Method for determining and tuning process characteristic parameters using a simulation system
First Claim
1. A system for operating a process plant by determining a process characteristic parameter of the process plant, the system comprising:
- one or more processors;
one or more program memories communicatively connected to the one or more processors and storing executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to implement a plurality of units, comprising;
a process control unit configured to generate a process control signal to control at least a portion of a controlled process within the process plant;
a process model unit configured to receive a set of process inputs related to the portion of the controlled process and to generate a predicted value of a process variable related to the portion of the controlled process using a process model that models the portion of the controlled process based on (i) the set of process inputs and (ii) a value of the process characteristic parameter, which process characteristic parameter is a parameter within the process model that corresponds to a process characteristic of the portion of the controlled process that is not directly measured, wherein the process characteristic is a property of the portion of the controlled process or a property of process equipment of the portion of the controlled process;
a difference unit configured to generate a difference signal indicating a difference between a first input indicating a process variable value for the process variable and a second input indicating the predicted value of the process variable, wherein the first input receives the process variable value for the process variable of the controlled process as measured or determined (i) by a component within the controlled process or (ii) by the process control unit, and wherein the second input receives the predicted value of the process variable as generated by the process model unit; and
a tuner unit configured to receive the difference signal from the difference unit, to determine a change to the value of the process characteristic parameter within the process model by evaluating the received difference signal using a tuner logic, and to automatically adjust the value of the process characteristic parameter within the process model based on the determined change,wherein the adjusted value of the process characteristic parameter is used to determine and implement a control action to control the process plant.
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Abstract
A process characteristic parameter determination system uses a process model and a tuning module to accurately determine a value for a process characteristic parameter within a plant without measuring the process characteristic parameter directly, and may operate on-line or while the process is running to automatically determine a correct value of the process characteristic parameter at any time during on-going operation of the process. The process characteristic parameter value, which may be a heat transfer coefficient value for a heat exchanger, can then be used to enable the determination of a more accurate simulation result and/or to make other on-line process decisions, such as process control decisions, process operational mode decisions, process maintenance decisions such as implementing a soot blowing operation, etc.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A system for operating a process plant by determining a process characteristic parameter of the process plant, the system comprising:
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one or more processors; one or more program memories communicatively connected to the one or more processors and storing executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to implement a plurality of units, comprising; a process control unit configured to generate a process control signal to control at least a portion of a controlled process within the process plant; a process model unit configured to receive a set of process inputs related to the portion of the controlled process and to generate a predicted value of a process variable related to the portion of the controlled process using a process model that models the portion of the controlled process based on (i) the set of process inputs and (ii) a value of the process characteristic parameter, which process characteristic parameter is a parameter within the process model that corresponds to a process characteristic of the portion of the controlled process that is not directly measured, wherein the process characteristic is a property of the portion of the controlled process or a property of process equipment of the portion of the controlled process; a difference unit configured to generate a difference signal indicating a difference between a first input indicating a process variable value for the process variable and a second input indicating the predicted value of the process variable, wherein the first input receives the process variable value for the process variable of the controlled process as measured or determined (i) by a component within the controlled process or (ii) by the process control unit, and wherein the second input receives the predicted value of the process variable as generated by the process model unit; and a tuner unit configured to receive the difference signal from the difference unit, to determine a change to the value of the process characteristic parameter within the process model by evaluating the received difference signal using a tuner logic, and to automatically adjust the value of the process characteristic parameter within the process model based on the determined change, wherein the adjusted value of the process characteristic parameter is used to determine and implement a control action to control the process plant. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of operating a process plant by simulating a process including a process characteristic parameter of the process plant, comprising:
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generating, by one or more processors, a process control signal to control at least a portion of a controlled process within the process plant; simulating, by the one or more processors, the process to produce a predicted value of a process variable of the controlled process of the process plant using a process model unit to receive a set of process inputs related to the portion of the controlled process and to generate the predicted value of the process variable using a process model that models the portion of the controlled process based on (i) the set of process inputs and (ii) a value of the process characteristic parameter, which process characteristic parameter is a parameter within the process model that corresponds to a process characteristic of the portion of the controlled process that is not directly measured, wherein the process characteristic is a property of the portion of the controlled process or a property of process equipment of the portion of the controlled process; obtaining, by the one or more processors, an actual value of the process variable from the controlled process as (i) a measurement or determination by a component within the controlled process or (ii) the generated process control signal; determining, by the one or more processors, a difference signal indicating a difference between the actual value of the process variable and the predicted value of the process variable produced by the process model unit; determining, by the one or more processors, a change to the value of the process characteristic parameter within the process model by evaluating the difference signal using a tuner logic; automatically adjusting, by the one or more processors, the value of the process characteristic parameter of the process model based on the determined change to drive the difference signal towards zero; determining, by the one or more processors, a control action to control the process plant; and implementing, by the one or more processors, the determined control action. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for simulating a controlled process of a process plant that, when executed by at least one processor of a computer system, cause the computer system to execute a plurality of simulation modules, each of the simulation modules being communicatively connected to one or more other simulation modules of the plurality of simulation modules, wherein each of the simulation modules includes a process model that performs modeling of a different portion of the controlled process, wherein one of the simulation modules includes:
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a process model unit configured to receive a set of process inputs related to the respective portion of the controlled process and to generate a predicted value of a process variable related to the portion of the controlled process using a process model based on (i) the set of process inputs and (ii) a value of a process characteristic parameter, which process characteristic parameter is a parameter within the process model that corresponds to a process characteristic of the portion of the controlled process that is not directly measured, wherein the process characteristic is a property of the portion of the controlled process or a property of process equipment of the portion of the controlled process; a difference unit configured to generate a difference signal indicating a difference between a first input indicating a process variable value for the process variable and a second input indicating the predicted value of the process variable, wherein the first input receives the process variable value for the process variable of the controlled process as measured or determined within the controlled process and wherein the second input receives the predicted value of the process variable as generated by the process model unit; and a tuner unit configured to receive the difference signal from the difference unit, to determine a change to the value of the process characteristic parameter within the process model by evaluating the received difference signal using a tuner logic, and to automatically adjust the value of the process characteristic parameter within the process model based on the determined change; wherein the one of the simulation modules operates to communicate an output of the process model unit as an input to another one of the simulation modules; and wherein the value of the process characteristic parameter is used to determine a control action implemented to control the process plant. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification