English to Russian Tech/Engineering Chemistry; Chem Sci/Eng лакокраска

Прошу подсказать, что такое здесь "simulated application".
Непосредственный контекст:
This test is a combination of instrumental and visual assessments of color, with the sample prepared in a simulated application.
Речь идёт об испытании цветового различия.
Вот о самом испытании:
Measurements are made on a reflectance spectrophotometer and compared against data from an electronically stored reference standard for that formulation, prepared using the same method. The result recorded is the Total Color Difference (DE*) value, which is the overall color difference between the batch and the standard.
Заране спасибо за подсказку по "simulated application".