Central Plant Control Architecture for Unified Protection and Automation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for protecting, controlling, and automating industrial plants require significant hardware and personnel costs due to the static assignment of protection, control, and automation functions to separate intelligent electronic devices, leading to high maintenance and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
Centralizing protection, control, and automation functions on a single central computing unit, eliminating the need for separate intelligent electronic devices by using a central processing unit with integrated preprocessing units and a communication network, allowing simultaneous monitoring and control of multiple components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If protection, control, and automation functions are assigned to separate intelligent electronic devices, then device reliability is improved, but hardware costs and maintenance complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines protection, control, and automation functions into a single centralized computing unit, eliminating the need for multiple separate intelligent electronic devices. This merging reduces hardware costs and maintenance complexity while maintaining system reliability through centralized coordination of all functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized computing unit performs multiple functions including protection, control, and automation tasks that were previously distributed across specialized devices. This universal device handles diverse operational requirements through a single multi-functional platform, reducing overall system complexity.
2Reliability
If multiple separate intelligent electronic devices are used for different functions, then functional reliability is improved, but personnel costs and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
By merging protection, control, and automation functions into one centralized unit, the patent reduces the number of devices that require monitoring and maintenance. This consolidation decreases personnel costs and simplifies operational management while maintaining functional reliability through integrated system coordination.
3Adaptability or versatility
If decentralized protection algorithms are implemented on distributed devices, then system adaptability is improved, but device complexity and acquisition costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized computing unit provides a universal platform that can execute diverse protection algorithms and adapt to different functional requirements. This single multi-functional device replaces multiple specialized devices, reducing acquisition costs and complexity while maintaining system adaptability through software-based function configuration.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for protecting, automating, and controlling a plant, comprising the steps of: acquiring several measured variables that characterize or influence the state of the plant or its components using measuring sensors 3, thereby generating multiple measurement signals; generating measured values from each measurement signal; forwarding the measured values to an intelligent electronic unit (IED) (15), wherein each IED (15) has at least one protection, control, or automation function (SSAF), and wherein a protection function examines the measured values for the presence of at least one fault condition and generates a fault signal if a fault condition is present, an automation function is provided for carrying out processes within the plant, and a control function is provided for controlling components of the plant. The invention further relates to a device for carrying out this method.In order to improve such a method and such a device in such a way that the automation, control and/or protection of the plant can be carried out particularly cost-effectively and without much maintenance effort, it is proposed that the measurement signals be transmitted to a central computing unit (15) on which all the protection, control and automation functions (SSAFs) run centrally and components of the plant are simultaneously monitored or controlled by the central computing unit (15) or processes are carried out automatically.