Systems and methods for rule-based control system reliability

• US 9,665,090 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2012
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Venditti, Paul, Brahmavar, Ramesh Pai, McCarthy, Kevin Thomas, Srivastava, Ayush, Loganathan, Karthikeyan, Banerjee, Goutam
• Primary Examiner(s): Everett, Christopher E
• Application Number:
  US13/557,125
• Publication Number:
  US 20140031958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,771 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4184 characterised by fault tolerance, reliability of production system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31437 Monitoring, global and local alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0229 knowledge based, e.g. expert systems; genetic algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system includes system includes a data collection system configured to collect a data from a control system. The system further includes a configuration management system configured to manage a hardware configuration and a software configuration for the control system based on the data. The system additionally includes a rule engine configured to use the data as input and to output a health assessment by using a rule database configured to store at least one rule, and a report generator configured to provide a health assessment for the control system. The system also includes a rule editor configured to create the at least one rule, update the at least one rule, delete the at least one rule, or a combination thereof.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a control system comprising a redundant controller, wherein the redundant controller is configured to provide for redundant control operations for a plant, and wherein the redundant controller is communicatively coupled to one or more field devices configured to actuate one or more machinery of the plant;

a data collection system configured to collect a data from the control system, wherein the data collection system is communicatively coupled to the redundant controller to collect the data from the redundant controller during operations of the controller;

a configuration management system configured to manage a hardware configuration and a software configuration for the redundant controller of the control system based on the data;

a rule engine configured to use the data and a site software as input and to output a health assessment detailing a health of the redundant controller by using a rule database configured to store at least one rule, wherein the health comprises a predictive probability of occurrence of an undesired maintenance event for the redundant controller, wherein the data comprises a field device data incoming from at least one of the one or more field devices;

a report generator configured to provide the health assessment for the control system; and

a rule editor configured to create the at least one rule, update the at least one rule, delete the at least one rule, or a combination thereof.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one rule comprises a rule name, a brief description, a full description, a recommendation, a compliance code, a timing date, a uniform resource locator (URL), a condition type, a sequence, a permutation, or a combination thereof.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the recommendation comprises an action used in addressing an undesired issue of the redundant controller, and wherein the at least one rule was derived by using a technical information letter (TIL), a product service bulletin (PSB), or a combination thereof, and wherein the undesired maintenance event comprises failure of a processor R, S, or T core, failure of an input/output [I/O] pack, insufficient memory, loose bus connection, failure of a power supply, or a combination thereof.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the rule database is configured to use a extensible markup language (XML), a resource description framework (RDF), an web ontology language (OWL), or a combination thereof, to store the at least one rule.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the rule editor comprises a screen configured to display the at least one rule in a hierarchical display, and to provide a screen section configured to create the at least one rule, update the at least one rule, delete the at least one rule, or a combination thereof.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the hierarchical display is configured to dynamically display a rule section of the at least on rule based on a user selection, and the screen section is configured to create the rule section, update the rule section, delete the rule section, or a combination thereof.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the redundant controller comprises a Triple Module Redundant (TMR) controller having an R core, an S core, and a T core, and wherein the TMR controller is configured to provide for redundant control operations for the control system.

8. The system of claim 1, comprising an online life cycle support tool configured to use the health assessment to update a knowledge base, and wherein the knowledge base comprises a plurality of answers to customer questions related to the health of the control system, an operating history of plant equipment, or a combination thereof.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the health assessment comprises a TMR readiness report, a controller recommendation, a configuration report, an early warning report, an access-based report, or a combination thereof.

10. The system of claim 1 comprising a power generation system having the control system.

11. A method comprising:

inputting at least one control system health assessment rule by using a rule editor;

acquiring a data related to a control system, wherein the control system comprises a redundant controller, wherein the redundant controller is configured to provide for redundant control operations for a plant, and wherein the redundant controller is communicatively coupled to one or more field devices configured to actuate one or more machinery of the plant;

analyzing, via a rule engine, the data and a site software to obtain a data analysis by using the at least one control system health assessment rule, wherein the data comprises a field device data incoming from at least one of the one or more field devices; and

deriving a control system health assessment detailing a health of the redundant controller based on the data analysis, wherein the health comprises a predictive probability of occurrence of an undesired maintenance event for the redundant controller.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one control system health assessment rule comprises a rule name, a brief description, a full description, a recommendation, a compliance code, a timing date, a uniform resource locator (URL), a condition type, a sequence, a permutation, or a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the control system health assessment comprises a triple modular redundant (TMR) readiness report, a controller recommendation, an auto configuration report, an early warning report, an access based report, or a combination thereof, and wherein the undesired maintenance event comprises failure of a processor R, S, or T core, failure of an input/output [I/O] pack, insufficient memory, loose bus connection, failure of a power supply, or a combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein acquiring the data comprises acquiring the data offline of the control system, acquiring the data online of the control system, or a combination thereof.

15. A system comprising:

a non-transitory machine readable medium comprising code configured to;

insert a rule, update the rule, delete the rule, or a combination thereof;

acquire a data related to a control system, wherein the control system comprises a redundant controller, wherein the redundant controller is configured to provide for redundant control operations for a plant, and wherein the redundant controller is communicatively coupled to one or more field devices configured to actuate one or more machinery of the plant;

analyze, via a rule engine, the data and a site software to obtain a data analysis by using the rule, wherein the data comprises a field device data incoming from at least one of the one or more field devices; and

derive a control system health assessment detailing a health of the redundant controller based on the data analysis, wherein the health comprises a predictive probability of occurrence of an undesired maintenance event for the controller.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the non-transitory machine readable medium comprising code configured to insert the rule, update the rule, delete the rule, or a combination thereof, comprises code configured to display the rule in a hierarchical display, and to provide a screen section configured to create the rule, to update the rule, to delete the rule, or a combination thereof.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the non-transitory machine readable medium comprising code configured to display the rule in the hierarchical display, and to provide the screen section configured to create the rule, to update the rule, to delete the rule, or a combination thereof, comprises code configured to dynamically display a rule section based on a user selection, and the screen section is configured to create the rule section, update the rule section, delete the rule section, or a combination thereof.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the non-transitory machine readable medium comprising code configured to derive the control system health assessment comprises code configured to derive a triple modular redundant (TMR) readiness report, derive a controller recommendation, derive an auto configuration report, derive an early warning report, derive an access based report, or a combination thereof, and wherein the undesired maintenance event comprises failure of a processor R, S, or T core, failure of an input/output [I/O] pack, insufficient memory, loose bus connection, failure of a power supply, or a combination thereof.

19. The system of claim 15, comprising an industrial system having the non-transitory machine readable medium storing the code, wherein the industrial system comprises a gasification system, a turbine system, a gas treatment system, a power generation system, or a combination thereof.