Fiducial technique for estimating and using degradation levels in a process plant

• US 6,925,338 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2002
• Issued: 08/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Dewar, Ian Bryce, Eryurek, Evren
• Primary Examiner(s): Knight, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, THOMAS K
• Application Number:
  US10/085,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20020147506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: 700/28, 700/29, 700/30, 700/31, 700/32, 700/79, 700/108, 700/110, 700/143, 702/34, 702/35
• US Class Current: 700/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/0275 using fuzzy logic only
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/028 using expert systems only
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41875 characterised by quality surveillance of production
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31288 Archive collected data into history file
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32015 Optimize, process management, optimize production line
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32018 Adapt process as function of results of quality measuring until maximum quality
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32235 Sharing of data between process control and maintenance management computers
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32371 Predict failure time by analysing history fault logs of same machines in databases
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0243 model based detection method, e.g. first-principles knowledge model
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0294 Optimizing process, e.g. process efficiency, product quality
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/40 Minimising material used in manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/965 for process control and configuration

Abstract

A process plant uses an asset utilization expert to collect data or information pertaining to the assets of the process plant from various sources or functional areas of the plant including, for example, the process control functional areas, the maintenance functional areas and the business systems functional areas. Some of this data, such as data indicative of one or more process parameters associated with a process entity like a furnace, may be used to estimate a degradation level, such as a coking level, of the process entity at a first time. The estimated level of the degradation of the process entity at the first time may then be compared to a predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the first time and the operation of the process entity may be altered based on the comparison to drive the estimated amount of degradation of the process entity at a second time to be approximately equal to a predetermined desired level of degradation at the second time.

Claims

1. A method of using a degradation level of a process entity within a process plant, comprising:

estimating a level of degradation of the process entity at a first time based on one or more process parameters associated with the process entity;

comparing the estimated level of degradation of the process entity at the first time to a predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the first time; and

altering the operation of the process entity based on the comparison to drive an estimated level of degradation of the process entity at a second time after the first time to be approximately equal to a predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the second time, wherein the predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the second time is greater than the predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the first time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein estimating the level of degradation includes using a model of the process entity to estimate the level of degradation of the process entity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein estimating the level of degradation of the process entity, comparing the estimated level of degradation of the process entity at the first time to the predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the first time, and altering the operation of the process entity based on the comparison are each repeated at various times during the operation of the process entity for different times.

4. The method of claim 1, further including designating a fiducial line including a plurality of points, each point defining a predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at a different time and wherein comparing includes using the fiducial line to determine the predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the first time and wherein altering the operation of the process entity includes using the fiducial line to determine the predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the second time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein altering the operation of the process entity includes using an optimization procedure to alter the operation of the process entity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein estimating the level of degradation of the process entity includes estimating a coking level of a furnace within the process plant.

7. The method of claim 1, further including using a result of the comparison to produce an index defining a utilization of the process entity.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein altering the operation of the process entity includes defining a line between the estimated level of degradation of the process entity at the first time and the predetermined desired level of degradation at the second time and using the defined line to alter the operation of the process entity.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein estimating the level of degradation of the process entity includes collecting data indicative of the process parameters from multiple data sources.

10. The method of claim 4, further including altering the fiducial line during operation of the process entity to thereby change the desired level of degradation at one of the first or second times.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein the fiducial line defines a plurality of points between a clean and a fouled condition of the process entity.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein altering the operation of the process entity includes changing a flow rate through the furnace.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein altering the operation of the process entity includes changing a temperature associated with the furnace.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein altering the operation of the process entity includes changing an amount of steam injected into the furnace.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein using the defined line includes using the slope of the defined line.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein collecting data includes collecting process control data and collecting process maintenance data.

17. A process control system adapted to use a degradation level of a process entity within a process plant that has a processor communicatively connected to multiple process devices, comprising:

a memory,

a first routine stored on the memory and adapted to be executed on the processor to estimate a level of degradation of the process entity at a first time based on one or more process parameters associated with the process entity;

a second routine stored on the memory and adapted to be executed on the processor to compare the estimated level of degradation of the process entity at the first time to a predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the first time; and

a third routine stored on the memory and adapted to be executed on the processor to determine an alteration for the operation of the process entity based on the comparison of the second routine to drive an estimated level of degradation of the process entity at a second time after the first time to be approximately equal to a predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the second time, wherein the predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the second time is greater than the predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the first time.

18. The process control system of claim 17, wherein the first routine includes a model of the process entity and uses the model of the process entity to estimate the level of degradation of the process entity.

19. The process control system of claim 17, wherein the first, second and third routines are adapted to operate at various different times during the operation of the process entity.

20. The process control system of claim 17, further including a fiducial line stored in the memory, the fiducial line including a plurality of points, each point defining a predetermined desired level of degradation of the process exiguity at a different time and wherein the second routine is adapted to use the fiducial line to determine the predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the first time and the third routine is adapted to use the fiducial line to determine the predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the second time.

21. The process control system of claim 17, wherein the third routine includes an optimization routine adapted to produce an indication of the manner of altering the operation of the process entity to drive the estimated level of degradation of the process entity at the second time to be approximately equal to the predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the second time.

22. The process control system of claim 17, further including a fourth routine stored on the memory and adapted to be executed on the processor to use a result of the comparison determined by the second routine to produce an index defining a utilization of the process entity.

23. The process control system of claim 17, wherein the third routine is adapted to define a line between the estimated level of degradation of the process entity at the first time and the predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the second time and to use the defined line to alter the operation of the process entity.

24. The process control system of claim 20, further including a fourth routine stored in the memory and adapted to be executed on the processor to enable a user to alter the fiducial line during operation of the process entity to thereby change the desired level of degradation of the process entity at one of the first or second times.

25. The process control system of claim 20, wherein the fiducial line defines a plurality of points between a clean and a fouled condition of the process entity.

26. A method of using a degradation level of a process entity within a process plant, comprising:

estimating a level of degradation of the process entity at a first time based on one or more process parameters associated with the process entity;

comparing the estimated level of degradation of the process entity at the first time to a predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the first time; and

using a result of the comparison to produce an index defining a utilization amount of the process entity.

27. The method of claim 26, further including altering the operation of the process entity based on the utilization index.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein estimating the level of degradation of the process entity includes using a model of the process entity to estimate the level of degradation of the process entity.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein estimating the level of degradation of the process entity, comparing the estimated level of degradation of the process entity at the first time to the predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the first time, and using the result of the comparison are each repeated at various times during the operation of the process entity for different times.

30. The method of claim 26, further including designating a fiducial line including a plurality of points, each point defining a predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at a different time and wherein comparing includes using the fiducial line to determine the predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the first time.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein estimating the level of degradation of the process entity includes estimating a coking level of a furnace within a process.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein estimating the level of degradation of the process entity includes collecting data indicative of the process parameters from multiple data sources.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the fiducial line defines a plurality of points between a clean and a fouled condition of the process entity.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein collecting data includes collecting process control data and collecting process maintenance data.

35. A method of using a degradation level of a process entity within a process plant, comprising:

estimating a level of degradation of the process entity at a first time based on one or more process parameters associated with the process entity;

comparing the estimated level of degradation of the process entity at the first time to a predetermined desired level of degradation of the process entity at the first time;

using a result of the comparison to produce an index defining a utilization amount of the process entity; and

altering the operation of the process entity based on the utilization index, wherein altering the operation of the process entity includes changing the operation of the process entity to drive the utilization index to be a predetermined amount at a second time after the first time.