Virtual Plant Operation Pattern Prediction for Safer Plant Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In plant operations involving petroleum, petrochemistry, or gases, workers often rely on subjective decisions based on experience, leading to potential inefficiencies and safety risks due to the lack of objective analysis of operation patterns in real-time data from actual and virtual plants.
Innovation Solution
An information processing device that predicts state transitions of an actual plant by simulating various operation patterns using plant data and a virtual plant model, outputting these patterns to enable workers to select safer and more efficient operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If workers rely on subjective decisions based on experience for plant operations, then operational flexibility is maintained, but operational safety and efficiency deteriorate due to lack of objective analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual plant that copies the actual plant's structure, equipment, and processes. This virtual model allows objective analysis of multiple operation patterns without affecting the actual plant's operational flexibility. Workers can simulate and compare different operation scenarios in the virtual environment, then apply the best patterns to actual operations, thereby improving safety while maintaining flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary simulation and analysis of multiple operation patterns before actual plant operations. By pre-evaluating different operation scenarios in the virtual plant, the system identifies optimal operation patterns in advance, allowing workers to make more informed and safer decisions during actual operations without losing operational flexibility.
2Productivity
If workers use experience-based subjective decisions, then quick response is possible, but detection of malfunctions and selection of efficient operations is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical reliance on human experience and subjective judgment with an automated information processing system. The system objectively analyzes plant data, simulates multiple operation patterns, and identifies optimal operations automatically, significantly reducing the time required to detect malfunctions and select efficient operation patterns compared to experience-based decision-making.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual plant serves as an intermediary between actual plant data and operational decisions. It processes and analyzes plant data objectively, simulating various operation patterns to identify the most efficient ones. This intermediary system bridges the gap between raw data and actionable insights, reducing analysis time and improving operational efficiency.
3Reliability
If multiple operation patterns are simulated using virtual plant, then operational safety is improved, but computational complexity and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex task of operation pattern analysis into distinct modules: data acquisition from the actual plant, virtual plant simulation, pattern generation, evaluation, and recommendation. This segmentation manages system complexity by organizing functions into manageable components, allowing comprehensive simulation of multiple operation patterns while maintaining clear system architecture and facilitating implementation.
Data Source
AI summary
Regarding each of a plurality of operation patterns virtually generated in regard to the operation performed by a worker with respect to an actual plant, an information processing device uses plant data related to the operation of the actual plant and uses a virtual plant which follows the actual plant, and predicts the state transition of the actual plant in the case of implementing each operation pattern. Then, the information processing device outputs each operation pattern in a corresponding manner to the state transition of the actual plant as obtained by the virtual plant.