Plant Operator KPI Scoring for Profitability and Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Distributed control systems in plants lack the functionality to support operators in considering profitability, energy saving, and device protection during operations, leading to instability and suboptimal performance.
Innovation Solution
An operation evaluation device and method that evaluates operator performance using key performance indicators (KPIs) across different management levels, providing real-time scoring and feedback to improve operational efficiency and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If control setting value is set to lower safety margin to improve profitability and energy saving, then operational efficiency improves, but system reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where operator actions are continuously monitored and evaluated against predefined evaluation rules. The system provides real-time feedback to operators about their operational decisions, enabling them to learn and improve their ability to balance profitability with system reliability. This feedback loop allows operators to maintain lower safety margins while avoiding actions that would compromise system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The evaluation system enables operators to self-improve through automated evaluation and feedback. Rather than requiring external supervision or complex control systems, the system allows operators to autonomously learn from their evaluation results and adjust their behavior to achieve better balance between operational efficiency and reliability.
2Reliability
If operator performs operation with high safety margin to improve system reliability, then system reliability improves, but profitability and energy saving deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides continuous feedback to operators about the impact of their decisions on both reliability and profitability metrics. This enables operators to learn the optimal balance point and make informed decisions that achieve adequate reliability without unnecessarily sacrificing profitability.
Solution Approach 2:
The evaluation rules incorporate multiple parameters including profitability metrics, energy consumption, and reliability indicators. By evaluating operator actions against this multi-parameter framework, the system guides operators to adjust their behavior to achieve optimal parameter balance rather than prioritizing a single parameter.
3Productivity
If distributed control system automates control to improve productivity, then operational efficiency improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service evaluation system that automatically monitors, evaluates, and provides feedback on operator actions without requiring complex external supervision systems. The evaluation rules and scoring mechanisms are embedded within the existing control system, allowing it to self-assess and guide operator behavior without adding significant external complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The evaluation system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it monitors operator actions, evaluates performance against multiple criteria (profitability, energy, reliability), provides real-time feedback, and enables operator learning. This multi-functionality achieves automation benefits without proportionally increasing system complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
An operation evaluation device evaluates an operation work of an operator in a plant. The operation evaluation device includes an indicator calculating section configured to calculate a plurality of key performance indicators in process control using data related to the process control performed by the operation work of the operator in the plant, a scoring section configured to obtain a score by scoring the operation work of the operator in the plant from a viewpoint of plant management using the key performance indicators calculated by the indicator calculating section, and an output device configured to output the score obtained by the scoring section for each viewpoint of the plant management.