In: Handbook of Process Algebra, edited by J.A. Bergstra, A. Ponse and Sc.A. Smolka, Chapter 14, Elsevier Science B.V., pages 873-944. 2001.
Abstract: This chapter of the handbook addresses a range of issues that arise when process algebras and Petri nets are combined; in particular, it focusses on compositionality of structure and behaviour, 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 this chapter.