System, device, and method

Abstract

A system (30) for displaying the state of a plant (1) is provided with: a first display function (42) for displaying an abnormality display indicating the occurrence of an abnormality having the possibility of stopping the plant (1), and prompting an operator for confirmation; a second display function (44) for, if the abnormality display is selected by the operator using the first display function (42), displaying image information (R21) indicating the positions of tubes in the entire plant (1), and the positions of sensors provided in the tubes, and for using a prescribed form to represent an abnormal state of a tube, detected by a sensor; and a third display function (46) for displaying data relating to the sensor serving as the basis of the abnormal state represented using the prescribed form. The most suitable drawing: FIG. 4

Description

Systems, devices and methods

[0001] The present invention relates to a system, an apparatus and a method for displaying the status of a plant.

[0002] Conventionally, sensors are installed in a plant, and the operating status of the plant is monitored through the measurement values ​​of the sensors. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that when an object on a display screen is selected, information from the sensor related to the object is displayed so that an operator can intuitively understand the detection target and detection results of the sensor. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses that a plurality of alarm messages are displayed on an alarm monitoring screen, and when an operator presses a graph display on the display screen, graph information of the corresponding alarm message is displayed.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-308895 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-115195

[0004] In these conventional configurations, it is possible to monitor data from sensors installed in a plant, but in order to resolve an abnormality occurring in the plant, it is necessary to not only monitor the process data acquired from the sensors but also to deductively check related process data, and therefore, in the conventional configurations, it may be difficult to grasp the cause of the abnormality in the plant and countermeasures for the abnormality.

[0005] An exemplary object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a system, an apparatus, and a method that can clearly indicate the state of a plant to an operator when an abnormality occurs in the plant.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a first aspect of the system of the present invention is a system for displaying the status of a plant, and is equipped with a first display function that displays an abnormality display indicating the occurrence of an abnormality that could result in the plant being shut down and prompts the operator to confirm it, a second display function that, when the operator selects the abnormality display in the first display function, displays image information indicating the position of the pipe in the entire plant and the position of the sensor installed on the pipe, and also displays the abnormal condition of the pipe detected by the sensor in a predetermined manner, and a third display function that displays sensor data that is the basis for the abnormal condition displayed in the predetermined manner.

[0007] According to the above aspect, when an abnormality occurs in the plant, the plant status that the operator needs to understand can be displayed in stages and order, so that the plant status can be clearly shown to the operator.

[0008] A first aspect of the method of the present invention is a method for displaying the status of a plant, which includes displaying an abnormality display indicating the occurrence of an abnormality that could result in the plant being shut down and prompting an operator to confirm it, accepting a selection of the abnormality display from the operator, and when the abnormality display is selected by the operator, displaying image information indicating the position of the pipe in the entire plant and the position of a sensor installed on the pipe, and displaying the abnormal condition of the pipe detected by the sensor in a predetermined manner, accepting a selection of the display in the predetermined manner from the operator, and when the display of the abnormal condition of the pipe is selected by the operator, displaying sensor data that is the basis for the abnormal condition displayed in the predetermined manner.

[0009] According to the above aspect, when an abnormality occurs in the plant, the plant status that the operator needs to understand can be displayed in stages and order, so that the plant status can be clearly shown to the operator.

[0010] A device according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a display screen for displaying the state of a plant, and is configured to display, in a first area of ​​the display screen, the occurrence of an abnormality that may cause the plant to be shut down, and to display, in a second area of ​​the display screen, the occurrence history of an abnormality that may affect the operating efficiency of the plant.

[0011] According to this aspect, it is possible to easily recognize both serious abnormalities such as a blowout and abnormalities related to a decrease in operating efficiency.

[0012] In addition, being able to display "occurrence of an abnormality" includes being able to display not only that an abnormality has been determined to have occurred, but also that there is a high possibility that an abnormality will occur in the future.

[0013] In addition, configuring the "history of abnormality occurrence" to be displayable includes configuring the history of abnormalities that have been determined to have occurred to be displayable, as well as the history of abnormalities that have been determined to have a high probability of occurring in the future.

[0014] The abnormality occurrence history displayed in the second area may be displayed in a manner in which time information indicating when the abnormality occurred and information indicating the details of the abnormality are arranged in chronological order of occurrence. The time when the abnormality occurred includes not only when it was determined that an abnormality occurred, but also when it was determined that there was a high possibility that an abnormality would occur in the future.

[0015] According to this aspect, time information indicating the occurrence of an abnormality that affects the operating efficiency and stable operation of the plant and information indicating the content of this abnormality are displayed arranged in the order of occurrence, making it possible to recognize the occurrence times of multiple abnormalities that affect the reduction of operating efficiency.

[0016] In addition, the plant may be equipped with multiple sensors, and the abnormality occurrence history displayed in the second area may be displayed in a manner in which the number of times the data acquired by these sensors showed abnormal values ​​is arranged for each sensor.

[0017] According to this aspect, the number of times that a sensor has displayed an abnormal value can be displayed for each sensor, so that the problematic sensor can be easily identified.

[0018] In addition, the abnormality occurrence history displayed in the second area may include an abnormality occurrence history determined to have occurred based on data obtained from at least two sensors, and an abnormality occurrence history determined to have occurred based on data obtained from a single sensor.

[0019] According to this aspect, the system is configured to be able to display the occurrence history of abnormalities that are determined to have occurred based on data acquired from at least two sensors, thereby making it possible to improve the accuracy of detecting abnormalities.

[0020] In addition, the plant may be made up of multiple components, and the device may be configured to display at least one component in which an abnormality that may affect operating efficiency and stable operation has occurred in a manner different from that of the other components in the fourth area of ​​the display screen.

[0021] According to this aspect, at least one component that may have experienced an abnormality that affects operating efficiency can be displayed in a manner different from that of other components, making it possible to easily identify the component in question.

[0022] The device may also be configured to be able to display information indicating the operating efficiency of the plant in a fifth area of ​​the display screen.

[0023] According to this aspect, the information indicating the plant operation efficiency can be displayed, so that a decrease in operation efficiency due to an abnormality can be easily recognized.

[0024] Furthermore, a system according to a second aspect of the present invention includes an apparatus having a display screen for displaying the state of a plant, the apparatus being configured to be able to display, in a first area of ​​the display screen, the occurrence of an abnormality that may result in the shutdown of the plant, and to be able to display, in a second area of ​​the display screen, a history of the occurrence of an abnormality that may affect the operating efficiency of the plant, and a control device that controls the apparatus.

[0025] According to this aspect, it is possible to simultaneously display two pieces of information that are important for plant operation on the display screen, making it possible to easily recognize both serious abnormalities such as blowouts and abnormalities related to reduced operating efficiency.

[0026] An apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is an apparatus having a screen for displaying the status of a plant, and is configured to display image information indicating the position of pipes in the entire plant and the position of sensors installed on the pipes in a first area of ​​the screen, and to display the status of the pipes detected by the sensors in a predetermined manner in the first area, and to display judgment information used when judging the status of the pipes based on operating data of the plant in a second area of ​​the screen.

[0027] In addition, a system according to a third aspect of the present invention is a system comprising a display device having a screen for displaying the status of a plant, and a control device for controlling the display device, wherein the display device is configured to display image information indicating the position of pipes in the entire plant and the position of sensors installed on the pipes in a first area of ​​the screen, and to display the status of the pipes detected by the sensors in a predetermined manner in the first area, and is configured to display judgment information used when judging the status of the pipes based on operating data of the plant in a second area of ​​the screen.

[0028] This configuration allows image information indicating the location of pipes in the entire plant and the location of sensors installed on the pipes to be displayed in a first area of ​​the screen, and the pipe status detected by the sensors to be displayed in a predetermined format. Furthermore, the judgment information used to judge the pipe status based on plant operation data can be displayed in a second area of ​​the screen. Therefore, operators viewing the screen of this device (system) can not only grasp the locations of pipes and sensors in the entire plant, but also grasp the pipe status judged or detected using different methods (both sensors and plant operation data). In other words, operators can efficiently grasp important information required for pipe monitoring by simply viewing a single screen, allowing them to make comprehensive judgments. As a result, this device (system) can contribute to stable plant operation. Note that "pipe status" includes not only a state in which an abnormality such as a blowout or clogging has occurred in the pipe (an abnormal state) but also a state in which no such abnormality has occurred (a normal state). In other words, this device (system) can display not only an abnormal pipe status but also a normal pipe status.

[0029] The device or system according to the third aspect of the present invention can be configured to display the determination information in a chronological order in the second area. Examples of the determination information include a value calculated from the operating data to determine the abnormality level of the pipe, a value calculated from the operating data to determine the reliability of the pipe condition (such as the abnormality level), and feature data that affects the determination of the pipe condition (determination of the abnormality level or reliability).

[0030] By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to grasp, in chronological order, the judgment information regarding the state of the pipes judged based on the operation data of the plant.

[0031] The apparatus or system according to the third aspect of the present invention can be configured to display both the results of pipe condition detection by the sensor and the results of pipe condition determination based on plant operation data in the same format in chronological order in the third area of ​​the screen. The apparatus or system can also be configured to display the time axis in the second area and the time axis in the third area in conjunction with each other.

[0032] With this configuration, both the results of pipe condition detection by the sensor and the results of pipe condition assessment based on plant operation data can be displayed in the same format (e.g., bar chart format) in chronological order in the third area of ​​the screen. This allows operators to visually confirm and understand the results of pipe condition assessment (detection) by different methods in the same format, enabling them to make a comprehensive judgment.

[0033] The device or system according to the third aspect of the present invention can be configured such that, when a specific sensor is selected from the sensors displayed in the first area, the detection information detected by the specific sensor is displayed in chronological order in the fourth area.

[0034] By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to grasp, in chronological order, the detection information detected by a selected sensor (specific sensor) from among the sensors displayed in the first area of ​​the screen.

[0035] The device or system according to the third aspect of the present invention can be configured to display the detected information in a fourth area of ​​a screen separate from the screen.

