METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DEPLOYING INDUSTRIAL PLANT SIMULATORS USING CLOUD COMPUTING TECHNOLOGIES

• US 20130191106A1
• Filed: 01/24/2012
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emerson Process Management Power & Water Solutions Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Emerson Process Management Power & Water Solutions Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Kephart, Richard W., Sanchez, Herman, Abruzere, Eugene
• Granted Patent: US 9,529,348 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/21
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 17/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41885 characterised by modeling, simulation of the manufacturing system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2609 Process control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31124 Interface between communication network and process control, store, exchange data
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32345 Of interconnection of cells, subsystems, distributed simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/02 CAD in a network environment, e.g. collaborative CAD or distributed simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A system and method for operating a remote plant simulation system is disclosed. The system and method uses a light application at the plant to collect relevant data and communicate it to a remote plant simulation. The remote plant simulation uses the relevant data, including data from the actual process, to create a process simulation and communicate the display data to the light application operating at the plant where it is displayed to a user. The remote system offers the advantage of offering decreased cost and improved simulation as the equipment cost, operator cost and set up cost is shared by a plurality of users. Further, the data may be stored remotely and subject to data analytics which may identify additional areas for efficiency in the plant.

Claims

1. A network cloud based simulation system for simulating operation of a process control network as connected within a process plant, the simulation system comprising:

a local supervisor module at the process plant wherein the supervisor collects;

a first state variable indicative of a current configuration of the process control network during an operation of the process control network and

a second state variable indicative of an operation of a process during an operation of the process control network from the process plant;

a remote simulation module communicatively coupled to the supervisor module wherein the remote simulation module comprises;

a simulated process control network that uses one or more simulated process variable signals to produce one or more simulated control signals to a simulation of the operation of the process control network as connected within the process plant;

a process model communicatively connected to the simulated process control network that uses the simulated control signals to produce the one or more simulated process variable signals; and

an update module communicatively connected to the process control network to;

periodically receive the first state variable indicative of a current configuration of the process control network during operation of the process control network from the supervisor module and to

periodically receive the second state variable indicative of an operation of the process during operation of the process control network from the supervisor module,

wherein the update module periodically configures the simulated process control network with the first state variable and

wherein the update module periodically uses the second state variable to update the process model;

a storage module communicatively coupled with the remote simulation module that stores;

the first state variable at a point in time;

the second state variable at the point in time; and

simulation data representative of the simulation of the operation of the process control network that allows the simulation to be replayed and allows the simulation data to be subject to further analysis.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the simulation data comprises data representative of the process model and the simulated process control network.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the simulation data further comprises a prediction of the first state variable and a prediction of the second state variable.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote simulation module comprises a plurality of simulated process control networks.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote simulation module comprises a plurality of process models versions.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein an additional plant processes may be added while the system is operating.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein plant processes in different locations are modeled at the remote simulation module.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein third party technology are modeled at the remote simulation module.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage module allows data analytics to be applied to the simulation data wherein data analytics comprise reviewing the simulation data for a plurality of plants and creating improved simulations based on the simulation data, the first state variable and the second state variable for the plurality of plants.

10. A method of providing cloud based simulation services for a process control plant in a network cloud comprising:

receiving a plant description that describes the process control plant and processes in the process control plant;

determining a complexity of the process control plant to be simulated by reviewing the plant description;

determining a complexity of the simulation by reviewing the processes in the process control plant;

determining a minimum services to be offered by the cloud based simulation service by reviewing the complexity of the process control plant and the complexity of the simulation;

calculating a price for the determined minimum services; and

communicating the price determined for the minimum services.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining a complexity of the process control plant comprises creating a physical plant score that rates the process control plant complexity on a physical process control plant complexity scale.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining a complexity of the processes in the process control plant comprises creating a process score that rates the processes complexity on a process complexity scale.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining a minimum services to be offered by the cloud based simulation service comprises analyzing the physical plant score and the process score to determine a minimum level of services.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining a minimum services to be offered by the cloud based simulation service comprises having a higher level of minimum services for processes that are especially dangerous or especially costly.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein calculating a price for the determined minimum services comprises comparing the price and complexity for other projects.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying additional services that may be of use based on the plant complexity and process complexity;

determining an price for the additional services; and

offering the additional services for purchase.

17. A method of providing network cloud simulation services to a process plant for a fee comprising:

at a local supervisor module at the process plant, collecting;

a first state variable indicative of a current configuration of a process control network during operation of the process control network and

a second state variable indicative of an operation of a process during operation of the process control network from the process plant;

at a remote simulation module communicatively coupled to the supervisor module,

executing a simulated process control network that uses one or more simulated process variable signals to produce one or more simulated control signals to the simulation of the operation of the process control network as connected within the process plant;

executing a process model communicatively connected to the simulated process control network that uses the simulated control signals to produce the one or more simulated process variable signals;

executing an update module communicatively connected to the process control network to;

periodically receive the first state variable indicative of a current configuration of the process control network during operation of the process control network from the supervisor module and to

periodically receive the second state variable indicative of an operation of the process during operation of the process control network from the supervisor module,

wherein the update module periodically configures the simulated process control network with the first state variable and

wherein the update module periodically uses the second state variable to update the process model;

executing a storage module communicatively coupled with the remote simulation module to store;

the first state variable at a point in time;

the second state variable at the point in time; and

simulation data representative of the simulation of the operation of the process control network that allows the simulation to be replayed and allows the simulation data to be subject to further analysis.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the simulation data comprises data representative of the process model, the simulated process control network, a prediction of the first state variable and a prediction of the second state variable.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the remote simulation module comprises a plurality of simulated process control networks and a plurality of process models versions.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the storage module allows data analytics to be applied to the simulation data wherein data analytics comprise reviewing the simulation data for a plurality of plants and creating improved simulations based on the simulation data, the first state variable and the second state variable for the plurality of plants.