PROCESS CONTROL OF AN INDUSTRIAL PLANT
First Claim
1. A system for controlling an industrial plant, the system comprising:
- automatic control equipment comprising a plurality of measurement sensors for sensing predetermined variables associated with components of the industrial plant, the sensors generating measured data relating to operation of the components of the industrial plant;
a database containing operational data, including observational data, regarding the industrial plant; and
a processor in communication with the automatic control equipment and the database for receiving the measured data from the sensors of the automatic control equipment and the operational data from the database, the processor manipulating the measured and the operational data to provide an evolving description of a process condition of each component over time, along with output information relating to operational control of the industrial plant and for updating the database.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system (10) for controlling an industrial plant (12) comprises automatic control equipment (14) comprising a plurality of measurement sensors (16) for sensing predetermined variables associated with components of the industrial plant (12). The sensors (16) generate measured data relating to operation of the components of the industrial plant (12). A database (20) contains operational data, including observational data, regarding the industrial plant (12). A processor (18) is in communication with the automatic control equipment (14) and the database (20) for receiving the measured data from the sensors (16) of the automatic control equipment (14) and the operational data from the database (20). The processor (18) manipulates the measured and operational data to provide an evolving description of a process condition of each component over time, along with output information relating to operational control of the industrial plant (12) and for updating the database (20).
40 Citations
41 Claims
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1. A system for controlling an industrial plant, the system comprising:
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automatic control equipment comprising a plurality of measurement sensors for sensing predetermined variables associated with components of the industrial plant, the sensors generating measured data relating to operation of the components of the industrial plant; a database containing operational data, including observational data, regarding the industrial plant; and a processor in communication with the automatic control equipment and the database for receiving the measured data from the sensors of the automatic control equipment and the operational data from the database, the processor manipulating the measured and the operational data to provide an evolving description of a process condition of each component over time, along with output information relating to operational control of the industrial plant and for updating the database. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of controlling an industrial plant, the method comprising:
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monitoring operation of the industrial plant by a plurality of sensors forming part of automatic control equipment; transferring measured data from the sensors and observational data relating to operation of the industrial plant to a processor; accessing a database containing operational data including data from the sensors and the observational data relating to operation of the industrial plant, as periodically updated by the processor; and generating evolving process condition descriptions of each monitored component of the industrial plant and output information relating to operation of the industrial plant. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A system for controlling an industrial plant, the system comprising:
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automatic control equipment comprising a plurality of measurement sensors for sensing predetermined variables associated with components of the industrial plant; a database containing operational data, including observational data, regarding the industrial plant; and a processor in communication with the automatic control equipment and the database for receiving data from the sensors of the automatic control equipment and from the database, the processor using causal tree analysis comprising at least one continually updated learning algorithm to provide a framework of decision support and plant component diagnosis over time.
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36. A method of controlling an industrial plant, the method comprising:
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monitoring operation of the industrial plant by a plurality of sensors forming part of automatic control equipment; transferring data from the sensors and observational data relating to operation of the industrial plant to a processor; accessing a database containing operational data, including the data from the sensors and the observational data relating to operation of the industrial plant, as periodically updated by the processor; and using causal tree analysis comprising at least one continually updated learning algorithm to provide a framework of decision support and plant component diagnosis over time.
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37. Automatic control equipment for a system for controlling an industrial plant, the system comprising:
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a plurality of measurement sensors for sensing predetermined variables associated with components of the industrial plant; a signal processing module responsive to the sensors and control input data; and a classifier module in communication with the signal processing module for classifying variations of operating variables of the plant, as detected by the sensors, into one of a predetermined number of classes of variations.
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38. A method of operating an industrial plant, the method comprising:
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monitoring operation of the industrial plant by a plurality of sensors; processing data from the sensors and other control inputs; and classifying variations of operating variables of the plant, as detected by the sensors, into one of a predetermined number of classes of variations.
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39. A method of operating an industrial plant, the method comprising
monitoring operation of the industrial plant by a plurality of sensors forming part of automatic control equipment; -
transferring measured data from the sensors and observational data relating to operation of the industrial plant to a processor; accessing a database containing operational data, including the data from the sensors and the observational data relating to operation of the industrial plant, as periodically updated by the processor, to provide mechanisms to assist in identification and removal of causes of variations in the measured data; and combining automatic control as carried out by the automatic control equipment with said mechanisms to provide continuous improvement in the operation of the plant.
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40. A system for controlling an industrial plant, the system comprising:
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automatic control equipment comprising a plurality of measurement sensors for sensing predetermined variables associated with components of the industrial plant; a database containing operational data, including observational data, regarding the industrial plant; and a processor in communication with the automatic control equipment and the database for receiving data from the sensors of the automatic control equipment and from the database, the processor using a complexity measure to assess predictability of the plant.
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41. A method of controlling an industrial plant, the method comprising:
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monitoring operation of the industrial plant by a plurality of sensors forming part of automatic control equipment; transferring data from the sensors and observational data relating to operation of the industrial plant to a processor; accessing a database containing operational data, including the data from the sensors and the observational data relating to operation of the industrial plant, as periodically updated by the processor; and using a complexity measure to assess predictability of the plant.
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Specification