[0036] When such a configuration is adopted, detection information detected by a sensor (specific sensor) selected from the sensors displayed in the first area of ​​the screen can be displayed in a fourth area of ​​a screen separate from the screen having the first area, etc. Therefore, there is an advantage that the detection information can be enlarged and displayed on a screen (fourth area) separate from the screen having the first area, etc., and the time history of the detection information can be grasped in detail.

[0037] An apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is an apparatus having a display screen that displays the status of a plant, and is configured to be able to display a graph of first process data related to the plant in a first area of ​​the display screen, and to be able to display an explanatory text related to the first process data in a second area of ​​the display screen adjacent to the first area.

[0038] According to this aspect, by displaying a graph of the first process data in the first area of ​​the display screen and displaying an explanatory text about the first process data in the adjacent second area, it becomes easier to understand what event is occurring and what response is required.

[0039] In the above aspect, a graph of second process data related to the first process data may be displayed in the first area.

[0040] According to this aspect, by displaying not only the first process data but also a graph of the related second process data, the state of the plant can be monitored from multiple angles.

[0041] In the above aspect, the first area may be configured to be able to display another graph of the first process data that is different from the graph of the first process data.

[0042] According to this aspect, by displaying a plurality of types of graphs for the first process data, the state of the plant can be monitored from multiple angles.

[0043] In the above aspect, the display screen is configured to be capable of displaying a first screen showing a warning when at least one of the plurality of process data becomes abnormal, and is configured to be capable of transitioning from the first screen to display a second screen on the display screen in response to selection of the warning, and the second screen may include a first area and a second area.

[0044] According to this aspect, it is possible to check an overview of the plant state through a plurality of process data on the first screen, and to check the plant state in detail through specific process data on the second screen.

[0045] In the above aspect, the third area of ​​the first screen may be configured to be capable of displaying a warning, and the fourth area adjacent to the third area may be configured to be capable of displaying a graph of one or more representative process data related to the plant.

[0046] According to this aspect, by displaying a warning in the third area of ​​the first screen, it is possible to quickly grasp the possibility of an abnormality, and by displaying a graph of representative process data in the fourth area of ​​the first screen, it is possible to confirm an overview of the plant status.

[0047] In the above aspect, the explanatory text may include text that explains how to understand the event from the graph.

[0048] According to this aspect, it is possible to confirm how to grasp an event from the graph, and it becomes easier to understand what kind of event is occurring.

[0049] In the above aspect, the explanatory text may include a text that explains a method for optimizing the state of the first process data.

[0050] According to this aspect, it is possible to confirm a method for optimizing the state of the first process data, making it easy to understand what kind of action is required.

[0051] A system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes a device having a display screen for displaying the status of a plant, and a control device for controlling the device, wherein the device is configured to be able to display a graph of first process data related to the plant in a first area of ​​the display screen, and is configured to be able to display an explanatory text related to the first process data in a second area of ​​the display screen adjacent to the first area.

[0052] According to this aspect, by displaying a graph of the first process data in the first area of ​​the display screen and displaying an explanatory text about the first process data in the adjacent second area, it becomes easier to understand what event is occurring and what response is required.

[0053] Any combination of the above components or mutual substitution of the components or expressions of the present invention between methods, devices, systems, computer programs, data structures, recording media, etc. are also valid aspects of the present invention.

[0054] According to the present invention, when an abnormality occurs in the plant, the state of the plant can be presented to the operator in an easily understandable manner.

[0055] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a plant according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing functional blocks of a system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the physical configuration of the system according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing details of functional blocks of the system according to this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a method according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a display function of the system according to this embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a display function of the system according to this embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a display function of the system according to this embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a display function of the system according to this embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a display function of the system according to this embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a display function of the system according to this embodiment.

[0056] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention with reference to the drawings, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention. The same or equivalent components, parts, and processes shown in each drawing will be given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate.

[0057] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a plant according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, the configuration of a plant 1, which is the subject of this embodiment, will be described using FIG. 1 . The plant 1 is, for example, a power generation plant (incineration plant) including a circulating fluidized bed boiler (circulating fluidized bed type), and is equipped with a boiler that generates steam by burning fuel while circulating a circulating material such as high-temperature fluidized silica sand. As fuel for the plant 1, fossil fuels such as coal, as well as non-fossil fuels (woody biomass, waste tires, waste plastic, sludge, etc.), can be used. The steam generated in the plant 1 is used to drive a turbine 100. Note that the plants that are subject to the present invention are not limited to power generation plants and incineration plants that include boilers, but may also be chemical plants, wastewater treatment plants, and other plants from which process data can be acquired.

[0058] The plant 1 is configured to combust fuel in a furnace 2, separate circulating material from exhaust gas using a cyclone 3 that functions as a solid-gas separator, and return the separated circulating material to the furnace 2 for circulation. The separated circulating material is returned to the bottom of the furnace 2 via a circulating material recovery pipe 4 connected below the cyclone 3. The bottom of the circulating material recovery pipe 4 is connected to the bottom of the furnace 2 via a loop seal 4a with a narrowed flow path. This leaves a predetermined amount of circulating material stored in the bottom of the circulating material recovery pipe 4. The exhaust gas from which the circulating material has been removed by the cyclone 3 is supplied to a rear flue 5 via an exhaust gas flow path 3a.

[0059] The boiler includes a furnace 2 for burning fuel and a heat exchanger for generating steam and the like using heat obtained by the combustion. A fuel supply port 2a for supplying fuel is provided in the middle of the furnace 2, and a gas outlet 2b for discharging combustion gas is provided in the upper part of the furnace 2. Fuel supplied to the furnace 2 from a fuel supply device (not shown) is supplied into the furnace 2 through the fuel supply port 2a. In addition, a furnace wall tube 6 for heating boiler feedwater is provided on the furnace wall of the furnace 2. The boiler feedwater flowing through the furnace wall tube 6 is heated by combustion in the furnace 2.

[0060] Within the furnace 2, the solids containing the fuel supplied from the fuel supply port 2a are fluidized by combustion and fluidization air introduced from the lower air supply line 2c, and the fuel burns at, for example, about 800 to 900°C while flowing. The combustion gas generated in the furnace 2 is introduced into the cyclone 3, accompanied by the circulating material. The cyclone 3 separates the circulating material from the gas by centrifugal separation, and returns the separated circulating material to the furnace 2 via the circulating material recovery pipe 4, while sending the combustion gas from which the circulating material has been removed through the exhaust gas flow path 3a to the rear flue 5.

[0061] In the furnace 2, a portion of the circulating material, called the in-furnace bed material, accumulates at the bottom. This bed material may contain coarse-grained bed material or exhaust combustion impurities that are unsuitable for circulating flow. These unsuitable bed materials can cause poor flow. Therefore, to prevent poor flow, the in-furnace bed material is continuously or intermittently discharged to the outside from a discharge port 2d at the bottom of the furnace 2. After removing unsuitable materials such as metals and coarse grains from the discharged bed material on a circulation line (not shown), the discharged bed material is either resupplied to the furnace 2 or disposed of as is. The circulating material in the furnace 2 circulates within a circulation system consisting of the furnace 2, the cyclone 3, and the circulating material recovery pipe 4.

[0062] The rear flue 5 has a flow path for flowing the gas discharged from the cyclone 3 to a subsequent stage. The rear flue 5 has a superheater 10 that generates superheated steam and an economizer 12 that preheats boiler feedwater as an exhaust heat recovery section that recovers heat from the exhaust gas. The exhaust gas flowing through the rear flue 5 is cooled by heat exchange with the steam and boiler feedwater flowing through the superheater 10 and the economizer 12. The rear flue 5 also has a steam drum 8 that stores the boiler feedwater that has passed through the economizer 12, and the steam drum 8 is also connected to the furnace wall 6.

[0063] The economizer 12 transfers heat from the exhaust gas to the boiler feed water to preheat the boiler feed water. The economizer 12 is connected to the pump 7 by a pipe 21 and to the steam drum 8 by a pipe 22. The boiler feed water is supplied from the pump 7 via the pipe 21 to the economizer 12 and preheated by the economizer 12, and is then supplied to the steam drum 8 via the pipe 22.

[0064] A downcomer pipe 8a and a furnace wall pipe 6 are connected to the steam drum 8. The boiler feedwater in the steam drum 8 flows down the downcomer pipe 8a, is introduced into the furnace wall pipe 6 at the bottom of the furnace 2, and flows toward the steam drum 8. The boiler feedwater in the furnace wall pipe 6 is heated by the combustion heat generated in the furnace 2, and evaporates into steam in the steam drum 8.

[0065] A saturated steam pipe 8b that discharges the steam inside is connected to the steam drum 8. The saturated steam pipe 8b connects the steam drum 8 and a superheater 10. The steam inside the steam drum 8 is supplied to the superheater 10 via the saturated steam pipe 8b. The superheater 10 superheats the steam using the heat of the exhaust gas to generate superheated steam. The superheated steam passes through a pipe 10a and is supplied to a turbine 100 outside the plant 1 to be used for power generation.

[0066] The pressure and temperature of the steam discharged from the turbine 100 are lower than the pressure and temperature of the steam discharged from the superheater 10. Although not particularly limited, the pressure of the steam supplied to the turbine 100 is approximately 10 to 17 MPa, and the temperature is approximately 530 to 570°C. The pressure of the steam discharged from the turbine 100 is approximately 3 to 5 MPa, and the temperature is approximately 350 to 400°C.

[0067] A condenser 102 is provided downstream of the turbine 100. The steam discharged from the turbine 100 is supplied to the condenser 102, where it is condensed and returned to saturated water, and then supplied to the pump 7. A generator is connected to the turbine 100, which converts kinetic energy obtained by the rotation of the turbine 100 into electrical energy.

[0068] The pump 7a supplies makeup water so as to maintain a constant water level in the condenser 102. In Fig. 1, a flow rate u1 of makeup water supplied by the pump 7a is shown.

