Integrated Plant Planning and Simulation for Commissioning Tracking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing process control systems and plant planning tools lack integration, leading to detached engineering processes that complicate the commissioning of process plants, making it difficult to track the status of virtual and real components during startup and affecting the reliability of the engineering process.
Innovation Solution
A process control system and plant planning tool are integrated to allow for step-by-step commissioning of process engineering plants, where the simulation unit transmits its status to the system planning tool, enabling real-time tracking of virtual and real field devices, and allowing for fault identification and dynamic reconfiguration of virtual components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the plant planning tool and simulation tool are used separately without integration, then each tool can be developed independently, but the commissioning process becomes complicated and the status of virtual and real components cannot be tracked reliably
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the plant planning tool and simulation tool into an integrated system. The simulation units are embedded within the plant planning tool, allowing both functions to operate within a single unified interface. This integration enables automatic status synchronization between planning and simulation, eliminating the need for separate tool management and improving commissioning reliability without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated system provides multi-functionality by combining plant planning capabilities with simulation and commissioning tracking in a single tool. The system can perform engineering planning, virtual commissioning, and real commissioning monitoring within one unified platform, reducing the number of separate tools needed and simplifying the overall process while maintaining high reliability.
2Ease of operation
If virtual field devices are used during commissioning, then the startup process can be tested, but it is difficult to track which components are virtualized and which are real
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses visual indicators (such as color coding or status markers) in the plant planning tool to clearly distinguish between virtual and real field devices. Virtual devices are marked with specific visual attributes that change or disappear as they are replaced by real components during commissioning, providing immediate visual feedback without losing tracking information.
Solution Approach 2:
The simulation units automatically transmit their status information back to the plant planning tool, creating a continuous feedback loop. This feedback mechanism ensures that the planning tool always knows which devices are virtual and which are real, preventing information loss and making it easy to track the commissioning progress of each component.
3Loss of information
If the simulation unit status is not transmitted to the system planning tool, then the system remains simpler, but the commissioning results cannot be read back and displayed
Solution Approach 1:
The simulation units are designed to automatically transmit their status and commissioning results back to the plant planning tool through a built-in feedback mechanism. This bidirectional communication ensures that all commissioning information is retained and displayed in the planning tool without requiring complex external integration systems.
Solution Approach 2:
By merging the simulation functionality directly into the plant planning tool, the system eliminates the need for separate status transmission infrastructure. The simulation and planning functions share a common data environment, allowing commissioning results to be automatically captured and displayed without adding significant system complexity.
4Ease of manufacture
If engineering of simulation and plant planning are detached, then each can be developed independently, but the commissioning process becomes less reliable and more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines simulation engineering and plant planning engineering into a single integrated development process. Both functionalities are developed within the same software platform with shared data structures and communication protocols, ensuring consistency between planning and simulation while maintaining ease of development through unified architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated system provides universal functionality that handles both plant planning and simulation commissioning within a single toolset. This multi-functionality allows engineers to perform both tasks using the same interface and data models, improving reliability through consistent engineering practices while maintaining ease of development through a unified codebase.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a process control system comprising an engineering system (2) for designing automation components (5, 8) for a technical plant, a simulation framework (6) for modeling the process behavior of field devices (8), a simulation unit (7) for virtualizing the communication behavior of the real field devices (8), and a plant design tool (3) for designing the process engineering components of the plant. Measures are proposed to enable the commissioning of field-related components and the safe commissioning of a process plant.