Economic calculations in a process control system

• US 8,620,779 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2010
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Keyes, Marion A. IV, Nixon, Mark J., Blevins, Terrence Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): ADE, OGER GARCIA
• Application Number:
  US12/779,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20100286798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 705/30
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/042 in which a parameter or coefficient is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 17/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

A process control system includes economic models disposed in communication with process control modules, as well as with sources of economic data, such as cost, throughput and profit data, and uses the economic models to determine useful economic parameters or information associated with the actual operation of the process plant at the time the plant is operating. The economic models can be used to provide financial statistics such as profitability, cost of manufactured product, etc. in real time based on the actual current operating state of the process and the business data associated with the finished product, raw materials, etc. These financial statistics can be used to drive alarms and alerts within the process network and be used as inputs to process plant optimizers, etc. to provide for better or more optimal control of the process and to provide a better understanding of the conditions which lead to maximum profitability of the plant.

Claims

1. A method of performing on-line control within a process plant, comprising:

establishing a first data source on a first device to collect economic data related to the operation of the process plant while the process plant is operating on-line;

establishing a second data source on a second device to collect process control data related to the control of the process plant while the process plant is operating on-line and at a time correlated to the collection of economic data related to the operation of the process plant;

automatically providing the economic data and the process control data to an economic model that models the operation of the process plant using the economic data and the process control data and producing a model output dependent on the economic data; and

using the model output to perform a function on a process control subsystem with respect to the control of the process plant.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the economic data includes sending the economic data from the first data source to an information server communicatively connected between the first data source and the economic model via a first message, processing the first message at the information server to determine where the economic data contained within the first message is to be sent and automatically delivering the economic data to the economic model based on the processing.

3. The method of claim 1, including performing for a fee, the steps of producing the model output dependent on the economic data and using the model output to perform a function with respect to the control of the process plant.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein using the model output to perform a function includes providing the model output to an optimizer application, using the optimizer application to produce a set of control target parameters for use in controlling the process plant and providing the control target parameters to a controller routine to thereby optimize the operation of the process plant based on the model output.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein using the model output to perform a function includes providing the model output to a display application and using the display application to enable a user to select one or more optimizer factors for use by the optimizer application in producing the set of control target parameters.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein using the model output to perform a function includes providing the model output to a process control routine adapted to be executed on a controller within the process plant, and using the model output in the controller routine to develop a control signal to be sent to one of a plurality of field devices within the process plant to thereby control the operation of the process plant.

7. The method of claim 1, further including coupling a display application to the economic model and using the display application to display the model output to a user.

8. The method of claim 7, including using the display application to display one or more diagnostic parameters associated with the control data in conjunction with the model output.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more diagnostic parameters includes parameters associated with the operation of a control loop within the process plant.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more diagnostic parameters includes a variability measure of one or more control signals within the control loop.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more diagnostic parameters includes an operational mode indication of one or more control blocks within the control loop.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more diagnostic parameters includes a limit indication for one or more control signals within the control loop.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more diagnostic parameters includes one or more alarms associated with one or more control blocks within the control loop.

14. The method of claim 1, including providing communications between the first data source and the economic model via a wireless communication channel.

15. The method of claim 1, including providing communications between the first data source and the economic model via a router disposed between the first data source and the economic model.

16. A method for use in a process plant, comprising:

collecting economic data related to economic factors associated with the operation of the process plant during operation of the process plant using a first data source device;

collecting process control data related to control operations within the process plant during operation of the process plant using a second data source device and at a time correlated to the collection of economic data related to the operation of the process plant;

configuring a model, that models the operation of the process plant using the economic data and the process control data to produce a model output, to automatically receive the economic data and the process control data on a regular basis during operation of the process plant;

running the model during operation of the process plant to produce the model output; and

using the model output to perform a function on a process control subsystem with respect to the operation of the process plant during operation of the process plant.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein collecting economic data includes collecting data pertaining to a cost of a material used in the process plant.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein collecting economic data includes collecting data pertaining to a throughput of the process plant.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein collecting process control data includes collecting the process control data at a field device disposed within the process plant.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein collecting process control data includes collecting the process control data at a process controller communicatively connected to one or more field devices disposed within the process plant.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein using the model output includes using the model output to optimize the operation of the process plant within respect to a particular criteria.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the particular criteria is one of cost or profit.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the particular criteria is throughput.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the particular criteria is consumption of a particular raw material.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein using the model output includes using the model output to diagnose a problem within the process plant.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein diagnosing a problem within the process plant includes generating an alarm to be delivered to a user based on the model output.

27. The method of claim 16, wherein using the model output includes providing the model output to a display device to generate a display for a user to indicate an operation of the process plant.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein using the model includes running the model to produce a model output indicative of an economic operational parameter associated with one of a number of control loops of the process plant and wherein the display device generates a display screen that displays the economic operational parameter associated with the one of the control loops to a user.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the display device is further adapted to display other parameters associated with the one of the control loops in conjunction with the economic operational parameter associated with the one of the control loops.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the economic operational parameter is indicative of the utilization of the one of the control loops.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the economic operational parameter is indicative of the efficiency of a least a portion of the process plant.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the economic operational parameter is indicative of a product production cost of the process plant.

33. The method of claim 16, wherein using the model output includes performing a control function within the process plant based on the model output.

34. The method of claim 16, wherein using the model output includes providing the model output to a display device communicatively coupled to a control application, and using the display device to enable a user to select a control parameter to be met by the control application based on the model output.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein using the display device includes displaying an economic parameter associated with the control parameter selected by the user.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the economic parameter is a savings parameter related to the different costs of operating the plant at different control settings.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein using the display device includes enabling the user to select at least one of a throughput parameter and a controlled parameter as the control parameter.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein using the display device includes enabling the user to specify one or more economic factors associated with the operation of the process plant for use in computing the economic parameter.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the one or more economic factors includes one of a profit per unit factor and a cost per unit factor.

40. The method of claim 16, wherein using the model output includes automatically preparing and sending a report based on the model output.