[0069] The process data (operation data of the plant 1) handled in this embodiment may be any data related to the plant 1, and may be, for example, data measuring the state of the plant 1 with a sensor. More specifically, it may include measured values ​​of the temperature, pressure, flow rate, etc. of the plant 1. FIG. 1 shows a boiler feedwater flow rate u2 supplied from the pump 7 to the economizer 12. FIG. 1 also shows a boiler outlet steam flow rate u3 supplied from the superheater 10 to the turbine 100, and a saturated steam flow rate u4 supplied from the steam drum 8 to the superheater 10. The make-up water flow rate u1 may be controlled to follow the saturated steam flow rate u4. Furthermore, while monitoring both the boiler outlet steam flow rate u3 (or the superheated steam flow rate) and the liquid level in the steam drum 8, the boiler feedwater flow rate u2 may be controlled to follow the adjustment.

[0070] If a hole occurs in the plant 1, the makeup water flow rate u1 increases, or the flow rate difference between the boiler feedwater flow rate u2 and the boiler outlet steam flow rate u3 increases. A DCS (Distributed Control System) 20 monitors the process data of the plant 1, such as the makeup water flow rate u1, the boiler feedwater flow rate u2, the boiler outlet steam flow rate u3, and the saturated steam flow rate u4, to see if any abnormalities have occurred.

[0071] Although the makeup water flow rate u1, the boiler feedwater flow rate u2, the boiler outlet steam flow rate u3, and the saturated steam flow rate u4 are exemplified as process data, other data may be used as the process data for the plant 1. The process data for the plant 1 may also be other data such as temperature, pressure, etc.

[0072] Next, a system 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0073] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing functional blocks of the system 30 according to this embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the physical configuration of the system 30 according to this embodiment. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing details of the functional blocks of the system 30 in Fig. 2.

[0074] The DCS 20 is a distributed control system for controlling the plant 1, and as shown in FIG. 2, acquires process data from sensors and the like installed in the plant 1, and supplies control signals to the plant 1 for controlling the plant 1 based on the process data.

[0075] The system 30 includes a control unit 31 and a device 32. The control unit 31 acquires process data from the DCS 20, generates a control signal for displaying the state of the plant on a display screen of the device 32 based on the process data, and supplies the control signal to the device 32.

[0076] The device 32 has a display screen for displaying the state of the plant. The device 32 displays the state of the plant on the display screen based on a control signal obtained from the control unit 31. The display screen of the device 32 will be described later.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 3 , the system 30 physically includes a central processing unit (CPU) 30a corresponding to a calculation unit, a random access memory (RAM) 30b corresponding to a storage unit, a read-only memory (ROM) 30c corresponding to a storage unit, a communication unit 30d, an input unit 30e, and a display unit 30f. These components are connected to each other via a bus so that they can transmit and receive data. While the present embodiment describes a case in which the system 30 is configured with a single computer, the system 30 may also be realized by combining multiple computers. For example, in addition to the display unit 30f, a display constituting a different display unit for displaying other information may be provided. The display system 30 may also be configured with a tablet terminal. By configuring the display system 30 with a tablet terminal, the display system 30 can be carried around and used, for example, while touring the plant 1. The configuration shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example, and the system 30 may include other components or may not include some of these components. Furthermore, some of the components may be provided in remote locations. For example, the control unit 31 having the CPU 30 a and the like may be provided in a remote location. In this case, the device 32 having the display unit 30 f and the like may be configured to receive the control signal generated in the control unit 31 provided in the remote location via a network.

[0078] The CPU 30a is a calculation unit that controls the execution of programs stored in the RAM 30b or the ROM 30c and calculates and processes data. The CPU 30a is a calculation unit that executes a program (monitoring program) that displays graphs and descriptions of process data of the plant 1. The CPU 30a receives various data from the input unit 30e and the communication unit 30d, and displays the calculation results of the data on the display unit 30f or stores them in the RAM 30b.

[0079] The RAM 30b is a rewritable storage device among the storage units, and may be configured with a semiconductor storage element such as a DRAM or an SRAM. The RAM 30b may store data such as programs executed by the CPU 30a and process data of the plant 1. Note that these are merely examples, and the RAM 30b may store data other than these, or may not store some of these data.

[0080] The ROM 30c is a memory from which data can be read, and may be configured, for example, as a semiconductor memory element such as a flash memory or an HDD. The ROM 30c may store, for example, computer programs for executing various processes shown in this embodiment and data that is not to be rewritten. The data that is not to be rewritten includes, for example, information regarding the plant 1 and the specifications of the components of the plant 1.

[0081] The communication unit 30d is an interface that connects the system 30 to other devices, and may be connected to a communication network such as the Internet.

[0082] The input unit 30e receives data input from a user and may include, for example, a keyboard and a touch panel.

[0083] The display unit 30f has a display screen that visually displays the results of calculations performed by the CPU 30a, and may be configured, for example, by an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The display unit 30f may display graphs and explanatory text of process data. The display unit 30f may also be configured so that a single screen is formed by connecting multiple displays.

[0084] Computer programs for executing the various processes described in this embodiment may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as the ROM 30c and provided, or may be provided via a communication network connected by the communication unit 30d. In the system 30, the CPU 30a executes the monitoring program to realize various operations included in this embodiment. Note that these physical configurations are merely examples and do not necessarily have to be independent configurations. For example, the system 30 may include an LSI (Large-Scale Integration) in which the CPU 30a and the RAM 30b or the ROM 30c are integrated.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 4 , the system 30 includes a login display function 40, an abnormality display function 42, an abnormality detail display function 44, a sensor data detail display function 46, an abnormality history display function 48, a guide display function 50, and an evaluation item display function 52.

[0086] The login display function 40 displays information necessary for the operator to log in to the system 30. The information necessary for logging in includes, for example, the operator's user ID and password. The login display function 40 accepts input of the user ID and password from the operator, and the abnormality display function 42 is executed accordingly.

[0087] The abnormality display function 42 displays an abnormality display indicating the occurrence of an abnormality that may result in the shutdown of the plant 1, and a warning display indicating the occurrence of a warning when process data related to the plant reaches a predetermined state. Here, the abnormality display includes not only the occurrence of an abnormality but also the case where there is a high possibility of an abnormality. Similarly, the warning display includes not only the occurrence of a warning but also the case where there is a high possibility of a warning. The warning display indicates the occurrence of a state where the process data falls outside a predetermined threshold range, and indicates the occurrence of a state that may have some effect on the operation of the plant 1, such as a decrease in the operating efficiency of the plant 1.

[0088] The abnormality details display function 44 displays image information indicating the position of the pipes in the entire plant 1 and the positions of the sensors installed in the pipes, and also displays the abnormal state of the pipes detected by the sensors in a predetermined manner. The abnormality details display function 44 displays, for example, detailed information that enables identification of the cause of the abnormality displayed by the abnormality display function 42 and countermeasures.

[0089] The sensor data details display function 46 displays sensor data that is the basis for the abnormal state displayed in a predetermined manner in the abnormality details display function 44. The sensor data is also process data of the plant 1. The sensor data details display function 46 displays, for example, detailed information that enables identification of the cause and countermeasures for the abnormality details displayed by the abnormality details display function 44.

[0090] The abnormality history display function 48 displays the history of abnormalities displayed by the abnormality display function 42. Furthermore, the guide display function 50 displays a graph of process data corresponding to a warning display by the abnormality display function 42 and an explanation of the process data corresponding to the warning display adjacent to each other. Furthermore, the evaluation item display function 52 displays evaluation items for evaluating the state of the plant 1.

[0091] The arrows of each function block shown in FIG. 4 indicate transitions between functions based on instructions from the operator. That is, in the system 30, transitions occur from the anomaly display function 42 to any one of the anomaly details display function 44, the guide display function 50, and the evaluation item display function 52 based on instructions from the operator. Similarly, in the system 30, transitions occur from the anomaly details display function 44 to any one of the sensor data details display function 46 and the anomaly history display function 48 based on instructions from the operator. Also, in the system 30, transitions occur from the evaluation item display function 52 to the guide display function 50 based on instructions from the operator. Note that when a transition occurs between functions in the system 30, the display of the previous function may be replaced with the display of the next function, or the display of the previous function may remain and the display of the next function may be displayed together.

[0092] The specific operations of the various functional blocks of the system 30 will be described in more detail later using the methods and display screens.

[0093] An example of a method using the system 30 will be described below as a method according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the method according to this embodiment. Also, FIGS. 6 to 14 show examples of display screens displayed by the respective function blocks of the system 30. Below, a case where a blowout occurs in the plant 1 will be described as an example of an abnormality that may cause the plant 1 to be shut down.

[0094] 5, the abnormality display function 42 of the system 30 displays an abnormality display indicating the occurrence of an abnormality that may result in the shutdown of the plant 1, and prompts the operator to confirm it (S10). Specifically, the control unit 31 of the system 30 displays an abnormality display indicating the occurrence of an abnormality based on a plurality of process data acquired from the plant 1 by the DCS 20.

[0095] 6, an example of the display screen DP1 by the abnormality display function 42 will be described. The display screen DP1 includes areas R10 to R15 and an evaluation item display 60.

[0096] In region R10, "Plant Operation Support System" is displayed as the name of system 30, and "Dashboard" is displayed as the status of the current screen. The display in region R10 makes it easy to understand which system and which status the current screen is in.

[0097] The upper left region R11 of the display screen DP1 displays information indicating the occurrence of an abnormality that may result in the shutdown of the plant 1 and time information at which the abnormality occurred. In FIG. 6 , the information "Blowout" is displayed in large letters as an example of information indicating the occurrence of an abnormality that may result in the shutdown of the plant 1. Below that, text information "2019 / 08 / 07 14:00" is displayed as current time information. This current time information is automatically updated, for example, every predetermined time (e.g., every minute). Alternatively, it may be manually updated by an operator. The information displayed in this region R11 allows the operator of the plant 1 to recognize that a serious abnormality, a blowout, that may result in the shutdown of the plant 1, occurred as of 2:00 PM on August 7, 2019. As a variant, the time information immediately below the information "Blowout" may be the time at which the abnormality occurred.

