Process control loop analysis system

• US 20030014130A1
• Filed: 05/06/2002
• Published: 01/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Systems USA, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Invensys Systems Incorporated (Invensys PLC)
• Inventors: Grumelart, Alain
• Granted Patent: US 6,847,850 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/28
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 21/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0216 Human interface functionality, e.g. monitoring system providing help to the user in the selection of tests or in its configuration
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/906 Process plant
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

The system and method disclosed herein allow a user to retrieve data from various process control loops and organize that data in dynamic manner to allow for multiple types of data analysis. A user may associate individual process control loops into groups and analyze the data and impact of select process control loops in those groups. Since the associations of process control loops into groups can be done dynamically, the user is able to easily reconfigure groups (i.e. add or remove process control loops) and redo the analysis. Another feature is the storage of both the data retrieved and the results of the analysis so that comparisons can be performed and reports can be generated.

Claims

1. An apparatus for evaluating real-time process control data comprising:

a process control system configured to operate on the process control data;

a data historian configured to collect the process control data from the process control system; and

a loop analysis processor connected to the historian and configured to evaluate the process control data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the data historian includes a configurable interface that allows the data historian to communicate with a plurality of process control systems.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the data historian includes a plurality of configurable interfaces that allows the data historian to simultaneously communicate with a plurality of process control systems.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the data historian includes multiple configurable interfaces that allow the data historian to collect data from multiple process control systems.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the loop analysis processor includes a data collection module configured to interface with the data historian to retrieve the process control data from the data historian.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the loop analysis processor includes a configurator module operable to configure the data historian to communicate with the loop analysis processor.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the configurator module sends requests for process control data from the loop analysis processor to the data historian.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the loop analysis processor includes a database for storing the process control data collected by the data historian.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the loop analysis processor includes a data collection module configured to retrieve the process control data from the data historian and store the process control data in the database.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the loop analysis processor includes a performance evaluator module configured to receive the process control data from the database and to analyze the process control data.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the performance evaluator module analyzes process control data representing multiple control loops associated with the process control system.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein configuring the data historian includes selecting a first configurable interface within the data historian to communicate with the first process control system.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising configuring the data historian to communicate with a second process control system.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein configuring the data historian to communicate with a second process control system includes selecting a second configurable interface within the data historian to communicate with the second process control system.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein configuring the data historian includes selecting a configurable interface within the data historian to communicate with the first process control system and at least one other process control system.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein configuring the data historian includes selecting multiple configurable interfaces within the data historian to communicate with the first process control system and at least one other process control system.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein retrieving the stored process control data further comprises retrieving the stored process control data using a data collector module associated with the loop analysis process and storing the process control data in a database associated with the loop analysis process.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein evaluating the process control data further comprises selecting a subset of the process control data and analyzing the subset using a performance evaluator module associated with the loop analysis process.

20. The method of claim 12 further comprising interfacing with the data historian using a configurator module associated with the loop analysis process to enable communication between the data historian and the loop analysis process.

12. A method for evaluating real-time process control data from a first process control loop comprising:

configuring a data historian to communicate with a first process control system;

collecting the process control data from the first process control system;

storing the collected process control data in a database;

retrieving the stored process control data and evaluating the process control data using a loop analysis process.