Departure

0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 1 2 3 2 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0

0 1 0 1 2 1 2 3 2 3 4 3 2 3 2 1 2 1 0 1 0

Idle Busy Idle Busy Busy Busy Busy Busy Busy Busy Busy Busy Busy Busy Busy Busy Busy Busy Idle Busy Idle

3.2 3.9

0.9

To place the arrival and departure events in their proper chronological order, it is necessary to maintain a record calendar of future events to be processed. This is done by maintaining the times of the next arrival event and the next departure event. The next event to be processed is then selected by comparing these event times. For situations with many events, an ordered list of events would be maintained which is referred to as an event file or event calendar. There are several important concepts illustrated by the above example. We observe that at any instant in simulated time, the model is in a particular state. As events occur, the state of the model may change as prescribed by the logical-mathematical relationships associated with the events. Thus, the events define the dynamic structure of the model. Given the starting state, the logic for processing each event, and a method for specifying sample values, our problem is largely one of bookkeeping. An essential element in our bookkeeping scheme is an event calendar which provides a mechanism for recording and sequencing future events. Another point is that we can view the state changes from two perspectives: the process that the customer encounters as he seeks service (the customer's view), or the events that caused the state of the teller to change (the teller's or bank's view).

Getting Started with Simulation Projects

Models are descriptions of systems. In the physical sciences, models are usually developed based on theoretical laws and principles. The usefulness of models has been demonstrated in describing, designing and analyzing systems. Model building is a complex task but can be made easier if: physical laws are available that pertain to the system pictorial or graphical representation can be made of the system the variability of system inputs, elements and outputs is manageable The modeling of complex, large-scale systems is often mode difficult than the modeling of physical systems for the following reasons: few fundamental laws are available many procedural elements are involved which are difficult to describe and represent policy inputs are required which are hard to quantify random components are significant elements human decision making is an integral part of such systems
3 of 8

8/24/2013 11:44 AM

Week 13 - Simulation

https://engineering.purdue.edu/~engelb/abe565/week13.htm

The simulation approach can be used to alleviate these difficulties. Simulation is often used at one of four levels: Exploratory devices to define a system or problem Analysis vehicles to determine critical elements, components and issues Design assessors to synthesize and evaluate proposed solutions Predictors to forecast and aid in planning future developments

Types of Simulation
Simulation can be categorized into the following types: discrete - with this approach, the parameter or parameters of interest change discretely (suddenly, in step-like fashion) with respect to time or distance (usually time). The graphic below shows a possible plot of a parameter of interest with respect to time from a discrete simulation. This approach might be used to model the processing of parts in a factory.

continuous - In continuous simulation, the parameter or parameters of interest change continuously with respect to time. An example plot of such a parameter from a continuous simulation is plotted with respect to time in the graphic below. This approach might be used to model the biomass available within a field.

4 of 8

8/24/2013 11:44 AM

Week 13 - Simulation

https://engineering.purdue.edu/~engelb/abe565/week13.htm

combined - In combined simulation, parameters change both continuously and discretely combining discrete and continuous simulation. An example is shown in the figure below. This approach might be used to simulate the biomass in a field with the discrete changes representing harvesting.

The above classification is based on the shape of the curve that results by plotting the item of interest with respect to time. Object-oriented simulation is another classification that is sometimes used to further

5 of 8

8/24/2013 11:44 AM

Week 13 - Simulation

https://engineering.purdue.edu/~engelb/abe565/week13.htm

describe simulation approaches that utilize object-oriented programming techniques. Object-oriented languages such as COOL (CLIPS Object Oriented Language - available within CLIPS) are often used for implementation of object-oriented simulations. Due to time constraints, we will not be examining objectoriented simulation in any additional detail.

Use of Simulation Tools vs Development of a Simulation Using a Conventional Programming Language

When developing a simulation, one must decide whether to use a simulation tool or whether to develop the simulation using a more traditional language such as Fortran or "C". The reasons for selecting one or the other approach are much the same as deciding whether to use an expert system development tool or develop an expert system from a more conventional language. Simulation tools can greatly speed the development of a simulation application by providing capabilities that are common to many simulation applications - we'll have a chance to utilize the SLAM simulation tool to simulate some simplified systems.

