4. Industrial processes

4.1 General description

The term "industrial process" covers a wide variety of industrial sectors. In the broadest sense, a process is used to manufacture a product or provide a service. A refinery, for example, produces refined petroleum products; a power plant produces electricity; an airplane transports goods or people. A computer can also be assimilated to a process, since it provides a scientific calculation or management service. These few examples illustrate the very broad notion of industrial processes. Conceptually, an industrial process is a complex installation that assumes a high-level functional objective (production of goods or services). To achieve these high-level functional objectives, the process calls on a set of interconnected or interacting systems, as shown...