Decomposition of nets

Abstract An improved mode of representation for networks resulting from process simulation flowcharts is presented based on the signal flowgraph concept. Decomposition of maximal cyclical nets in the digraph by a minimal cut-vertex set becomes a simple three-step procedure of reduction to intervals, elimination of self-loops and processing of node pairs associated with two-way edges. Identification of cyclical nets is obtained as a by-product of decomposition. The procedure is applicable to equation-ordering problems if the output set is selected a priori.