Method for providing power plant maintenance services

• US 7,536,279 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2003
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kimura, Tooru, Shimizu, Satoru, Maruyama, Yoshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Raymond; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Charioui; Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US10/728,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20040117159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,989 Days
• Field of Search: 702/62, 702 81- 84, 702/115, 702/122, 702/132, 702/136, 702182-188, 702 30- 32, 700/79, 700/95, 700/287, 700/26, 376/215, 714/25
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2223/06 Remote monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0256 injecting test signals and analyzing monitored process response, e.g. injecting the test signal while interrupting the normal operation of the monitored system; superimposing the test signal onto a control signal during normal operation of the monitored system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0264 Control of logging system, e.g. decision on which data to store; time-stamping measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/027 Alarm generation, e.g. communication protocol; Forms of alarm
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/52 Outage or fault management, e.g. fault detection or location

Abstract

An objective is to quickly provide appropriate maintenance services at low costs during routine inspection procedures and/or upon occurrence of abnormal events at thermal power plants or stations. In a thermal power plant maintenance system comprising a control device 1 for control of operation conditions and process amounts of plant equipment and a maintenance tool 2 operatively linked to the control device 1 via a network 7 for performing maintenance of a controlling controller 11 as built in the control device 1, the system further comprises a remote maintenance device 3 that executes similar functions to those offered by the maintenance tool 2 for bidirectionally transferring plant data along with data concerning the controlling controller 11'"'"'s status via a communications line 8 between the maintenance tool 2 and the remote maintenance device 3 to thereby provide maintenance services of the thermal power plant of interest.

Claims

1. A thermal power plant maintenance service provision method using a thermal power plant maintenance system comprising a control device for control of plant equipment, a maintenance tool operatively coupled to said control device via a communication network for performing maintenance of said control device, and a remote maintenance device, remote from said thermal power plant, communicatively connected to said maintenance tool, said method comprising:

transmitting, from said maintenance tool, plant equipment data to said remote maintenance device;

transmitting, from said remote maintenance device, report data prepared by a maintenance service person based on the transmitted plant equipment data, including instructions for revising a control parameter of a control circuitry of said control device, to said maintenance tool; and

saving said report data at said maintenance tool,

wherein said control parameter is part of a control operation logic of the control circuitry and said control circuitry supports the control operation logic.

2. A plant maintenance service provision method using a plant maintenance system comprising a control device for control of plant equipment, a maintenance tool operatively coupled to said control device via a communication network for performing maintenance of said control device and a remote maintenance device, remote from said plant, communicatively connected to said maintenance tool comprising:

transmitting, from said maintenance tool, plant data to said remote maintenance device;

transmitting, from said remote maintenance device, report data based upon the transmitted plant data, including instructions for revising a control parameter of a control circuitry of said control device to said maintenance tool; and

saving said report data at said maintenance tool,

wherein said control parameter is part of a control operation logic of the control circuitry and said control circuitry supports the control operation logic.

3. A plant maintenance system comprising:

a control device controlling plant equipment;

a maintenance tool operatively coupled to said control device via a communication network performing maintenance of said control device; and

a remote maintenance device, remote from said plant, receiving plant equipment data from said maintenance too and transmitting reporting data, based on said receive plant equipment data, including instructions for revising a control parameter of a control circuitry of said control device to said maintenance tool,

wherein said control parameter is part of a control operation logic of the control circuitry and said control circuitry supports the control operation logic.

4. A plant maintenance service provision method using a plant maintenance system comprising a control device controlling an operation state and process amount of plant equipment, a maintenance tool operatively coupled to said control device via a communication network performing maintenance of a controlling controller built in said control device, and a remote maintenance device, remote to said plant, communicatively connected to said maintenance tool, said method comprising:

transmitting, from said maintenance tool, plant data to said remote maintenance device;

transmitting, from said remote maintenance device, revision instruction data describing a revision to be applied to a control parameter of circuitry in said controlling controller to said maintenance tool; and

revising said control parameter of said circuitry of said control device according to said revision instruction data from said maintenance tool, wherein said control parameter is part of a control operation logic of the circuitry of said control device and said circuitry of said control device supports the control operation logic.

5. A plant maintenance service system, comprising:

a control device to control an operation state and process amount of plant equipment;

a maintenance tool, operatively coupled to said control device via a communication network, to perform maintenance of a controlling controller built in said control device; and

a remote maintenance device, remote from said plant, to receive plant data from said maintenance tool and to transmit revision instruction data describing a revision to be applied to a control parameter of circuitry in said controller, wherein said maintenance tool has a function of revising of said control parameter of said circuitry of said control device according to said revision instruction data, said control parameter is part of a control operation logic of the circuitry of said control device and said circuitry of said control device supports the control operation logic.