[0098] In this embodiment, the information "Blowout" is displayed when it is determined that a blowout has occurred (including when it is determined that a blowout is likely to occur in the future, for example, within a predetermined time, and when signs of a blowout have appeared; the same applies below). The presence or absence of a blowout can be determined by comparing process data acquired from a single sensor with a predetermined threshold. Furthermore, the presence or absence of a blowout can be determined based on process data acquired from multiple sensors in accordance with a predetermined algorithm. Examples of sensors include multiple acoustic emission (AE) sensors installed on metal structures (such as furnace wall tubes or metal surfaces connected to the tubes) that can transmit generated elastic waves without damaging their characteristics, as well as various sensors installed at various locations in the plant 1 to detect temperature, pressure, flow rate, valve opening, damper opening, liquid level, vibration, sound, and other state quantities of the plant 1. In this embodiment, the information "Blowout" is displayed not only when, for example, process data acquired from a single AE sensor indicates an abnormal value exceeding a predetermined threshold. This includes cases where the process data acquired from a single AE sensor does not exceed a predetermined threshold, but where the process data acquired from multiple types of sensors, such as multiple AE sensors or an AE sensor and another type of sensor, is processed according to a predetermined algorithm and a determination is made that a blowout has a high probability of occurring according to a predetermined conditional expression. Therefore, compared to cases where the process data acquired from each sensor is determined based on the knowledge and experience of an operator, early detection of a blowout can be achieved stably and accurately.

[0099] The predetermined algorithm may be based on a mathematical formula or a mathematical model derived by selecting multiple sensors that affect the predetermined abnormality based on know-how, rules of thumb, etc., and performing multivariate analysis or the like on process data of the multiple sensors when the predetermined abnormality occurs (which may include process data before the abnormality occurs). Furthermore, the predetermined algorithm may be an algorithm that is dynamically generated according to a predetermined learning model by machine learning, as will be described later.

[0100] If it is determined that no blowout has occurred (including if it is determined that there is no possibility of a blowout occurring in the future, for example, within 24 hours, and that no signs of a blowout have appeared; the same applies below), or if it is determined that a blowout has occurred in the past but has since been determined to have not occurred due to taking predetermined measures, for example, the background color may be changed (for example, the background color may be changed from red to green) while the word "Blowout" remains displayed, or the word "Blowout" may be hidden. Therefore, if the information "Blowout" is displayed in region R11 or its background color remains red, for example, the operator of plant 1 can easily recognize that a blowout has continued in plant 1 up to the current time displayed directly below it, or that a state in which a blowout is likely to occur in the near future continues.

[0101] When it is determined that a blowout has occurred, the display may be highlighted by means such as blinking, and when it is determined that no blowout has occurred, the display may be suppressed. Furthermore, when it is determined that a blowout has occurred, a sound effect or voice, such as a warning sound, may be output. Furthermore, information indicating the probability of an abnormality that may result in the shutdown of the plant 1 may be simultaneously displayed in the region R11. For example, if the probability is high, red may be used as the background color of the region R11, and if the probability is low, green may be used as the background color of the region R11. In this way, the degree of probability may be intuitively grasped based on the degree of color. Furthermore, in order to distinguish between multiple types of abnormalities, text information indicating the name of the abnormality that has occurred may be displayed. Furthermore, when it is determined that no abnormality has occurred, text information indicating that no abnormality has occurred, such as "none," may be displayed.

[0102] By looking at region R11, the operator can easily recognize the occurrence of an abnormality such as a blowout that could result in the shutdown of plant 1 (including a state in which a blowout is highly likely to occur in the near future). Note that abnormalities that could result in the shutdown of plant 1 are not limited to blowouts. For example, an abnormal pipe in which the inside of the pipe is clogged with scale (inorganic matter brought into the pipe by the water supply, etc.) that has accumulated inside the pipe of a superheater, etc., can be detected as an abnormality that could result in the shutdown of plant 1.

[0103] Region R11 includes an explanatory text 62 related to the "blowout." The explanatory text 62 includes the sensor that detected the blowout and the detection method, the type of process data, the cause of the blowout and countermeasures, or the next action that the operator should take. The explanatory text 62 may include, for example, content that prompts the operator to select the "blowout" display in region R11. By displaying such explanatory text 62 related to the abnormality display adjacent to the abnormality display, the operator can easily understand the current state of plant 1 and the next action that should be taken.

[0104] In the lower left region R12 of the display screen DP1, a warning display indicating the occurrence of a warning when process data related to the plant reaches a predetermined state is displayed as "latest alarm information." The warning display indicates a predetermined state of process data that affects the operating efficiency of the plant 1. For example, the warning display indicates a condition that does not result in the shutdown of the plant 1, such as a blowout, but does reduce the operating efficiency of the plant 1. In region R12, the history of warning displays is displayed in chronological order, with time information indicating the time of the display and information indicating the content of the warning displayed. For example, at the beginning of region R12, the time information "2019 / 08 / 07 13:15:00" is displayed in association with information indicating the content of the warning, "Boiler efficiency (loss method)." From the information displayed in region R12, the operator of the plant 1 can recognize that a warning for the plant 1, indicating a decrease in boiler efficiency under the heat loss method, occurred at 1:15:00 PM on August 7, 2019. Similarly, the operator of the plant 1 can recognize time information indicating when a predetermined state of other process data that affects the operating efficiency of the plant 1 occurred and a history of information indicating the content of that state.

[0105] The alarm in region R12 is displayed when it is determined that a warning has occurred (this may include when it is determined that a predetermined state of process data that will affect operational efficiency will occur in the future, for example, within a predetermined time). Similar to abnormalities in plant 1 such as a blowout, process data warnings include cases where they are determined based on process data acquired from a single sensor, and cases where they are determined based on process data acquired from multiple sensors according to a predetermined algorithm (including an algorithm dynamically generated according to a predetermined model by machine learning). Note that, at the current time, alarms that are still in warning may be displayed in red, for example, and alarms for which the warning confirmation has been completed may be displayed in black, for example.

[0106] When the operator selects any of the items displayed in the list in region R12, display screens DP5a to DP5d are displayed by the guide display function 50. Details of these display functions and display screens will be described later (see FIGS. 10 to 13).

[0107] According to the regions R11 and R12 on the display screen DP1, the system 30 has a function of simultaneously displaying a serious abnormality that may result in the shutdown of the plant 1 and a warning that may affect the operating efficiency of the plant 1 in different regions in different formats. Therefore, the operator can easily recognize both a serious abnormality that may result in the shutdown of the plant 1 and a warning that may affect the operating efficiency. Furthermore, for a serious abnormality that may result in the shutdown of the plant 1, whether or not such an abnormality is currently occurring is displayed, while for a warning that may affect the operating efficiency, the warning occurrence history is displayed. Therefore, by viewing the region R11, the operator can easily recognize whether or not a serious abnormality is currently occurring. Furthermore, by viewing the region R12, the operator can easily recognize whether or not a warning that may affect the operating efficiency has occurred multiple times. For a warning that may affect the operating efficiency, time information indicating the occurrence of the warning and information indicating the content of the warning are displayed in chronological order. Therefore, the operator can easily grasp the frequency of occurrence of warnings that may affect the operating efficiency and the content of various warnings that may affect the operating efficiency (including abnormalities occurring in components other than the boiler). Note that region R11 may not display the history of warnings that affect the operational efficiency of plant 1 and the history of serious abnormalities that could result in the shutdown of plant 1. Generally, operators must monitor an extremely large number of events and parameters to properly operate plants, including plant 1. For this reason, it is preferable to display information efficiently and quickly so as to convey information that is highly important to the operator and to suppress information that is less important. By deliberately configuring the display to suppress the display of information that is less important, operators can easily recognize whether or not a serious abnormality is currently occurring by looking at region R11.

[0108] An area R13 is provided in the space between the areas R11 and R12 in the center left side of the display screen DP1. In the area R13, a plurality of components that make up the plant 1 are displayed as "by equipment / component" information. In addition, a component for which a warning that may affect the operational efficiency has occurred is displayed in a different manner from the other components.

[0109] Specifically, the components of the plant 1 are displayed as "plant," "boiler," "turbine," "generator," and "auxiliary equipment." The "boiler" corresponds to a component of a boiler, such as the furnace 2. The "turbine" corresponds to a component of a turbine, such as the turbine 100. The "auxiliary equipment" corresponds to a component that is not a major component of a boiler, such as the pump 7 and the pump 7a. Furthermore, a component of the plant 1 that is likely to generate an alert, such as the "generator," may be appropriately set as a component. Furthermore, the system is configured to identify process data that may cause an alert that affects the operating efficiency, and based on this, display components for which an alert is currently being generated (e.g., the "boiler" and "generator") with, for example, a red background, components for which an alert is not being generated (e.g., the "plant" and "turbine") with, for example, a green background, and display components for which no evaluation item is set (e.g., the "auxiliary equipment") in gray. Furthermore, an alarm that is still in warning may be displayed in red in region R12, and the component corresponding to that alarm may be displayed in region R13 with a red background, making it possible to easily identify the component that is causing the warning that affects operating efficiency.

[0110] By looking at region R13, the operator can easily recognize which component of plant 1 may have generated a warning that will affect the operational efficiency. Furthermore, by looking at region R12 and region R13, the operator can identify a component for which a warning is currently continuing despite multiple warnings having been generated based on region R12. Furthermore, even if an operator cannot guess a component for which a warning that will affect the operational efficiency may have occurred based on region R12 alone, by looking at region R13, the operator can recognize such a component.

[0111] The area R15 at the bottom right of the display screen DP1 displays the history of abnormalities, with the number of times that data acquired by the sensors showed abnormal values ​​sorted for each sensor. Specifically, the "DCS alarm summary" information displays a Pareto chart in which the number of abnormalities detected by the DCS 20 within a predetermined time period, e.g., the past 24 hours, is tallied for each sensor and sorted in descending order. Note that "Alarm 1," "Alarm 2," and the like in FIG. 6 may be configured to display the identification information of specific sensors. For example, Alarm 1 may display the identification information of an AE sensor installed in a specific location. Furthermore, Alarm 1 may display the name of an item detected by a specific sensor. For example, Alarm 1 may display information identifying the makeup water flow rate u1.

