Abstract Process modelling is a basic activity in process engineering. The process industries develop and use models for different purposes. This paper, in essence a survey, represents useful model and modelling knowledge categorisations, general requirements set on process models, common modelling paradigms used in process engineering, the phases of the process of process modelling and common modelling pitfalls.

This paper clearly illustrates the manifold approaches or paradigms used in process modelling. It can be argued that these approaches are incompatible with each other and there is a need for general models, that is, models that incorporate more than one modelling paradigm.