Emptying to an Entity

Often, tanks deliver material to discrete entities such as containers (or perhaps the material itself converts to discrete entities through a solidification or consolidation process). In either case, you can draw from the delivery tank using the Tank_Empty subroutine if outflow is gradual and defined by a flow rate, or the Tank_Dec subroutine if the output occurs in discrete intervals based on a bottling or packaging time.

To output material from a tank without modeling the entity to which it outputs, call the Tank_Empty or Tank_Dec subroutine. To transfer material from a tank to entities arriving at a filling station (remember, the filling station itself is NOT a tank), route the entities to the filling station using a SEND or other routing rule, then call the Tank_Empty or Tank_Dec subroutine.

If using the Tank_Dec subroutine, the entity should wait for the fill time before decreasing the tank level since Tank_Dec happens instantly. For example, if a bottling operation fills a 2 gallon container every 6 seconds, define the following processing logic for the container at the fill station:

Wait to fill from tank, then continue

Wait 6 sec

Tank_Dec (Filler, 2)

If the delivery tank has insufficient contents to decrease the level by the specified amount, the processing will automatically pause until enough material is available. Once the specified quantity empties, the entity can continue processing. To create an entity as the result of an emptying operation, define an activated subroutine that empties the desired quantity, then execute an ORDER statement. This will create a new entity at the filling station.