[0112] The DCS 20 is configured to compare process data acquired from a single sensor with a predetermined threshold and determine that an abnormality has occurred when the process data indicates an abnormal value exceeding the threshold. However, the DCS 20 is not configured to determine the presence or absence of an abnormality based on process data acquired from multiple sensors in accordance with a predetermined algorithm.

[0113] By looking at region R15, the operator can recognize items that have a high frequency of abnormalities and therefore a high risk of developing into malfunctions.

[0114] The operator can infer information regarding the cause of the abnormality in operating efficiency by comparing the "Latest Alarm Information" displayed in region R12 or the information displayed in region R11 with the "DCS Alarm Summary" displayed in region R15. For example, when "Blast" is displayed in region R1, if a specific sensor installed in the boiler that affects the burst has repeatedly indicated an abnormality in region R15, it is possible to infer that an abnormality that could cause the burst has occurred near the sensor. Also, when a "SH Heat Recovery Amount" warning has occurred multiple times in region R12, if a specific sensor installed in the furnace that affects the operating efficiency has repeatedly indicated an abnormality in region R15, it is possible to infer that an abnormality that could cause a decrease in operating efficiency has occurred near the sensor.

[0115] Area R14 in the upper right corner of the display screen DP1 displays information indicating the operational performance of the plant 1. For example, area R14 displays one or more trend graphs with the vertical axis representing an index important for stable operation and the horizontal axis representing time. In FIG. 6, for example, four trend graphs are displayed: "Boiler efficiency (loss method) [%-LHV]," "Ground efficiency [%]" (an example of "information indicating operating efficiency"), "Generator power [MW]," and "Transmission power [MW]." Note that the indexes to be displayed in area R14 can be arbitrarily selected by the operator.

[0116] According to this, when information for operating the plant 1 is displayed in the limited area of ​​the display screen DP1, among various abnormalities that may occur in the plant 1, abnormalities that may cause the plant 1 to shut down are displayed in area R11, which is an area independent of the areas for displaying other abnormalities, and warnings that may affect the operating efficiency of the plant 1 are displayed in area R12, which is different from area R11. Furthermore, since the occurrence history of the operating efficiency is displayed, it is possible to grasp the overall trend of the operating efficiency. The operator can easily recognize whether or not an abnormality that may cause the plant 1 to shut down and whether or not a warning that may affect the operating efficiency has occurred. Furthermore, area R15 displays the number of times that the data acquired by each sensor showed an abnormal value for each sensor, thereby enabling the operator to infer the cause of the abnormality that may cause the plant 1 to shut down and the warning that may affect the operating efficiency. Furthermore, the information displayed in area R14 allows the operator to easily identify components that may have generated a warning that may affect the operating efficiency.

[0117] The evaluation item display 60 is displayed, for example, below the region R12, and displays "Evaluation Item List" to prompt the operator to confirm a list of multiple evaluation items. The evaluation item display 60 prompts the operator to confirm the evaluation items for evaluating the plant state, and when the operator selects the evaluation item display 60 on the display screen DP1, the evaluation item display function 52 displays a display screen DP6 of evaluation items for evaluating the plant state. Details of this display function and display screen will be described later (see FIG. 14 ).

[0118] 5, the abnormality display function 42 receives a selection from the operator for an abnormality display (S11). For example, when the operator selects the abnormality display "Blowout" displayed in region R11 on the display screen DP1 shown in FIG. 6, the abnormality details display function 44 displays details of the abnormality (S12).

[0119] 7, an example of the display screen DP2 by the abnormality details display function 44 will be described. The display screen DP2 includes areas R20 to R24, a screen update display 72, an abnormality confirmation display 74, and an abnormality history display 76.

[0120] In region R20, "Plant Operation Support System" is displayed as the name of system 30, and "Blast-out Details" is displayed as the status of the current screen. The display in region R20 makes it easy to understand which system and which status the current screen is showing.

[0121] In an area R21 on the right side of the display screen DP2, image information is displayed showing the positions of the pipes in the entire plant 1 and the positions of the sensors provided on these pipes (in FIG. 7, these are indicated as "circled numbers 1 to 7," but in this specification they are indicated as "(1) to (7)"). The positions of the pipes in the entire plant 1 in the area R21 correspond to the plant 1 shown in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the areas R21 of the display screen DP2 display the positions, in the entire plant 1, of the three pipes constituting the superheater 10 of the plant 1 and the three AE sensors ((1), (2), (3)) provided on each of these three pipes, and the positions, in the entire plant 1, of the two pipes constituting the economizer 12 and the two AE sensors ((4), (5)) provided on each of these two pipes. In this embodiment, the positions of the furnace wall tube 6 adjacent to the furnace 2 of the plant 1 and the AE sensors ((6), (7)) respectively provided on the upper and lower parts of the furnace wall tube 6 are also displayed in the region R21 of the display screen DP2. Note that these tubes (the tubes of the superheater 10, the tubes of the economizer 12, and the furnace wall tube 6) and their corresponding AE sensors (1) to (7) are only examples, and other tubes and AE sensors can also be displayed in the region R21. The AE sensors are provided on the furnace wall tubes or on metal surfaces connected to the tubes, which are metal structures that allow the generated elastic waves to propagate without impairing the characteristics of the elastic waves.

[0122] Furthermore, the region R21 is configured to display the state of the tube detected by the AE sensor in a predetermined manner. For example, if the process data (AE parameters extracted by signal processing of the AE signal (waveform)) acquired from a specific AE sensor (e.g., (1)) among the AE sensors (1) to (7) displayed in the region R21 indicates an abnormal value exceeding a predetermined threshold, and it is determined that a blowout has occurred in the corresponding tube (the tube of the superheater 10), the abnormality details display function 44 will blink the display of the specific AE sensor ((1)) or change the display color of the specific AE sensor ((1)) to a different color from the display colors of the other AE sensors ((2) to (7)).

[0123] The anomaly details display function 44 also chronologically displays, in the region R22 of the display screen DP2, the determination information used when determining the state of the pipe using a predetermined algorithm based on the process data related to the plant 1 (operation data of the plant 1). In this embodiment, the possibility of a blowout (degree of abnormality) is calculated by processing process data (AE parameters extracted by signal processing of AE signals (waveforms)) different from the process data acquired by the AE sensors ((1) to (7)) according to a predetermined algorithm, and the reliability (level of reliability) of the process data and algorithm used for the calculation is also calculated. The degree of abnormality and reliability are examples of determination information. The anomaly details display function 44 then displays a time chart above the region R22 of the display screen DP2, with both the degree of abnormality and the reliability on the vertical axis and the most recent 24 hours on the horizontal axis. Above the region R22 in FIG. 7 , the dashed line represents the time chart of the degree of abnormality, and the solid line represents the time chart of the reliability. By visually checking both the time charts of the degree of abnormality and the reliability, the operator can identify the time period during which a blowout may have occurred. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the operator can determine that there is a possibility that a blowout occurred after 11:00, when both the degree of abnormality and the degree of reliability indicate high values.

[0124] As shown in FIG. 7 , the anomaly detail display function 44 also displays time charts of two parameters α and β (feature data that affect the determination of the anomaly level and reliability) correlated with the anomaly level and reliability, respectively, below the region R22. The parameters α and β are also examples of judgment information. In FIG. 7 , the dashed-dotted line represents the time chart of the parameter α correlated with the anomaly level, and the dashed-two-dotted line represents the time chart of the parameter β correlated with the reliability. By visually checking the time charts of the anomaly level and reliability displayed above the region R22 and the time charts of the two parameters α and β displayed below the region R22, the operator can make a comprehensive judgment regarding the occurrence of a blowout. The parameters α and β are derived, for example, from a calculation formula used in the process of calculating the anomaly level and reliability, and may be used to confirm the accuracy of the anomaly level and reliability. In the example shown in FIG. 7 , one graph correlated with the judgment information is displayed, but multiple graphs may be displayed.

[0125] Furthermore, the anomaly details display function 44 is configured to display both the results of pipe condition detection by the AE sensor and the results of pipe condition determination based on process data other than the process data acquired by the AE sensor (AE parameters extracted by signal processing of the AE signal (waveform)) in the same format in region R23 of the display screen DP2. In this embodiment, the anomaly details display function 44 chronologically displays the results of detection by the AE sensor over the past 24 hours, as to whether or not a pipe blowout has occurred, in a horizontally long bar chart above region R23 (displayed as "AE method"). In addition, the anomaly details display function 44 chronologically displays the results of determination based on the process data and algorithm over the past 24 hours, as to whether or not a pipe blowout has occurred, in a horizontally long bar chart below region R23 (displayed as "Logic"). In other words, in this embodiment, both the results of detection by the AE method and the results of determination by logic are displayed in the same format in a time series format in bar charts. In addition, in this embodiment, the time axis of each time chart displayed in the region R22 and the time axis of each bar chart displayed in the region R23 are displayed in conjunction with each other.

[0126] In each bar chart, the horizontally hatched areas indicate time periods when a blowout has been detected and the operator has already acknowledged it. The open areas indicate time periods when a blowout has been detected and the operator has not yet acknowledged it. The diagonally hatched areas indicate time periods when a blowout has not been detected and the operator has not yet acknowledged it. The solid black areas indicate time periods when a blowout has not been detected and the operator has already acknowledged it. By visually examining both bar charts, the operator can determine that a blowout is likely to have occurred during the time periods when the open exclamation points overlap (e.g., around 2:00 PM, around 8:00 AM, etc.).

[0127] The operator can determine the specific AE sensor (e.g., (1)) corresponding to the pipe where the blowout is currently occurring by viewing area R21 on display screen DP2, and can determine the time history of the blowout by viewing area R23 on display screen DP2. Therefore, by visually checking both area R21 and area R23, the operator can determine how much time has passed since the blowout occurred in the pipe corresponding to the specific AE sensor (e.g., (1)).

