Distributed Process Control Switching for Cloud Availability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional process control systems face challenges in maintaining high availability when transitioning from on-premise environments to cloud-based infrastructure, as cloud infrastructure and communication networks often fail to meet the stringent availability requirements needed for process control in plants.
Innovation Solution
The proposed process control system employs multiple controller devices installed in different data centers, connected through redundant communication networks, and utilizes control switching devices and monitoring devices to dynamically switch the states of controller devices based on planned maintenance or infrastructure failures, ensuring continuous availability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a control system is constructed in a cloud environment, then adaptability and ease of operation are improved, but reliability deteriorates due to insufficient availability of cloud infrastructure and communication networks
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into multiple controller devices distributed across different data centers, each capable of independent operation. This segmentation ensures that a failure in one data center does not affect the others, maintaining overall system reliability while enabling cloud environment integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by proactively switching controller devices to standby states before planned maintenance occurs. This prevents downtime during maintenance activities and ensures continuous operation, thereby maintaining high availability in the cloud environment.
Solution Approach 3:
The system implements beforehand cushioning by maintaining standby controller devices that can immediately take over if an active controller fails. This cushioning mechanism ensures continuous operation during failures or maintenance, compensating for the inherent reliability limitations of cloud infrastructure.
2Reliability
If multiple controller devices are deployed in different data centers with redundant configurations, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Controller devices are designed with universal functionality, where each controller can serve as either an active or standby device depending on system needs. This multi-functionality simplifies the overall system configuration compared to having dedicated active and standby hardware, as the same device type performs multiple roles.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses virtual copying of controller devices across data centers, where virtual controller instances are created and managed software-defined. This approach reduces device complexity by using software-based replication rather than complex hardware redundancy configurations.
3Reliability
If controller devices are switched proactively before maintenance or failures, then reliability is maintained, but loss of time occurs during state transitions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary state switching before maintenance or failures occur, allowing the standby controller to be fully prepared and synchronized in advance. This ensures that when the switch is executed, it happens quickly with minimal downtime, as the standby device is already ready to take over immediately.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A process control system (100) includes a plurality of controller devices (10) each of which performs process control on a plant, and an input-output device (20) that is connected to a target device of the process control. The input-output device (20) is installed in a different on-premise environment from the plurality of controller devices (10). Each of the controller devices (10) is connected to the input-output device (20) by a different closed network (40), and transmits and receives information on the process control on the plant to and from the input-output device (20).