Industrial Plant Action Impact Analysis Using Directed Graphs

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Industrial plant operators face difficulties in predicting the effects of value changes or actions on complex systems due to interdependencies between elements, making it challenging to identify relevant impacts on production processes.

Innovation Solution

A method is introduced that transforms a process flow diagram into a directed graph, allowing for the identification of interdependencies by selecting a starting node and constructing a subgraph of forward-connected nodes, which visualizes and quantifies the effects of operator actions and potential side effects, including cyclic interdependencies.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If operators manually analyze complex interdependencies in industrial plants, then they can understand system relationships, but the complexity and time required for analysis increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveUnderstanding of system interdependenciesVSAvoidTime required for analysis

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual mechanical analysis with automated computer-based graph theory algorithms. The system automatically transforms process flow diagrams into directed graphs and performs forward-connection analysis to identify affected elements, eliminating the need for operators to manually trace complex interdependencies while maintaining complete system understanding.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a computational model (directed graph) that copies and represents the physical plant's interdependency structure. This graphical model allows the system to simulate and analyze system behavior without physically interacting with the plant, enabling rapid what-if analysis and effect propagation tracking.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Reliability

If the system analyzes all possible effects of operator actions, then completeness of analysis is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveCompleteness of effect analysisVSAvoidComplexity of analysis system

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the complex plant system into discrete elements represented as nodes in a directed graph, with interdependencies represented as directed edges. This segmentation allows the system to analyze only the relevant subset of elements affected by a specific operator action (forward-connected nodes) rather than the entire plant, reducing computational complexity while maintaining analysis completeness for affected areas.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a directed graph as an intermediary data structure between the physical plant and the analysis process. This graphical model serves as a mediator that simplifies complex interdependency relationships into traversable paths, enabling systematic identification of affected elements without directly complex interactions with the physical system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Loss of information

If operators rely on traditional process flow diagrams, then system topology is represented, but identification of affected elements and side effects becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveSystem topology informationVSAvoidDifficulty of identifying affected elements

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the traditional approach by not starting with the process flow diagram and manually tracing effects, but rather transforming the PFD into a directed graph and using algorithmic forward-connection traversal to automatically identify affected elements. This inversion of the analysis methodology converts a difficult manual tracing problem into a systematic computational traversal problem.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual visual analysis of process flow diagrams with automated computer-based graph traversal algorithms. The system programmatically transforms PFDs into directed graphs and uses algorithms to identify forward-connected nodes, substituting human cognitive effort with automated computational processing that can systematically handle complex interdependencies.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS11880192B2Method for analyzing effects of operator actions in industrial plants

Publication Date: 2024.01.23 ABB (SCHWEIZ) AG

AI summary

A method for determining an interdependency between a plurality of elements in an industrial processing system includes: providing a process flow diagram (PFD) of a topology of the processing system; transforming the PFD into a directed graph, each element of the plurality of elements being transformed into a node and each relation between the plurality of elements being transformed into a directed edge; selecting one node of the plurality of nodes as a starting node; and constructing a subgraph, the subgraph including all the nodes that are forward-connected from the starting node so as to show at least one interdependency between the plurality of elements in the subgraph.