[0128] In the example shown in this embodiment, both the AE method and the logic method determination results indicate the occurrence of a blowout at the current time of "14:00," which causes the abnormality display function 42 to display an abnormality indication indicating the occurrence of a blowout in the region R11 of the display screen DP1. In this case, the explanation 62 of the region R11 of the display screen DP1 may indicate that both the AE method and the logic method determination results indicate the occurrence of a blowout. Note that the abnormality indication by the abnormality display function 42 is not limited to when both the AE method and the logic method indicate the occurrence of a blowout, but may also be displayed when either one of the methods indicates the occurrence of a blowout. In this case, the explanation 62 of the region R11 of the display screen DP1 may indicate whether the method used to determine the occurrence of a blowout was the AE method or the logic method.

[0129] An explanatory text 70 relating to the "blowout" is displayed in region R24 of display screen DP2. The explanatory text 70 on display screen DP2 may provide more detailed information about the abnormality than the explanatory text 62 on display screen DP1. For example, in the case of a blowout occurring due to the AE method, the explanatory text 70 may include information indicating the specific AE sensor that provided the basis for the abnormality display indicating the occurrence of the blowout, and may also include information urging the operator to check the data from this specific AE sensor. In this way, by displaying the explanatory text 70 relating to the abnormality display on display screen DP2 that shows the details of the abnormality display, the operator can easily grasp the current state of plant 1 and the next action to be taken from a more detailed perspective than on display screen DP1.

[0130] When the operator selects the screen update display 72 on the display screen DP2, the display contents of the display screen DP2 are updated. In this way, the latest contents of the display screen DP2 can be grasped without transitioning to a different display, such as the display screen DP1.

[0131] When the operator selects the blowout confirmation display 74 on the display screen DP2, the system 30 determines that the operator has confirmed the occurrence of a blowout, and when returning to the display screen DP1 shown in FIG. 6 , the display can be made in a manner different from the abnormality display indicating that a blowout has occurred that could result in the shutdown of the plant 1. In this case, for example, the word "Blowout" may not be displayed on the display screen DP1, or the highlighting of "Blowout" may be suppressed. Additionally, sound effects or audio such as a warning sound may be stopped.

[0132] When the operator selects the explosion history display 76 on the display screen DP2, the display screen DP4 is displayed by the abnormality history display function 48. Details of this display function and the display screen will be described later (see FIG. 9).

[0133] 5, the abnormality details display function 44 receives a selection from the operator for displaying an abnormal state of the pipe corresponding to the specific AE sensor ((1)) that showed an abnormal value in the region R21 of the display screen DP2 (S13). For example, when the operator selects the display of a specific AE sensor (e.g., (1)) from among the AE sensors ((1) to (7)) displayed in the region R21 of the display screen DP2, the sensor data details display function 46 displays data from the specific AE sensor (e.g., (1)) that is the basis for the abnormal state indicating the occurrence of a blowout (S14).

[0134] 8, an example of the display screen DP3 by the sensor data detail display function 46 will be described. The display screen DP3 includes areas R30 to R34.

[0135] Region R30 displays "Blowout Details" as the current screen status. The display in region R30 makes it easy to understand the status of the current screen.

[0136] An upper region R31 of the display screen DP3 accepts input of date and time, sensor number, and Y-axis adjustment. Furthermore, a lower region R32 of the display screen DP3 displays, in chronological order, data from a specific AE sensor (e.g., (1)) that is the basis for an abnormal condition indicating the occurrence of a blowout, using the sensor data detail display function 46. In the example shown in FIG. 8 , a time chart is displayed in region R32 of the display screen DP3, with the vertical axis representing process data (AE parameters extracted by signal processing of the AE signal (waveform)) detected by the specific AE sensor ((1)) and the horizontal axis representing the most recent 24 hours. When a blowout occurs, a larger amount of energy (elastic waves) is released compared to normal operation. Therefore, for example, an operator can visually check the time series graph displayed in region R32 of the display screen DP3 and determine that a blowout occurred during the time period when the maximum value of the AE parameter occurred. By inputting the date and time, sensor number, and Y-axis adjustment in area R31, the operator can display or change the date and time or sensor number of the target graph in area R32, or adjust the Y-axis scaling of specific sensor data, allowing the operator to easily and quickly analyze each sensor data.

[0137] Furthermore, an explanatory text 80 relating to the "blowout" is displayed in the space between regions R30 and R31 on display screen DP3. The explanatory text 80 on display screen DP3 may provide more detailed information about the abnormality than the explanatory text 70 on display screen DP2. For example, the explanatory text 80 may display information about the trend, analysis, and countermeasures of the data from a specific AE sensor that is the basis for the abnormality display indicating the occurrence of a blowout. In this way, by displaying the explanatory text 80 relating to the abnormality display on display screen DP3 that displays the sensor data that is the basis for the abnormal state, the operator can easily grasp the current state of the plant 1 and the next action to be taken from a more detailed perspective than on display screen DP2.

[0138] The display screen DP3 can be displayed on the display unit 30f simultaneously with the display screen DP2, allowing the operator to simultaneously grasp the details of the explosion and the sensor data that is the basis for the explosion.

[0139] With these display screens DP2 and DP3, image information showing the position of the pipe in the entire plant 1 and the position of the AE sensor installed on the pipe can be displayed in region R21 of the display screen DP2, and the AE sensor (e.g., (1)) corresponding to the pipe where the explosion occurred can be displayed in a predetermined manner (e.g., blinking or coloring). Furthermore, the judgment information used when judging the pipe status using a predetermined algorithm can be displayed in chronological order in region R22 of the display screen DP2. Therefore, an operator viewing the display screen DP2 of the system 30 can not only grasp the positions of the pipes and AE sensors in the entire plant 1, but also grasp the pipe status judged or detected using different methods (both the AE sensor and the algorithm). In other words, the operator can efficiently grasp important information required for pipe monitoring by simply viewing a single screen (display screen DP2), for example, and can make a comprehensive judgment. For example, (i) if a blowout is detected and determined by both the AE sensor (region R21) and the algorithm (region R22), the operator can determine that a blowout is likely to have occurred in a specific pipe within plant 1, and by selecting the AE sensor that detected the blowout in region R21, the operator can check the time history of the sound pressure level of that AE sensor in region R32 of the third screen DP3 (FIG. 8) and identify the time period in which the blowout occurred. Also, (ii) if the AE sensor (region R21) detects a blowout but the algorithm (region R22) does not determine the occurrence of a blowout, the operator can determine that a blowout is likely to have occurred in one of the pipes within plant 1, and by selecting the AE sensor that detected the blowout in region R21, the operator can check the time history of the sound pressure level of that AE sensor in region R32 of the third screen DP3 (FIG. 8) and check the determination information (degree of abnormality and reliability) in region R22, thereby determining the certainty of the blowout.Furthermore, (iii) if the AE sensor (region R21) does not detect the occurrence of a blowout, but the algorithm (region R22) determines that a blowout has occurred, the operator can determine that a blowout may have occurred in one of the pipes within the plant 1, and can determine the certainty of the blowout based on the determination information in region R22 (the degree of abnormality and reliability, as well as two types of parameters α and β that are correlated with the degree of abnormality and reliability, respectively). Thus, the present system 30 can contribute to the stable operation of the plant 1.

[0140] Furthermore, in system 30, both the results of pipe condition detection by the AE sensor and the results of pipe condition judgment based on a predetermined algorithm can be displayed in the same format (bar chart format) in area R23 of display screen DP2. This allows the operator to visually confirm and understand the results of pipe condition judgment (detection) by different methods in the same format, enabling comprehensive judgment.

[0141] Furthermore, in the system 30, detection information detected by a specific sensor (for example, (1)) selected from the AE sensors displayed in the region R21 of the display screen DP2 can be displayed in chronological order in the region R32 of the display screen DP3 transitioned from the display screen DP2 having the region R21, etc. Therefore, there is an advantage that the detection information can be enlarged and displayed in the region R32 of the display screen DP3, which is separate from the display screen DP2 having the region R21, etc., and the time history of the detection information can be grasped in detail.

[0142] As described above, the transitions of the functional blocks in Fig. 4, such as the transition from the login display function 40 to the abnormality display function 42, the transition from the abnormality display function 42 to the abnormality details display function 44, and the transition from the abnormality details display function 44 to the sensor data details display function 46, have been explained using the flowchart in Fig. 5, but the transitions of the functional blocks are not limited to this. Below, the transitions to the other functional blocks shown in Fig. 4 will be explained using Figs. 9 to 14.

[0143] 9 shows an example of the display screen DP4 by the abnormality history display function 48. This display screen DP4 is displayed when the operator selects the explosion history display 76 on the display screen DP2. The display screen DP4 includes regions R40 to R43.

[0144] Area R40 displays information indicating the status of the current screen and the transitions of previous screens. In FIG. 9, "Dashboard > Blast Details >" is displayed, which indicates that the current display screen DP4 has transitioned to display screen DP1 (Dashboard) and then to display screen DP2 (Blast Details).

[0145] Area R41 accepts input of the date and time when it was determined that an abnormality occurred, the type of determination (AE method or logic method), whether the determination has been made correctly or incorrectly, and the maximum number of items to display. After the operator inputs each item in area R41, if the operator selects search display, the search results will be displayed in area R43.

[0146] Area R42 accepts input of a true / false / false report and a comment as the anomaly record. In addition, in area R42, when an anomaly such as a blowout occurs that could not be detected by the system 30, the date and time of occurrence and the date and time of release can be input as a false report.

[0147] The detection results from region R41 are displayed in region R43. Specifically, region R43 displays desired search results according to the date and time when the abnormality occurred, the date and time when the abnormality was resolved, the type of abnormality, the number of the sensor that detected the abnormality, whether or not the abnormality has been determined to be correct, etc. This allows the operator to easily understand the history of abnormality occurrences.

[0148] 10 to 13 show examples of display screens by the guide display function 50. These display screens DP5a to DP5d are screens that are displayed when the operator selects any of the items displayed in the list in the region R12 on the display screen DP1.

