Operator Station Control for Condition-Based Plant Instructions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Operators of complex industrial processing plants face challenges in efficiently monitoring and managing alarms due to the high complexity of industrial relationships, requiring up-to-date documentation that is not always guaranteed, especially with flexible plant structures and modular designs.
Innovation Solution
A control system with an operator station server and client that allows operators to define and store instructions related to internal plant states, enabling automated checks and notifications for taking logical actions, thus providing flexible and efficient operation and monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If operators manually check multiple process objects in different documents to deal with alarms, then they can take logically consistent actions, but this requires detailed documentation that is always up-to-date and available, which cannot always be guaranteed
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically checks whether conditions for stored instructions are met without requiring operators to manually verify documentation. The control system self-updates and self-verifies the current state against stored instructions, eliminating the need for operators to maintain and check multiple documents manually.
Solution Approach 2:
Instructions for operator activities and their associated conditions are stored in advance in the control system. When conditions are met, the system automatically retrieves and presents the pre-stored instructions to operators, eliminating the need for real-time documentation searches and ensuring up-to-date information is always available.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the plant structure is made flexible through modularization and dynamic reconfiguration, then the plant can adapt to changing requirements, but operators face new challenges in maintaining flexibility and efficiency during operation and monitoring
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows instructions and conditions to be defined and stored at runtime rather than requiring fixed pre-programming. This dynamic capability enables the control system to adapt to modular plant reconfigurations while maintaining ease of operation, as operators can update instructions to match current plant states without complex reprogramming.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system provides a universal instruction storage and retrieval mechanism that works across different modular plant configurations. The same basic framework handles various plant states and module arrangements, maintaining operational simplicity despite structural flexibility.
3Productivity
If operators are provided with automated condition checking and instruction retrieval, then they can operate more efficiently, but the system complexity increases with memory storage and automated verification functions
Solution Approach 1:
The system stores copies of instructions and conditions in memory for quick retrieval rather than requiring operators to access original documentation sources. This copying approach improves efficiency by providing immediate access to needed information while the underlying documentation structure remains unchanged, minimizing actual system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Control system and method for a technical plant, in particular a production or process plant, includes an operator station server and an operator station client connected to the operator station server, wherein the operator station client, at runtime of the plant, receive an instruction specified by the operator for an operator activity relating to the plant and a condition specified by the operator and which relates to an internal state of the plant for the instruction and transmit them to the operator station server, and the operator station server stores the instruction and condition received from the operator station client in memory and checks whether the condition is met, such that operators can adapt flexibly and efficiently to the operation and monitoring of the plant, particularly if it is formed in a modular manner for plant configurations that change during its life cycle.