Control Station Data Synchronization After Fault Recovery

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for data synchronization in distributed control systems, such as those in nuclear power plants, are complex, error-prone, and affect system security and availability, particularly when dealing with faulted control stations, as they often require manual adjustments or system restarts.

Innovation Solution

A method and device that lock the output of a faulted control station, compare variables with a functioning station to determine data to be synchronized, establish a data transmission channel, and perform synchronization, ensuring accurate and reliable data transfer without the need for direct communication between control stations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If manual adjustment is used to achieve data synchronization between control stations, then data consistency can be restored, but the operation becomes complex and error-prone, compromising system security

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata consistencyVSAvoidoperation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically detects data inconsistencies between control stations and performs self-correction by identifying and synchronizing only the inconsistent variables, eliminating the need for complex manual operations while ensuring data consistency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors and compares variables between control stations, providing feedback on data consistency status and automatically initiating synchronization when inconsistencies are detected, thereby maintaining reliability without manual intervention

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If communication between control stations is used for automatic data synchronization, then data consistency can be maintained, but system availability is affected due to required restarts

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata consistencyVSAvoidsystem availability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary identification of inconsistent variables before synchronization, allowing targeted data transfer without requiring full system restarts, thus maintaining high availability while ensuring data consistency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts and synchronizes only the specific inconsistent variables between control stations rather than requiring complete data re-synchronization or system restart, thereby maintaining system availability while achieving data consistency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Extent of automation

If direct communication between control stations is implemented for data synchronization, then automatic synchronization can be achieved, but operation reliability is affected to a certain extent

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomatic synchronizationVSAvoidoperation reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention introduces an intermediary mechanism that compares variables between control stations and identifies inconsistencies without requiring direct communication channels between stations, thereby maintaining automatic synchronization while improving operation reliability by eliminating communication-dependent failure modes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3525052B1Data synchronization method and apparatus
Publication Date: 2021.12.29 CHINA TECHENERGY
  • EP3525052B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3525052B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3525052B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided are a data synchronization method and apparatus. The method comprises: after a fault of any one control station is recovered, performing output locking on a faulty control station in a distributed control system of a nuclear power plant, so that the faulty control station may be in a bypass state; comparing variables of the faulty control station with variables of a selected control station without a fault to determine data to be synchronized; and establishing a data transmission channel with the faulty control station, and performing data synchronization on the data to be synchronized based on the established data transmission channel. In the embodiments of the present invention, data can be reliably and accurately synchronized to a faulty control station, the operation is simple, and at the same time, the security and usability of a distributed control system are ensured.