Processing Plant Representations for Intuitive Control and Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current visualization and control systems for processing plants, such as oil refineries, often present unintuitive interfaces that complicate user interaction, leading to operational inefficiencies, increased errors, and potential safety hazards due to mismatched user interfaces and actual plant layouts.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a multi-representation methodology that includes external and internal representations of a processing plant, where external representations provide an intuitive user-facing interface matching the physical layout, while internal representations facilitate computationally advantageous optimization processes, enabling efficient control and optimization without exposing users to complex internal data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single unified interface is used to represent both physical layout and operational data, then all data can be accessed through one interface, but the interface becomes complex and unintuitive for users
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the interface into two separate representations: an external representation that mirrors the physical plant layout for intuitive user interaction, and an internal representation that contains detailed operational data and optimization parameters. This segmentation allows each interface to serve its specific purpose without compromising usability or comprehensiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary layer that maps between the external physical representation and the internal operational representation. This intermediary enables seamless data exchange and coordination between the two interfaces, allowing users to interact with the intuitive external view while the system simultaneously manages the complex internal operations.
2Loss of information
If detailed internal operational data is exposed to users, then complete information is available for control decisions, but user complexity and error potential increase
Solution Approach 1:
The information architecture segments data into two categories: high-level operational parameters exposed through the external interface for user decision-making, and detailed internal parameters maintained in the internal representation for system optimization. This segmentation ensures users receive sufficient information without being overwhelmed by excessive detail.
Solution Approach 2:
The external representation creates a simplified copy or abstraction of the internal operational state, presenting only the essential parameters needed for user interaction. This copying approach preserves the critical information needed for control decisions while filtering out unnecessary complexity.
3Measurement precision
If optimization calculations use detailed internal data structures, then optimization accuracy improves, but computing resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The computational system segments optimization tasks by maintaining detailed data structures only in the internal representation where they are needed for accurate calculations, while the external representation uses simplified structures for user interaction. This segmentation allows precise optimization computations without requiring the entire system to maintain complex data structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts only the essential parameters from the detailed internal representation that are necessary for optimization calculations, separating these from the full set of internal data. This extraction approach enables accurate optimization while reducing the computational burden of processing and storing complete internal state information.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for generation and use of multiple representations of a processing plant, for example a refinery plant. In some embodiments a first representation is utilized to visualize the component(s) and/or connection(s) of the processing plant, with a second representation utilized to process one or more aspect(s) of the processing plant. The first representation in some embodiments represents the physical components and/or connections between such components to enable intuitive visualization and monitoring of the components thereof. The second representation in some embodiments represents a virtualized representation of the physical components and/or connections between such components in a manner that is better processable via one or more computing process(es). Such processing is performable to generate data for controlling configuration and/or operation of component(s) in the processing plant.