Updating and Utilizing Dynamic Process Simulation in an Operating Process Environment

• US 20070208549A1
• Filed: 10/19/2006
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Nixon, Mark, Blevins, Terrence, Wojsznis, Wilhelm
• Granted Patent: US 9,046,881 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/6
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 17/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23404 If data error detected, switch automatically to program mode
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23445 Real time simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30

Abstract

A simulation system that includes interconnected simulation blocks which use process models to perform simulation activities for a process plant is integrated into a process control environment for the process plant in a manner that makes the simulation system easy to use and easily updated for on-line process simulation. The disclosed simulation system enables future predicted values as well as the current predicted values of process parameters produced by the simulation system to be made available for performance evaluation as well as to guide plant operations. Additionally, the simulation system is connected to the operating process plant to receive various on-line process plant measurements, and uses these measurements to automatically update the process models used in the simulation system, to thereby keep the simulation system coordinated with the actual operating conditions of the process plant.

Claims

1. A simulation system for use in simulating the operation of a portion of a process plant, the simulation system comprising:

one or more simulation blocks configured to perform simulation of one or more pieces of equipment within the process plant, each simulation block including;

a process model that models a portion of the process plant; and

a simulation unit that uses the process model to simulate the operation of the portion of the process plant to produce a simulated output for a process element associated with the portion of the process plant, the simulated output including one or more predicted future values for the process element.

2. The simulation system of claim 1, wherein the process element is a process variable.

3. The simulation system of claim 2, wherein the process variable is indicative of one a fluid flow, a temperature or a pressure within the process plant.

4. The simulation system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the simulation blocks includes an input adapted to accept an indication of an actual value of the process element corresponding to the simulated output for the process element and a model correction unit that compares the indication of the actual value of the process element with the simulated output of the process element to develop an updated process model for use by the simulation routine.

5. The simulation system of claim 4, wherein the input is communicatively connected to accept a measurement of the process element made during on-line operation of the process plant.

6. The simulation system of claim 4, wherein the input is communicatively connected to a user input device to accept a user provided indication of the value of the process element.

7. The simulation system of claim 4, wherein the model correction routine uses one or more of the predicted future values for the process element to develop the updated process model for use by the simulation routine.

8. The simulation system of claim 1, wherein the process model of one of the simulation blocks is a first principles model.

9. The simulation system of claim 1, wherein the process model of one of the simulation blocks is an impulse response model.

10. The simulation system of claim 1, wherein the process model of one of the simulation blocks is a step response model.

11. The simulation system of claim 1, wherein the process model of one of the simulation blocks is a neural network model.

12. The simulation system of claim 1, wherein the simulated output further includes a current valve indicating a predicted current value for the process element.

13. A system for use in simulating the operation of a portion of a process plant, comprising:

a simulation system including a plurality of simulation blocks and one or more communication links that communicatively couple the simulation blocks together, the simulation system configured to perform simulation of one or more pieces of equipment within the process plant, wherein each of the simulation blocks includes;

a process model that models a portion of the process plant; and

a simulation routine that uses the process model to simulate the operation of the portion of the process plant to produce a simulated output for a process element, the simulated output including one or more futures values for the process element; and

a process control system having one or more control blocks connected to equipment within the process to perform on-line control of the process.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein each of the simulation blocks includes an output communicatively coupled to a user interface for providing the one or more future values for the process element to the user display.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein one of the simulation blocks includes an input adapted to accept an indication of an actual value of the process element corresponding to the simulated output for the process element and a model correction routine that compares the indication of the actual value of the process element with the simulated output of the process element to develop an updated process model for use by the simulation routine.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the input of one of the simulation blocks is communicatively connected to an output of the process control system to accept an on-line measured process value as the indication of the actual value of the process element.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein one of the simulation blocks includes an output communicatively coupled to one of control blocks for providing the one or more future values for the process element to the one of the control blocks for use performing a control activity.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the control activity is a process optimization activity.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the control activity is an equipment control activity.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the process model for one of the simulation blocks is a first principles model.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the process model for one of the simulation blocks is an impulse response model or a step response model.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein multiple ones of the simulation blocks simulate the operation of process equipment within the process plant and wherein one of the one or more communication links models the movement of a process material from a first piece of process equipment to a second piece of process equipment within the process plant.

23. A method of simulating the operation of a portion of a process plant, comprising:

simulating the operation of the portion of the process plant in a first computer device using a process model for the portion of the process plant to produce a simulated output for a process element associated with the portion of the process plant, the simulated output including a series of future values for the process element;

providing the series of future values for the process element to a second device associated with the process plant.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein providing the series of future values for the process element to the second device includes providing the series of future values to a user interface device for display to a user.

25. The method of claim 24, further including creating a graph illustrating the series of future values on the user interface device.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein providing the series of future values for the process element to the second device includes providing the series of future values to a control device for use in controlling the process plant.

27. The method of claim 23, further including using an indication of an actual value of the process element corresponding to the simulated output for the process element to develop an updated process model for use while simulating the process plant.

28. The method of claim 27, including running a process control system to control the operation of the portion of the process plant in conjunction with simulating the operation of the portion of the process plant, measuring the process element within the process plant and using the measured value of the process element as the indication of the actual value of the process element.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein simulating the operation of the portion of the process plant using a process model includes using a first principles model as the process model.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein simulating the operation of the portion of the process plant using a process model includes using an impulse response model or a step response model as the process model.

31. A method of simulating the operation of a process plant, comprising:

storing a plurality of simulation objects in a computer readable memory, wherein each of the plurality of simulation objects is associated with a different physical entity within the process plant, each of the simulation objects including;

a process model that models a portion of the process plant; and

a simulation routine that uses the process model to simulate the operation of the portion of the process plant to produce a simulated output for a process element, the simulated output including multiple future values for the process element;

enabling a user to communicatively connect the simulation objects together to develop a simulation system;

executing the simulation system on one or more processors to produce a simulated output for one or more process elements during on-line operation of the process including producing multiple future values for each of the one or more process elements during a particular execution of the simulation system; and

providing the multiple future values for one of the one or more process elements from the simulation system to a further device.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein providing the multiple future values from the simulation system to a further device includes providing the multiple future values to a user interface device for display to a user.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein providing the multiple future values from the simulation system to a further device includes providing the multiple future values to a controller device for use in performing a control activity.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein providing the multiple future values from the simulation system to a further device includes providing the multiple future values to an optimizer for use in performing a process or control optimization technique.

35. The method of claim 31, further including regenerating the process model of one of the simulation objects during on-line operation of the process plant using a comparison between an indication of an actual value of the process element and the simulated output for the process element.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein regenerating the process model includes enabling a user to provide the indication of an actual value of the process element to be used in the comparison between the indication of the actual value of the process element and the simulated output of the process element.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein regenerating the process model includes providing a measurement signal indicative of a measurement of the actual value of the process element measured during the on-line operation of the process plant as the indication of the actual value of the process element.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein the process model for one of the simulation objects is an impulse response model or a step response model and wherein regenerating the process model for the one of the simulation objects during on-line operation of the process plant includes performing bias correction based on a difference between the indication of the value of the process element and the simulated output for the process element.