The Activity index

The activity index facility is an analysis tool based on energy transfer in the submodels of a system. The energy is split up into physical types:

• R: dissipation

• C: capacitance

• I: Inertia

and into the following physical domains:

• hydraulic

• mechanical

• electrical

• thermal

• magnetic

• electric

The activity index makes it possible to identify the most active components of a system, and the most passive. Therefore it can be used to simplify complex models, by eliminating (when possible) the most passive components.

Figure 331: Activity index plot

Please consult the Activity Index manual for more information on this subject:

Here is a typical example of use:

Procedure

1. Before you start a run, tick the Activity checkbox in the Run Parameters dialog box:

Figure 332: Activity index

2. Once the run is complete (or at least a reasonable number of results have been accumulated) select the Power, energy, activity item in the Simulate menu.

3. On the Activity tab in the dialog box, click the title of the Index column to sort the column with the lowest values at the top.

Results

The corresponding submodels are playing very little, or no part in the simulation (up to the current time). Sometimes you can eliminate unnecessary submodels, or at least replace them with simpler versions.