Graphical process variable trend monitoring for process control systems

Abstract

A process control monitoring system for a process control plant that uses graphical trend symbols to aid in the detection and monitoring of trends in process variables within a process control plant. A graphical display application within the process control monitoring system can implement and display each graphical trend symbol to graphically indicate or summarize current trend and value information for process variables within the process control plant. The graphical display application can display graphical trend symbols in spatially realistic locations within the graphical representation of the process control plant while maintaining the hierarchical structure or each hierarchical level of the process plant. The graphical display application may also include a zoom feature that enables the user to quickly drill down into the trending data for more information and to support problem identification and diagnostic tasks.

Description

technical field [0001] The present disclosure relates generally to process control systems and, more particularly, to monitoring trends of process variables and hierarchical, graphical navigation of process control plants. Background technique [0002] Process plants such as those used in the chemical, petroleum, or other industries typically include one or more centralized or decentralized process controllers communicatively coupled via an analog, digital, or combined analog / digital bus to at least one A host or operator workstation and one or more process control and instrumentation devices, such as field devices. Field devices, which may be, for example, valves, valve positioners, switches, transmitters, and sensors (eg, temperature, pressure, and flow rate sensors) perform functions such as increasing or decreasing fluid flow and measuring process parameters in a process. The process controller receives signals indicative of process measurements or process variables mad...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

At too high a level of detail, the operator may only have very little process control information when viewing the P&ID

Alternatively, the operator may have too much detail looking at multiple process variable trend graphs, trying to compare current process variable values ​​to set point information, etc.

Additionally, detailed information sources may not be integrated with the P&ID, and may require controlling operators to view information at various levels of detail distributed across multiple separate windows or screens

Having too little or too much detail can lead to incomplete or slow decision-making by control operators respectively, with serious consequences during critical events or periods

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