Deciding Whether to Use a Discrete or Continuous Approach

This section provides a brief discussion on the problem characteristics that help determine whether a discrete or continuous approach should be used. Level of detail or modeling hierarchy. What is really being examined? For example, in most cases the state of a light (on or off) would be modeled discretely. However, at a very small time scale, the status of a light might be modeled as being continuous. Usually easier to model systems discretely. Modeling a system using a continuous approach requires equations to describe the system's processes while modeling using a discrete approach allows statistical descriptions to be utilized rather than equations. Combined approach can be used. A combination of continuous and discrete approaches can be used taking advantage of the strengths of both. Driving forces. Discrete event simulation is driven by random sampling of distributions describing times between arrivals to the system or times spent in a process. Continuous simulation is deterministic (e.g. y=f(t) or y=f(x)). Examples of discrete simulation. Many discrete simulation applications are based on queueing theory - the study of randomly fluctuating waiting lines such as was described in the banking example earlier in this document. A queueing situation is characterized by a flow of customers arriving randomly at one or more service facilities. The customer upon arrival at the facility may be serviced immediately or, if willing, may have to experience waiting time until the facility is made available. The service time allocated to each customer may be fixed or random depending on the type of service. Queueing theory is used extensively in industrial engineering to maximize the efficiency of job shops and manufacturing facilities. Analytic solutions are available for some simple queueing situations. However, simulation models (queueing theory models) are necessary for solving most real-life problems. Queueing theory models have the advantage of providing almost unlimited detail in describing systems. Of course, developing and refining queueing theory models could be quite time consuming without the aid of special simulation computer languages. Queues are generally governed by one of 4 rules that control the exit of entities in the queue: FIFO - first in first out. Entities are taken out of the queue in the order in which they enter. A line (queue) of customers at the bank would be an example. LIFO - Last in first out. Entities are placed in a "stack" and entities are always removed from the top. HVF - High value first. Entities are removed from the queue based on the value (high value first) of one of an entities attributes. Attributes describe properties of an entity such as its economical value, weight, size, the time it will take to repair it, the time the entity has been in
6 of 8

8/24/2013 11:44 AM

Week 13 - Simulation

https://engineering.purdue.edu/~engelb/abe565/week13.htm

the system. LVF - Low value first. Entities are removed from the queue based on the lowest value of one of an entity's attributes. Events are triggered by actions that happen to an entity. Occurrence of events is often used to collect statistics about an entity (e.g. time spent being serviced) and to schedule subsequent events. A discrete simulation might be developed to model inventory levels which would be used to develop rules for managing the inventory. The objective is to minimize the inventory without penalizing sales. Using the simulation, rules can be developed for reorder, shipment time, and penalties for not satisfying the customer (lost sales).

Selection of the System for Simulation Purposes

The selection and definition of the system was examined in weeks 1 and 2. The definition of a system for use in a simulation depends on the project objectives. The purpose of the simulation is usually to explore the effects of change in or on the system before the change occurs. Proposed changes that occur both inside the system and outside the system may be evaluated.

Collection of Information from Discrete Simulation

The collection of information from a discrete simulation depends on the project objectives and the viewpoint from which information is desired. For example, if information is collected from the customers' point of view, waiting time is likely of most importance. Other important information includes the service time and the total time in the system. If information is collected from the point of view of the server, the percent of time the server is utilized is probably the most important information.

Selection of Discrete Event Simulation Lengths

Simulation lengths should be long enough to overcome start-up conditions that could bias initial results. Many random number generators that are used in sampling distributions to determine service times and entity arrivals to a system give specific strings. Thus, long runs of the simulation may be needed to overcome this problem. In addition, differing the starting seed for random number stream sampling should be done to overcome this problem.

Next-Event Scheduling
Most simulation tools that support discrete simulation use next-event scheduling as described in the banking example previously. The following example illustrates this approach and some of its advantages. Consider a simulation in which 1000 entities will be run through the system. One approach that could be used would be to determine all arrival times and service times before running the simulation. The major disadvantage of this approach is that it is wasteful of computer time and space. For large applications, CPU time and space may not be sufficient to use this approach. In next-event scheduling, as each event is set up, it creates (schedules) the next procedure (event). Each event schedules the next event, allowing time to advance to the next scheduled event rather than advancing by some fixed time step. An event calendar is used to manage the scheduling of events. All events are scheduled and time at which they will occur is placed on the calendar. Next-event scheduling works well when one is not concerned about what happens outside of the system.

Why Model with Distributions Rather Than Averages?

In most instances, distributions are sampled rather than using the averages from the distributions. This better represents the actual system and provides results in the form of a distribution as well. Distributions

7 of 8

8/24/2013 11:44 AM

Week 13 - Simulation

https://engineering.purdue.edu/~engelb/abe565/week13.htm

can't generally be added linearly and thus the use of the distributions in the simulation is used to obtain the resulting distribution.

Collection of Statistics in Discrete Event Simulation

There are many possible statistics that one might wish to collect from a discrete event simulation. Statistics commonly collected by simulation tools without additional effort on the part of the simulation developer include information about queues (average length, minimum length, maximum length, length at end of simulation, average time spent in queue, minimum time and maximum time in queue), services (percent utilization, maximum length of utilization, maximum idle time), and entities (length of time in services and length of time in system). Entities are objects within a discrete simulation. Entities have attributes such as size, weight, time spent in the system thus far, color, etc. For example, an entity might represent a truck and attributes might include time of arrival to the system, weight of grain in the truck, and time to unload the grain. Events refer to actions that are associated with entities. Events can be classified into 4 types: departing, arrivals, end of service (departure from service), and start of service.

8 of 8

8/24/2013 11:44 AM