Desarrollo e implementación de un gemelo digital (DT) de un sistema multitanques

Abstract

In this project, a DT was developed using open-source tools, aiming to meet the characteristics of mirroring, shadowing, twinning, and twinning rate inherent to this technology. The modeling tool Blender was used to create a digital model that includes the elements of the control panel and the multi-tank system available in the Control Systems Laboratory at the University of Cuenca. To bring these digital models to life, the 2D and 3D game engine Godot was used, despite its lack of native support for the OPC UA protocol. To incorporate OPC UA functionalities, functions from the open-source library open62541 were adapted into Godot with the help of GDExtension. As evaluation metrics, statistical graphs were included to represent the average usage of CPU and RAM during the software’s execution, aiming to demonstrate the low computational cost of the developed application, which ensures portability across computers with different processing capabilities. Additionally, the average latency in communication between the digital environment and the physical plant was evaluated, verifying the presence of real-time communication. Finally, practical experiments were conducted by sending signals from the digital twin to the physical plant and graphing the water level in the tanks over time, demonstrating the system’s effective and accurate behavior.