Abstract
Colored Petri nets (CPNs) are graphical and mathematical models. They are used for formal specification of the system to be built, for analysis of the specification either by simulation or analysis methods. CPNs have often large state spaces that make them difficult to analyze. One way to address the problem of the state space explosion is to reduce the CPN size and still preserving some of its important behavioral properties. Reduction of the original net can be done using various abstraction techniques. TransCPN has been developed as a tool that provides user with a choice of implementing these abstraction techniques on the CPN models. We have concentrated on the reduction techniques. These consist of fusion of series places, fusion of series transition, fusion of parallel places, fusion of parallel transitions, elimination of self loops places and elimination of self loop transitions.