Virtualizing Operational Technology by Distributed Digital Twins

• Industrial digitalization, stemming from the convergence of Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT), is a transformative force in modern industries. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industrial Cyber-Physical Systems (ICPS) empower industries with enhanced production processes, data-driven insights, and advanced automation. Accompanying these trends, digital twins bridge the gap between the physical and digital realms, promising dynamic representations of entities. This convergence holds great promise for fostering efficient and agile industrial ecosystems.However, amidst the promise, a series of challenges loom large across a multitude of domains. These challenges span a multitude of domains. The convergence of IT and OT engenders a spectrum of complexities, including interoperability issues, data integration dilemmas, and the imperative need to tackle the historical hardware-centricity of industrial systems. This includes enhancing energy efficiency and security in the digital realm and addressing fundamental issues within the fabric of modern industries.The scope of our research addresses these multifaceted challenges by encompassing three overarching research questions. The first explores the integration of IIoT architectures and data integration models, striving to augment interoperability and data exchange for industries, offering practical benefits. The second delves into the realm of ICPS and industrial automation, investigating how Digital Twins can optimize energy efficiency, security, and service availability. The third widens the horizon by examining the potential of distributed digital twins as proxies to foster composability and adaptability, bridge the physical-virtual gap, and meet the evolving needs of industrial IoT and cyber-physical systems.Our thesis unfolds with five key contributions, each addressing fundamental challenges in industrial digitalization. First, we present a synthesized IIoT architecture tailored for the mining industry, aligning seamlessly with IoT and Industry 4.0 standards and frameworks. Second, we explore data integration through service-based and event-driven communication models across industries. We provide a qualitative analysis of these models to present guidelines for designing data integration solutions according to needs.In the third contribution, we focus on digital twins for Industrial Cyber-Physical Systems (ICPS) and introduce the concept of a digital twin as proxy. This concept enables the virtualization of tangible devices and assets from the OT domain to the IT domain. This contribution addresses energy efficiency, security, and service availability challenges. Building on this, our fourth contribution implements and integrates the concept of the digital twin as a proxy with the Eclipse Arrowhead Framework, extending its applicability to industrial automation and reinforcing our response to the second research question.Our fifth contribution further envisions the virtualization of the OT within IT. Grounded in service-oriented and microservice architectural principles, we propose the concept of purpose-oriented composable digital twins by utilizing distributed digital twins as proxies. This concept offers a forward-looking solution to address evolving needs. Together with the third and fourth contributions, our work ensures a comprehensive and forward-looking impact on the discourse of industrial digitalization.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Data- och informationsvetenskap -- Datavetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Computer and Information Sciences -- Computer Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Digital Twin

Industrial Digitalization

OT Virtualization

Microservices

Cyberfysiska system

Cyber-Physical Systems

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