A Unified Model for Nets and Process Algebras

This chapter addresses a range of issues that arise when process algebras and Petri nets are combined; in particular, it focuses on compositionality of structure and behavior, on refinement, and on equivalence notions. A generic algebra of nets and process expressions is defined and equipped with two types of semantics: a Petri net semantics based on step sequences and causal partial orders, and a structural operational semantics based on a system of derivation rules. The main result states that these two semantics are equivalent. A concrete example of this algebraic framework is the Petri Box Calculus (PBC) which is used to convey the basic ideas contained in the chapter.