Method and system for condition monitoring of a group of plants

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9274520-B2
Application number	US-201314382036-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2013
Priority date	Mar 1, 2012
Publication date	Mar 1, 2016
Grant date	Mar 1, 2016

Abstract

A system for monitoring machinery and systems in a process plant using a local monitoring and diagnostic system, the system including a plant database configured to store rule sets including at least one rule expressed as at least one of a physics-based model, a data-driven model, and a empirical model of a plant component and a relational expression of a real-time data output relative to a real-time data input, and a server grade computer configured to receive plant component data from a plant unit control panel, generate virtual sensor outputs using the at least one model associated with the plant component, transmit the plant component data and generated virtual sensor outputs to the plant database for storing and to a data visualization system for generating analytical graphics, determine using the at least one model rule set, an operating or performance condition of the plant component in near real-time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A local monitoring and diagnostic system for a plant, the system comprising:
a client system comprising a user interface and a browser;
a plant database configured to store rule sets, the rule sets comprising at least one rule expressed as at least one of a model of a plant component or system and a relational expression of a real-time data output relative to a real-time data input, the relational expression being specific to a plant asset or group of inter-related assets, the plant database is further configured to receive event data from a condition monitoring system associated with the plant, the condition monitoring system configured to analyze plant equipment data for real-time optimization of equipment and selected processes, condition monitoring, and event diagnostics to generate the event data; and
a server grade computer configured to communicatively couple to the client system and the database, the server grade computer further configured to:
receive plant component data from a plant unit control panel communicatively coupled to sensors positioned about the plant component,
generate virtual sensor outputs using the at least one of the physics-based model, a data-driven model, and a empirical model and the relational expression associated with the plant component or system,
transmit the plant component data and generated virtual sensor outputs to the plant database for storing and to a data visualization system for generating analytical graphics as requested by a user of the client system,
determine using the at least one of the physics-based model, the data-driven model, and the empirical model rule set, an operating or performance condition of the plant component or system in near real-time, and
output a visualization selected by a user representing the selected plant component or system, the visualization comprising graphics illustrating the plant component or system and textual information defining values of received and generated data relating to the selected plant component or system.

2. The local monitoring and diagnostic system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the model comprises at least one of a physics-based model, a data-driven model, and a empirical model of the plant component or system.

3. The local monitoring and diagnostic system in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the server grade computer is further configured to receive a rule set generated by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of a component associated with the rule set or by a third party entity.

4. The local monitoring and diagnostic system in accordance with claim 3 , further comprising a remote communications system, wherein the server grade computer is further configured to communicatively couple to a fleet management center using the remote communications system, and to transmit information stored in the database relating to an operation of at least one of the plant components or systems in response to received requests from a subject matter expert located remotely from the plant and receive modifications to one or more of the rule sets based on the transmitted information.

5. The local monitoring and diagnostic system in accordance with claim 2 , further comprising a remote communications system, wherein the server grade computer is further configured to communicatively couple to a fleet management center using the remote communications system, and to transmit information stored in the database relating to an operation of at least one of the plant components or systems in response to received requests from a subject matter expert located remotely from the plant and receive modifications to one or more of the rule sets based on the transmitted information.

6. The local monitoring and diagnostic system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the server grade computer is further configured to receive a rule set generated by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of a component associated with the rule set or by a third party entity.

7. The local monitoring and diagnostic system in accordance with claim 6 , further comprising a remote communications system, wherein the server grade computer is further configured to communicatively couple to a fleet management center using the remote communications system, and to transmit information stored in the database relating to an operation of at least one of the plant components or systems in response to received requests from a subject matter expert located remotely from the plant and receive modifications to one or more of the rule sets based on the transmitted information.

8. The local monitoring and diagnostic system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising a remote communications system, wherein the server grade computer is further configured to communicatively couple to a fleet management center using the remote communications system, and to transmit information stored in the database relating to an operation of at least one of the plant components or systems in response to received requests from a subject matter expert located remotely from the plant and receive modifications to one or more of the rule sets based on the transmitted information.

9. A method of monitoring machinery and systems in a process plant using a local monitoring and diagnostic system, the local monitoring and diagnostic system comprising a database of at least one rule set, the rule set comprising at least one rule expressed as a model of at least a portion of at least one of a machine, a system, and combinations thereof, the method comprising:
receiving from sensors communicatively coupled to the local monitoring and diagnostic system process parameter values relating to an operation of the at least a portion of at least one of a machine and a system in the plant;
determining by the local monitoring and diagnostic system virtual sensor values for process parameters relating to the operation of the at least a portion of at least one of a machine and a system in the plant;
applying the received system process parameter values and the determined virtual sensor values to the at least one rule to generate operating performance values and diagnostic values relating to the operation of the monitored machinery or system; and
generating by the local monitoring and diagnostic system a tiered visualization of graphic representations of the monitored machinery or system in the plant comprising the received process parameter values and virtual sensor values, wherein each tier of visualizations comprises a graphic representation presented in greater detail than a previous tier.

10. The method in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the model comprises at least one of a physics-based model, a data-driven model, and a empirical model of the plant component or system.

11. The method in accordance with claim 9 , further comprising preventing the local monitoring and diagnostic system from communicating with an off-site entity.

12. A monitoring and diagnostic system for a fleet of plants, the system comprising:
a client system associated with each plant, each client system comprising a user interface and a browser;
a plant database associated with each plant, each plant database configured to store rule sets relative to components located at that plant, the rule sets comprising at least one rule expressed as at least one of a model of a plant component or system and a relational expression of a real-time data output relative to a real-time data input, the relational expression being specific to a plant asset or group of inter-related assets, the plant database is further configured to receive event data from a condition monitoring system associated with the pl

Assignees

• Nuovo Pignone Srl

Inventors

• Ali Mohamed
• Cinelli Filippo
• Civelli Valentina
• Mochi Gianni
• Khalidi Abdurrahman

Classifications

• G01M15/14 Primary

  Testing gas-turbine engines or jet-propulsion engines · CPC title

• G05B23/0245 Primary

  based on a qualitative model, e.g. rule based; if-then decisions · CPC title

• G05B19/0421 Primary

  Multiprocessor system · CPC title

• F05D2260/80

  Diagnostics · CPC title

• F02C9/00

  Controlling gas-turbine plants; Controlling fuel supply in air- breathing jet-propulsion plants (controlling air intakes F02C7/057; controlling turbines F01D; controlling compressors F04D27/00; controlling in general G05) · CPC title