METHOD FOR MONITORING A MEASUREMENT POINT IN A PROCESS AUTOMATION SYSTEM

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method for monitoring an automated plant including a plurality of field devices and a plurality of other plant components, wherein the field devices generate data and communicate with one another and with a superordinated unit via a communication network, comprising: continuously registering production data from the plant, wherein the production data represents quantities of produced products versus defined time intervals; calculating individual loading data for each plant component and field device, wherein the loading data represents a degree of loading for each plant component and field device per produced product; continuously summing the degree of loading for each plant component and field device based on the registered production data and based on the loading data; and creating a warning notification when the degree of loading of a field device or a plant component exceeds a threshold individually defined for each, respectively.

Claims

1-6. (canceled)

7. A method for monitoring an automated plant, wherein the plant comprises a plurality of field devices and a plurality of other plant components, wherein the field devices are configured to generate data, including measurement, control, calibration, parametering, diagnosis, historical and/or state data, and wherein the field devices are configured to communicate with one another and with at least one superordinated unit via a communication network, the method comprising: continuously registering production data from the plant, wherein the production data includes quantities of produced products versus defined time intervals; calculating individual loading data for each of the field devices and each of the other plant components, wherein the loading data represents a degree of loading for each field device and each other plant component per produced product; continuously summing the degree of loading for each field device and each other plant component based on the registered production data and based on the loading data; and generating a warning notification when the degree of loading of a field device of the plurality of field devices or a plant component of the plurality of other plant components exceeds a threshold individually defined for each respective field device or other plant component.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein environmental data are registered and included in the calculating of the individual loading data for each of the field devices and each of the other plant components.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the individually defined thresholds for each of the field devices and each of the other plant components are determined during commissioning of the respective field device or respective other plant component.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the individually defined thresholds for each of the field devices and for each of the plant components are determined by comparison with field devices or other plant components employed in other plants of similar type.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the individually defined thresholds are continuously recalculated or updated.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the registering of the production data, the calculating of the loading data, the summing of the degrees of loading and/or the generating of maintenance notifications are performed by a server, which server is connected for communication with the communication network of the plant.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the individually defined thresholds for each of the field devices and each of the other plant components are determined: during commissioning of the respective field device or respective other plant component; or by comparison with field devices or other plant components employed in other plants of similar type, and wherein the determining of the individually defined thresholds is performed by the server.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the individually defined thresholds are continuously recalculated or updated, and wherein the recalculating or updating of the individually defined thresholds is performed by the server.

Description

[0026] The invention will now be explained in greater detail based on the appended drawing, the sole FIGURE of which shows as follows:

[0027] FIG. 1 an example of an embodiment of the method of the invention.

[0028] FIG. 1 shows a measurement point MP of an automated process plant P. Such is composed of plant components PK in the form of a tank PK1 and pipeline PK2 connected to an outlet of the tank PK1. For measuring fill level of the tank PK1, the measurement point includes a field device FD1, for example, a fill level measurement device operating by means of radar and mounted on the tank PK1. For measuring flow velocity of a process medium flowing through the pipeline PK2, the measurement point MP includes a field device FD2, for example, a flow measurement device working according to the Coriolis principle and inserted into the pipeline PK2.

[0029] Each of the field devices FD1, FD2 is connected for communication by means of a 4-20 mA electrical current loop or alternatively by means of a fieldbus with a superordinated unit PLC, which queries measured values of the field devices FD1, FD2 and transmits such by means of an additional network segment to the control station CS of the plant. The totality all network segments (the 4-20 mA electrical current loop, or the fieldbus, and the other network segment) are referred to in the following as a communication network KN.

[0030] The superordinated unit is connected with a gateway GW, which registers the process values transmitted by field devices FD1, FD2 to the superordinated unit PLC and provides the process values via the Internet to a server. The server is embodied to execute applications. An example of an application is a plant asset management system, which manages assets and/or inventory of the plant P.

[0031] In the following, the method of the invention for predictive failure detection of a field device FD1, FD2 or other plant component PK1, PK2 will now be described:

[0032] The shown measurement point MP is located in a part of a method, in which a product is made from a raw or starting material by the application of chemical, physical or biological procedures. In this portion of the method, at least one product is produced from at least one reactant. The total quantity product is registered in defined time intervals, for example, daily or hourly, and stored as production data PD in the control station CS. As soon as new production data PD are available, these are transmitted from the control station CS to the server SE.

[0033] The server SE then calculates for each of the field devices FD1, FD1, and for each of the other plant components PK1, PK2 an individual degree of loading, which corresponds to the individual demands that have been placed upon an item, and thus to its wear. The loading data define the growth of the degree of loading per field device FD1, FD2 and other plant component PK1, PK2, per produced product.

[0034] Additionally, for example, the control station or an additional, external server makes available to the server SE environmental data, for example, weather data, which is then used by the server SE as a factor for calculating degree of loading. The factor can be, for example, higher for high and low temperatures than it would be for moderate temperatures. In particular, the current degree of loading for a field device FD1, FD2, or other plant component PK1, PK2, is calculated as follows:

[00003]$D{L}_n=\underset{i=1}{\overset{m}{.Math.}}{a}_{i,n}.Math.L_{i,n}$

[0035] DL corresponds, in such case, to the degree of loading for a field device FD1, FD2, or for a plant component PK1, PK2. “n” corresponds to the “number” of a field device FD1, FD2, or a plant component PK1, PK2. L corresponds to the loading, which has occurred in a time interval i (defined by the updating of the production data). “m” corresponds to the time period, over which the calculating was performed, i.e. the number of time intervals. “a” corresponds, in such case, to the factor for a time interval, wherein the environmental data are correlated with the time intervals i.

[0036] If the degree of loading of one of the field devices, or one of the other plant components, reaches a predetermined threshold, which can be different for each case, then a maintenance notification is created, which is sent to the control station CS, in order that the particular field device FD1, FD2 or the particular other plant components PK1, PK2 be checked accordingly and, in given cases, maintained and/or exchanged.

[0037] A concrete example is the production of acids. From the production data “amount” and “concentration”, an integral degree of corrosion can be determined, which can act disadvantageously on the functioning of the plant components PK1, PK2.

[0038] The example of an embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is only by way of example. Besides the above examples of field devices FD1, FD2 and plant components PK1, PK2, other types of field devices FD1, FD2 and plant components PK1, PK2 can be used in the method of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0039] P automated plant [0040] PK1, PK2 plant components [0041] FD1, FD2 field devices [0042] GW gateway [0043] KN communication network [0044] PD production data [0045] SE server [0046] PLC superordinated unit