Virtualized Process Control for Isolated Remote Plant Sites
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Remote industrial facilities, such as Gas Oil Separation Plants, face challenges in maintaining optimized control systems and cybersecurity due to their isolated locations, which are often hundreds of miles away from central support sites, leading to high costs and inefficiencies in updating and securing these systems.
Innovation Solution
A method is developed to virtualize control systems in remote sites by assembling an engineering package with a command script and data component at a central site, which is then dispatched via a non-digital transport network, such as vehicles, to perform control systems management tasks as if a human engineer were present, including updates, security patches, and data collection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dedicated communication infrastructure and human personnel are deployed to remote facilities, then control systems management and cybersecurity can be maintained, but costs and operational complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the control systems engineer through an intelligent agent that resides on the remote facility. This software agent replicates the engineer's capabilities to perform management tasks, eliminating the need for physical presence or dedicated communication infrastructure while maintaining reliable control systems management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intelligent agent as an intermediary between the central control systems engineer and the remote facility. This agent acts as a mediator that receives instructions from the engineer via standard transport networks and executes them locally, simplifying the communication infrastructure while maintaining management reliability.
2Ease of manufacture
If engineers physically visit remote facilities for updates and security patches, then system maintenance can be performed, but time and cost efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service maintenance through an intelligent agent that automatically performs system updates, security patches, and maintenance tasks on remote facilities. The agent can execute maintenance operations autonomously or under remote guidance, eliminating the need for engineers to physically travel to remote locations and significantly reducing maintenance time and costs.
3Adaptability or versatility
If remote facilities are isolated from central sites, then operational independence is maintained, but control systems updates and security enhancements become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal intelligent agent that can operate independently on any remote facility while maintaining connectivity to the central site through standard transport networks. This agent provides multi-functionality by combining local autonomous operation with remote update capabilities, preserving operational independence while enabling easy system updates and security enhancements.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure describes system and method to virtualize a plant facility with remote sites that are separated from a central site. The method includes: receiving, at a remote site of the plant facility and from a transport vehicle of a transport network, an engineering package assembled by a server computer located at the central site of the plant facility and addressed to the remote site of the plant facility, the engineering package comprising a command script and a data component; and extracting, by one or more computing devices at the remote site, the command script from the engineering package such that the command script is executed to cause the one or more computing devices to perform tasks of managing site operations at the remote site of the plant facility as if a human control systems engineer is present to perform such tasks on-site.