An intelligent dynamic simulation environment: an object-oriented approach

The authors present a prototype simulation environment for nuclear power plants which illustrate the application of object-oriented programming within a LISP environment to process simulation. Systems are modeled using this technique as a collection of objects which communicate via message passing. The environment allows users to build simulation models by selecting iconic representations of plant components from a menu and connecting them with the aid of a mouse. Models can be modified graphically at any time, even as the simulation is running, and the results can be observed immediately via real-time graphics. Advantages of an object-oriented approach to simulation include a high degree of modularity, the data abstraction afforded by classes, code reusability due to inheritance, and the ability to exploit the polymorphic nature of message passing to build very generic procedures. The interpretive nature of LISP eliminates the tedious compile-link-run cycle and allows dynamic, reconfigurable models to be built in a highly interactive manner