[0149] FIG. 10 shows a first example of a display screen by the guide display function 50. This display screen DP5a is displayed by transitioning from the display screen DP1 in response to selection of a warning display in region R12 of the display screen DP1. The display screen DP5a includes regions R51a and R52a. The system 30 allows the user to check an overview of the state of the plant 1 through a plurality of process data on the display screen DP1, and to check the state of the plant 1 in detail through specific process data on the display screen DP2. Note that, when the user checks the contents displayed on the display screen DP2 and transitions to the display screen DP1, it is indicated that the corresponding alarm in the "Latest Alarm Information" has been acknowledged. The acknowledgement is indicated, for example, by changing the text, initially displayed in red, to black. Furthermore, pressing the transition button labeled "1 / 10" at the bottom of the display screen DP5a displays other graphs related to the selected alarm.

[0150] In this example, the region R51a includes a first graph (scatter plot) of "Boiler efficiency (loss method) (%)" and "Boiler load (%)" and a second graph showing the time change of "Boiler efficiency (loss method) (%)." The region R51a is configured to be able to display a graph of second process data (boiler load in this example) related to the first process data (boiler efficiency (loss method) in this example). By displaying not only the first process data but also graphs of related second process data in this way, the plant status can be monitored from multiple angles. The first graph may also display a threshold value for determining whether or not to issue an alarm. The second graph may also display a threshold value for determining whether or not to issue an alarm, and may also display the time when the cause of the alarm occurred. The number of graphs of second process data related to the first process data is not limited to one, and two or more graphs may be displayed. In this example, another graph of the second process data is displayed by pressing a transition button marked "1 / 10" at the bottom of the display screen DP5a. This also applies to other display screens shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, which will be described later.

[0151] The guide display function 50 is also configured to be able to display a second graph of the first process data, which is different from the first graph, in the region R51a. By displaying a first graph (scatter plot) of the first process data, "boiler efficiency (loss method) (%)," and a second graph showing the time change of "boiler efficiency (loss method) (%)," and displaying multiple types of graphs for the first process data, it is possible to monitor the state of the plant 1 from multiple angles. Note that the guide display function 50 may display three or more graphs related to the first process data.

[0152] The guide display function 50 is configured to display an explanatory text about the first process data in an area R52a of the display screen adjacent to the area R51a. In this example, the guide name is "Boiler Efficiency," the content is "Boiler Efficiency (Heat Input / Output Method)," the occurrence date and time is "2019 / 08 / 07 10:35:24," and the response method column contains a sentence titled "1. Monitoring Points (How to Read the Graph)" explaining how to identify the event from the graph and a sentence titled "2. Response Method" explaining how to optimize the state of the first process data. Note that the method for optimizing the state of the first process data is a method for optimizing the state of the process data of interest, which exceeds a threshold, to within the threshold.

[0153] "1. Monitoring Points (How to Read the Graph)" contains the definition of boiler efficiency (loss method) and the calculation formula. This explanation allows you to see how to capture events from the graph, making it easier to understand what events are occurring.

[0154] "2. Actions to Take" lists the items to be checked if the boiler efficiency (loss method) is in an abnormal state. This explanation allows the user to check the method for optimizing the state of the first process data, making it easy to understand what action is required.

[0155] 11 shows a second example of a display screen by the guide display function 50. This display screen DP5b is displayed by transitioning from the display screen DP1 in response to selection of the warning display in the region R12 of the display screen DP1. The display screen DP5b includes a region R51b and a region R52b.

[0156] In this example, the region R51b includes a first graph (scatter plot) of "evaporation multiple (-)" and "boiler load (%)," and a second graph showing the time change of "boiler efficiency (loss method) [%-LHV]." In this way, the region R51b is configured to be able to display a graph of second process data (boiler efficiency (loss method) in this example) related to the first process data (evaporation multiple in this example). In this way, by displaying not only the first process data but also the graph of the related second process data, the plant status can be monitored from multiple angles.

[0157] The guide display function 50 is configured to be able to display an explanatory text about the first process data in an area R52b of the display screen adjacent to the area R51b. In this example, the guide name is "Boiler efficiency," the content is "Boiler efficiency (heat input / output method)," the occurrence date and time is "2019 / 08 / 07 10:35:24," and the response method column contains a text titled "1. Monitoring points (how to read the graph)" that explains how to grasp the event from the graph, and a text titled "2. Response method" that explains how to optimize the state of the first process data.

[0158] "1. Monitoring Points (How to Read the Graph)" contains the definition of evaporation multiple and the calculation formula. This explanation allows you to see how to capture events from the graph, making it easier to understand what events are occurring.

[0159] "2. Actions to Take" lists the items to be checked if the evaporation rate is abnormal. This explanation allows the user to check the method for optimizing the state of the first process data, making it easy to understand what action is required.

[0160] 12 shows a third example of a display screen by the guide display function 50. This display screen DP5c is displayed by transitioning from the display screen DP1 in response to selection of the warning display in the region R12 of the display screen DP1. The display screen DP5c includes a region R51c and a region R52c.

[0161] In this example, the region R51c includes a first graph (scatter plot) of the "turbine steam consumption rate (kg / kWh)" and the "power generation amount (MW)," and a second graph showing the time change of the "turbine steam consumption rate (kg / kWh)." In this way, the region R51c is configured to be able to display a graph of the second process data (power generation amount in this example) related to the first process data (turbine steam consumption rate in this example). In this way, by displaying not only the first process data but also the graph of the related second process data, the plant status can be monitored from multiple angles.

[0162] Furthermore, the guide display function 50 is configured to be able to display a second graph of the first process data, which is different from the first graph, in the region R51c. By displaying a first graph (scatter plot) of the first process data, "turbine steam consumption rate (kg / kWh)," and a second graph showing the time change of the "turbine steam consumption rate (kg / kWh)," and thereby displaying multiple types of graphs for the first process data, it is possible to monitor the state of the plant 1 from multiple angles.

[0163] The guide display function 50 is configured to be able to display explanatory text about the first process data in an area R52c of the display screen adjacent to the area R51c. In this example, the guide name is "Boiler efficiency," the content is "Boiler efficiency (heat input / output method)," the occurrence date and time is "2019 / 08 / 07 10:35:24," and the response method column contains a text titled "1. Monitoring points (how to read the graph)" that explains how to grasp the event from the graph, and a text titled "2. Response method" that explains how to optimize the state of the first process data.

[0164] "1. Monitoring Points (How to Read the Graph)" contains the definition of steam consumption rate and the calculation formula. This explanation allows you to see how to capture events from the graph, making it easier to understand what events are occurring.

[0165] "2. Action to Take" lists items to be checked if the steam consumption rate is in a state that is different from normal. Such explanations allow the user to check the method for optimizing the state of the first process data, making it easy to understand what action is required.

[0166] 13 shows a fourth example of a display screen by the guide display function 50. This display screen DP5d is displayed by transitioning from the display screen DP1 in response to selection of the warning display in the region R12 of the display screen DP1. The display screen DP5d includes a region R51d and a region R52d.

[0167] In this example, the region R51d includes a first graph (scatter plot) of the "steam consumption rate (based on fuel supply) (kg / kWh)" and the "power generation amount (MW)," and a second graph showing the time change of the "steam consumption rate (based on fuel supply) (kg / kWh)." In this way, the region R51d is configured to be able to display a graph of the second process data (power generation amount in this example) related to the first process data (steam consumption rate (based on fuel supply) in this example). In this way, by displaying not only the first process data but also the graph of the related second process data, the plant status can be monitored from multiple angles.

[0168] Furthermore, the guide display function 50 is configured to be able to display a second graph of the first process data, which is different from the first graph, in the region R51d. By displaying a first graph (scatter plot) of the first process data, "steam consumption rate (fuel supply base) (kg / kWh)," and a second graph showing the time variation of the "steam consumption rate (fuel supply base) (kg / kWh)," and by displaying multiple types of graphs for the first process data, it is possible to monitor the state of the plant 1 from multiple angles.

[0169] The guide display function 50 is configured to be able to display an explanatory text about the first process data in an area R52d of the display screen adjacent to the area R51d. In this example, the guide name is "Boiler efficiency," the content is "Boiler efficiency (heat input / output method)," the occurrence date and time is "2019 / 08 / 07 10:35:24," and the response method column contains a text titled "1. Monitoring points (how to read the graph)" that explains how to grasp the event from the graph, and a text titled "2. Response method" that explains how to optimize the state of the first process data.

[0170] "1. Monitoring Points (How to Read the Graph)" contains the definition of heat rate and the calculation formula. This explanation allows you to see how to understand events from the graph, making it easier to understand what is occurring.

[0171] "2. Action to Take" lists items to be checked if the heat rate is in a state that is different from normal. Such explanations allow the user to check the method for optimizing the state of the first process data, making it easy to understand what action is required.

[0172] 9 to 13, information indicating the status of the current screen and the transition of screens up to now is displayed. Specifically, "Dashboard > Guide Display" is displayed in the areas R50a to R50d, which allows the user to understand that the current display screen has transitioned from the display screen DP1 (dashboard).

[0173] The guide display function 50 described in Figures 9 to 13 displays a graph of the first process data in the first area of ​​the display screen and displays an explanatory text about the first process data in the adjacent second area, making it easier for the operator to understand what event is occurring and what response is required.

[0174] The explanatory text provided by the guide display function 50 may include images, legend graphs, and the like in addition to text information and mathematical formulas. Furthermore, the explanatory text provided by the guide display function 50 may have a function for displaying the time when a warning for the same process occurred in the past. By adding this information, the operator's understanding can be further improved.

[0175] Furthermore, the graph of the first process data displayed in the first area of ​​the display screen can show a time series of 12 hours around the time of the warning, which makes it easy to grasp the changes in the process data around the time of the warning.

[0176] In particular, a plant has a large number of events and parameters to be monitored, and when a change in the plant state occurs, it is necessary to efficiently and quickly notify the operator of this change. In this regard, the guide display function 50 of the system 30 according to this embodiment displays not only the first process data but also a graph of the related second process data, thereby enabling the operator to efficiently grasp changes in the plant state, and by displaying an explanatory text, the operator can confirm methods for optimizing the plant state, thereby enabling the operator to quickly grasp what kind of response is required.

