Non-intrusive data analytics in a process control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10018997-B2
Application number	US-201313931341-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2013
Priority date	Jun 28, 2013
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

An on-line data analytics device can be installed in a process control system as a standalone device that operates in parallel with, but non-intrusively with respect to, the on-line control system to perform on-line analytics for a process without requiring the process control system to be reconfigured or recertified. The data analytics device includes a data analytics engine coupled to a logic engine that receives process data collected from the process control system in a non-intrusive manner. The logic engine operates to determine further process variable values not generated within the process control system and provides the collected process variable data and the further process variable values to the data analytics engine. The data analytics engine executes statistically based process models, such as batch models, stage models, and phase models, to produce a predicted process variable, such as an end of stage or end of batch quality variable for use in analyzing the operation of the on-line process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for use in analyzing an operation of process plant control equipment within a process plant while the process plant control equipment is operating on-line within the process plant to implement an industrial process, comprising:
a data collection device, coupled to the process plant control equipment via a communication network, configured to collect process variable data from the process plant control equipment as determined or measured within the industrial process while the industrial process is operating on-line by performing read-only operations on the communication network without performing any write operations on the communication network;
a process logic engine, communicatively coupled to the data collection device, configured to operate on a computer processor to simulate a portion of the operation of the industrial process in parallel with on-line operation of the industrial process in accordance with one or more process simulation models using the collected process variable data, and to produce one or more further process variable values based upon the portion of the operation of the industrial process that is simulated in accordance with the one or more process simulation models, such that the one or more further process variable values are generated while the industrial process is operating on-line using the one or more process simulation models and are not directly based upon data that is generated within the industrial process while the industrial process is operating on-line; and
a data analytics engine communicatively coupled to the process logic engine, the data analytics engine including:
one or more stored data analytic models that statistically model the operation of the industrial process; and
a data analytics execution engine configured to execute a data analytic routine using the one or more data analytic models while the industrial process is operating on-line to determine a predicted process variable for the industrial process using, as inputs to the data analytics execution engine, (i) some of the collected process variable data, and (ii) the one or more further process variable values produced by the process logic engine while the industrial process is operating on-line,

wherein the one or more process simulation models are different than the one or more stored data analytic models.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the predicted process variable is a predicted process quality value.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the process logic engine includes one or more process simulation models and a process simulation engine that executes on a processor to simulate the operation of the industrial process using the one or more process simulation models to produce the one or more further process variable values.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the process simulation engine stores the collected process variable values as collected by the data collection device to simulate the operation of the industrial process.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the industrial process is a batch process and the one or more data analytic models includes a batch model.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the process logic engine includes a process model that determines the start or the stop of a batch defined by the batch model as one of the one or more further process variable values.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the industrial process is a batch process, and
wherein the one or more data analytic models includes two or more stage models for modeling a particular batch process.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the process logic engine includes a process model that determines the start or the stop of each of two or more stages associated with the two or more stage models as the one or more further process variable values.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the industrial process is a batch process, and
wherein the one or more data analytic models includes two or more phase models for different phases of a batch for modeling a particular batch process.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the process logic engine includes a process model that determines the start or the stop of each of two or more phases associated with the phase models as the one or more further process variable values.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data analytic models includes a projection to latent structures (PLS) model.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data collection device collects process variables in the form of measured process variables.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data collection device collects process variables in the form of control signals.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data collection device collects process variables in the form of alarms and alerts as generated within the industrial process.

15. The system of claim 1 , further including a model builder engine that develops the one or more data analytic models from past process variable data collected from the industrial process for one or more previous industrial processes and further variable values as determined by the process logic engine for the one or more previous industrial processes.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the process logic engine includes a process simulation engine that stores the current configuration of the process control equipment used in the industrial process.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the process logic engine includes a logic builder engine that enables a user to develop one or more logic modules to be implemented on the process logic engine to determine the one or more further process variable values.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the predicted process variables comprise one of an end-of-stage product quality and an end-of-batch product quality.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data collection device is an Open Platform Communication (OPC) data collection device.

20. A computer implemented method of analyzing an operation of process plant control equipment within a process plant while the process plant control equipment is operating on-line within the process plant to implement an industrial process, comprising:
collecting process variable data from the process plant control equipment via a communication network as determined or measured within the industrial process while the industrial process is operating on-line by performing read-only operations on the communication network without performing any write operations on the communication network;
using at least some of the collected process variable data to simulate the operation of the industrial process on a computer processor device in parallel with on-line operation of the industrial process in accordance with one or more process simulation models, and to produce one or more further process variable values based upon the portion of the operation of the industrial process that is simulated in accordance with the one or more process simulation models, such that the one or more further process variable values are generated while the industrial process is operating on-line using the one or more process simulation models and are not directly based upon data that is generated within the industrial process while the industrial process is operating on-line;
storing one or more data analytic models that statistically model the operation of the industrial process; and
using a computer processor to implement a data analytic routine using, as inputs to the one or more data analytic models, (i) at least a p

Assignees

• Worek Christopher J
• Blevins Terrence L
• Havekost Robert B
• Thiele Dirk
• Fisher Rosemount Systems Inc

Inventors

• Worek Christopher J
• Blevins Terrence L
• Havekost Robert B
• Thiele Dirk

Classifications

• G05B19/41885 Primary

  characterised by modeling, simulation of the manufacturing system · CPC title

• G05B2219/31357

  Observer based fault detection, use model · CPC title

• G05B2219/31472

  Graphical display of process · CPC title

• Y02P90/22

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02P90/26

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic