Method and apparatus for chemical data repository

Abstract

The invention provides a method of efficiently determining the effectiveness of managing a chemical or industrial facility. The method involves identifying various industrial site assets and recording various specs of those assets over time. The various assets are grouped according to some hierarchy such as location, problem to be solved, or just asset type. The specs are compared to acceptable ranges and are scored positively or negatively. The system allows a user to determine trends by asset type, spec type, or by position within the hierarchy. This system allows both small scale and large-scale perspective, and can be used for both reactive and preemptive decision making.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]None.STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT[0002]Not Applicable.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]This invention relates generally to a system and method for the collection analysis and application of data in a chemical plant. Chemical and industrial facilities utilize a variety of complex equipment, which are often subject to harsh chemical and physical conditions. As such, a number of technologies have been developed to monitor the condition, efficiency, and expected lifespan of the equipment. Such technologies include historian systems, which collect and archive data from various sources within the chemical plant.[0004]Monitoring equipment typically involves a system in which a variety of process variables are measured and recorded. One such system is described in US Published Patent Application 2009 / 0149981 A1. Such systems however often produce massive amounts of data of which only a small portion of which is ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]At least one embodiment of the invention is directed towards a method for efficiently observing the effectiveness of an industrial facility. The method comprises: inputting one or more specs from one or more data sources relating to the physical attributes of two or more assets into a computer, organizing the assets according to a hierarchy, and displaying the data in a format allowing the user to compare the specs by asset type, spec type, or position within the hierarchy.

[0008]The operation of at least one asset may involve at least two specs, altering the value of each spec directly causes a specific change in the cost of operating or maintaining the asset, and altering one spec mitigates the costs associated with altering another spec, wherein the method further comprises the step of displaying the associated costs of various possible alterations of one or more of the specs. The asset may be operated in accordance with the maintenance of the specs in conformance with the lowest possible cost combination. At least one asset may be selected from the list consisting of: boilers, heat exchangers, cooling towers, conduit pipes, crude oil refinery units, reaction vessels, mills, storage tanks, mixing tanks, pumps, valves, water treatment facilities, and any combination thereof.

Problems solved by technology

Chemical and industrial facilities utilize a variety of complex equipment, which are often subject to harsh chemical and physical conditions.

Such systems however often produce massive amounts of data of which only a small portion of which is usefully tracked to detect abnormal conditions and the information gleaned from those systems is of limited practical use.

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