[0177] 14 shows an example of a display screen DP6 by the evaluation item display function 52. This display screen DP6 is a screen that is displayed when the operator selects evaluation item display 60 on the display screen DP1. The display screen DP6 includes regions R60 and R61.

[0178] Area R60 displays information indicating the status of the current screen and the transitions of screens up to now. Specifically, area R60 displays "Dashboard > Evaluation Item List," which allows the user to understand that the current display screen has transitioned from display screen DP1 (dashboard).

[0179] Area R61 displays evaluation items for evaluating the state of the plant 1. Specifically, area R61 displays the ID, major category, medium category, minor category, and evaluation item name of the evaluation item. This allows the operator to understand the evaluation items for evaluating the state of the plant 1 by the system 30 even when no abnormality or alarm is displayed. Furthermore, when the operator selects any of the evaluation items displayed in area R61, the display screen may transition to one of display screens DP5a to DP5d by the guide display function 50 as shown in FIGS. 9 to 13. In this case, the graph of the process data displayed by the guide display function 50 may display a graph of, for example, the most recent 24 hours from the current time.

[0180] As described above, according to this embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in the plant 1, the state of the plant 1 that the operator should understand can be displayed in a step-by-step and sequential manner, so that the state of the plant can be shown to the operator in an easy-to-understand manner. In particular, since a plant has a large number of events and parameters that must be monitored, when a change occurs in the state of the plant, it is necessary to efficiently and quickly notify the operator of this. The system and method according to this embodiment make it possible to confirm a method for optimizing the state of the plant, and to quickly understand what kind of response is required.

[0181] The embodiments described through the above embodiments of the invention can be combined, modified, or improved as appropriate depending on the application, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. It is clear from the claims that such combinations, modifications, or improvements are also included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0182] 1... Plant, 30... System, 42... Abnormality display function, 44... Abnormality detail display function, 46... Sensor data detail display function, 48... Abnormality history display function, 50... Guide display function, 52... Evaluation item display function

Claims

1. A system for displaying the status of a plant, comprising: a first display function that displays an abnormality indication indicating the occurrence of an abnormality that could result in the plant being shut down, and prompts an operator to confirm it; a second display function that, when the operator selects the abnormality indication on the first display function, displays image information indicating the position of the pipe in the entire plant and the position of a sensor installed on the pipe, and also displays the abnormal condition of the pipe detected by the sensor in a predetermined manner; and a third display function that displays the sensor data that is the basis for the abnormal condition displayed in the predetermined manner.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first display function, the second display function, and the third display function further displays a description relating to the anomaly.

3. The system described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the second display function further displays an abnormality confirmation display for determining whether the abnormality has been confirmed by the operator, and when the abnormality confirmation display is selected by the operator using the second display function, the first display function displays the abnormality display in a different manner.

4. A system described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second display function further includes displaying judgment information used when judging the condition of the pipe based on process data related to the plant, and the first display function displays the abnormality display based on the result of the abnormal condition of the pipe detected by the sensor in the second display function and the judgment information.

5. A system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second display function displays an abnormality history display that prompts the operator to check the history of the abnormality display, and further comprises a fourth display function that displays the history of the abnormality display when the operator selects the abnormality history display with the second display function.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the fourth display function further includes displaying an area for receiving input from an operator as to whether the abnormality display is correct or incorrect.

7. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first display function further includes displaying a warning display indicating the occurrence of a warning when process data related to the plant reaches a predetermined state, and further comprising a fifth display function that, when the warning display is selected by an operator with the first display function, displays a graph of the process data corresponding to the warning display and an explanation of the process data corresponding to the warning display adjacent to each other.

8. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first display function includes: displaying, in a first area of ​​a display screen of the plant, the occurrence of an abnormality that may result in the shutdown of the plant; and displaying, in a second area of ​​the display screen, a history of the occurrence of an abnormality that may affect the operating efficiency of the plant.

9. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the second display function includes displaying image information indicating the position of the pipes in the entire plant and the position of the sensors installed in the pipes in a first area of ​​the display screen of the plant, and displaying an abnormal condition of the pipes detected by the sensors in a predetermined manner in the first area, and displaying judgment information used when judging the condition of the pipes based on operating data of the plant in a second area of ​​the display screen.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein the fifth display function includes: displaying, in a first area of ​​the display screen of the plant, a graph of first process data corresponding to the warning display and a graph of second process data related to the first process data; and displaying, in a second area of ​​the display screen adjacent to the first area, an explanation of the process data corresponding to the warning display.

11. A system described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first display function displays an evaluation item display prompting confirmation of evaluation items that evaluate the state of the plant, and further comprises a sixth display function that displays the evaluation item when the evaluation item display is selected by the operator in the first display function.

12. A method for displaying the status of a plant, comprising: displaying an abnormality display indicating the occurrence of an abnormality that could result in the shutdown of the plant, and prompting an operator to confirm; accepting a selection of the abnormality display from the operator; when the abnormality display is selected by the operator, displaying image information indicating the position of the pipe in the entire plant and the position of a sensor installed on the pipe, and displaying the abnormal condition of the pipe detected by the sensor in a predetermined manner; accepting a selection of the display in the predetermined manner from the operator; when the display of the abnormal condition of the pipe is selected by the operator, displaying data from the sensor that is the basis for the abnormal condition shown in the predetermined manner.

13. A device having a display screen for displaying the status of a plant, configured to be able to display the occurrence of an abnormality that may cause the plant to be shut down in a first area of ​​the display screen, and configured to be able to display the occurrence history of an abnormality that may affect the operating efficiency of the plant in a second area of ​​the display screen.

14. The device described in claim 13, wherein the history of abnormality occurrences displayed in the second area is displayed in a manner in which time information indicating when the abnormality occurred and information indicating the content of the abnormality are arranged in the order of occurrence.

15. The device according to claim 13, wherein the plant is equipped with a plurality of sensors, and the abnormality occurrence history displayed in the second area is displayed in a manner in which the number of times that data acquired by the sensors showed abnormal values ​​is arranged for each sensor.

16. The device according to claim 14, wherein the plant is equipped with a plurality of sensors, and the anomaly occurrence history displayed in the second area includes an anomaly occurrence history determined to have occurred based on data acquired from at least two of the sensors, and an anomaly occurrence history determined to have occurred based on data acquired from a single of the sensors.

17. The device according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the plant is made up of a plurality of components, and the device is configured to be able to display, in a fourth area of ​​the display screen, at least one of the components in which an abnormality that may affect the operating efficiency has occurred, in a manner different from that of the other components.

18. The device according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein the device is configured to be able to display information indicating the operating efficiency of the plant in a fifth area of ​​the display screen.

19. A system comprising: a device having a display screen for displaying the status of a plant; and a control device for controlling said device, wherein said device is configured to be able to display, in a first area of ​​said display screen, the occurrence of an abnormality that may cause the plant to be shut down, and to be able to display, in a second area of ​​said display screen, the occurrence history of an abnormality that may affect the operating efficiency of said plant.

20. A device having a screen for displaying the status of a plant, configured to display image information indicating the position of pipes in the entire plant and the position of sensors installed in the pipes in a first area of ​​the screen, and to display the status of the pipes detected by the sensors in a predetermined manner in the first area, and to display judgment information used when judging the status of the pipes based on operating data of the plant in a second area of ​​the screen.

21. The device according to claim 20, configured to display the determination information in chronological order in the second area.

22. The device according to claim 21, wherein the determination information includes a value calculated from the operational data as a degree of abnormality of the pipe, and a value calculated from the operational data as a reliability of the state of the pipe.

23. The device according to claim 21 or 22, wherein the determination information includes feature data that influences the determination of the state of the pipe.

24. An apparatus according to any one of claims 20 to 23, configured to display both the detection results of the pipe condition by the sensor and the judgment results of the pipe condition based on the plant's operating data in chronological order in the same format in the third area of ​​the screen.

25. The device according to claim 24, configured to display the time axis in the second area and the time axis in the third area in conjunction with each other.

26. A device described in any one of claims 20 to 25, configured such that when a specific sensor is selected from the sensors displayed in the first area, the detection information detected by the specific sensor is displayed in chronological order in the fourth area.

27. The device of claim 26, configured to display the detected information in the fourth area of ​​a screen separate from the screen.

28. A system comprising a display device having a screen for displaying the status of a plant, and a control device for controlling the display device, wherein the display device is configured to display image information indicating the positions of pipes in the entire plant and the positions of sensors installed in the pipes in a first area of ​​the screen, and to display the status of the pipes detected by the sensors in a predetermined manner in the first area, and is configured to display judgment information used when judging the status of the pipes based on operating data of the plant in a second area of ​​the screen.

29. An apparatus having a display screen for displaying the status of a plant, wherein a graph of first process data related to the plant can be displayed in a first area of ​​the display screen, and an explanatory text related to the first process data can be displayed in a second area of ​​the display screen adjacent to the first area.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the first area is configured to display a graph of second process data related to the first process data.

31. The device according to claim 29 or 30, wherein the device is configured to be able to display another graph of the first process data, different from the graph of the first process data, in the first area.

32. A device as described in any one of claims 29 to 31, wherein the display screen is configured to be capable of displaying a first screen showing a warning when at least one of a plurality of process data becomes abnormal, and wherein the display screen is configured to transition from the first screen to a second screen in response to selection of the warning, and wherein the second screen includes the first area and the second area.

33. The device according to claim 32, wherein the warning is configured to be displayed in a third area of ​​the first screen, and wherein a graph of one or more representative process data items related to the plant is configured to be displayed in a fourth area adjacent to the third area.

34. An apparatus according to any one of claims 29 to 33, wherein the explanatory text includes text explaining how to capture an event from the graph.

35. The apparatus according to any one of claims 29 to 34, wherein the explanatory text includes text that explains a method for optimizing the state of the first process data.

36. A system comprising: an apparatus having a display screen for displaying a plant status; and a control device for controlling said apparatus, wherein said apparatus is configured to be capable of displaying a graph of first process data related to said plant in a first area of ​​said display screen; and is configured to be capable of displaying an explanation of said first process data in a second area of ​​said display screen adjacent to said first area.