Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent lockout of a maintenance engineer.SOLUTION: A process control system is adjusted with an asset management system associated in order to attain a plant safety mechanism, especially to prevent unintended change or an unnecessary operation to one or more process control facility resources in a process plant. A maintenance engineer uses the asset management system in order to request access to the one or more process control facility resources. A process operator receives a request via the process control system, and approves or rejects the request. A process control facility resource whose request is approved by the process operator becomes inoperable by the process control system in a part or the whole. When a maintenance task is completed, the maintenance engineer requests return of control of the process control facility resource to the process operator. The return is completed when the process operator confirms the return of resources to the process control system.
Abstract:
Configuring process control systems for operating process plants including multi-variable devices comprises: selecting a multi-variable device object 502, identifying a parameter of the device associated with an output variable generated by the device, and generating a new device object representing the parameter 512. The new device object may be generated as child device object of the parent device objects. Each child device object may also have a unique tag to identify the new device object within the process control system. A list of the parameters of the multi-variable device may be presented to a user 504 who may then select one of the parameters 506.
Abstract:
An I/O-abstracted configuration is defined for a field device that has not yet been assigned or allocated to communicate via a particular I/O device, and the field device (and optionally portions of the process control loop of which the field device is a part) is commissioned based on contents of its I/O-abstracted configuration. The field device's I/O-abstracted configuration is stored in an instance of a device placeholder object, which may be common to multiple types of devices and multiple types of I/O. A property of the device placeholder object may be exposed based on the value entered for another property, and the device placeholder object may store abstracted values as well as explicit or discrete values that are descriptive of the field device and its behavior. Upon I/O-assignment or allocation, values held in the device's I/O-abstracted configuration may be transferred to or otherwise synchronized with the device's as-built configuration.
Abstract:
Disclosed herein are techniques for automatically distributing device identification amongst components of a process control loop in a process plant while the loop is communicatively disconnected from the plant's back-end environment or control room. A field device's identification is stored in a memory of a component of the loop (which may be the field device or a proxy) and is used for commissioning the field device. While the loop remains disconnected, the field device's identification is distributed to the memory of another component of the loop and used for commissioning a portion of the loop including the field device and the another component. Additional distribution to other components for commissioning other loop portions is possible. Distribution may be triggered by the completion of certain commissioning activities, the establishment of communicative connections between components, and/or other conditions. Other parameters and/or information descriptive of the field device may be similarly distributed.
Abstract:
Disclosed herein are techniques for automatically distributing device identification amongst components of a process control loop in a process plant while the loop is communicatively disconnected from the plant's back-end environment or control room. A field device's identification is stored in a memory of a component of the loop (which may be the field device or a proxy) and is used for commissioning the field device. While the loop remains disconnected, the field device's identification is distributed to the memory of another component of the loop and used for commissioning a portion of the loop including the field device and the another component. Additional distribution to other components for commissioning other loop portions is possible. Distribution may be triggered by the completion of certain commissioning activities, the establishment of communicative connections between components, and/or other conditions. Other parameters and/or information descriptive of the field device may be similarly distributed.
Abstract:
A system tag identifying a device of a process control loop is determined/derived from a unique identifier of the device while the loop is communicatively disconnected from a process plant's back-end environment or control room. The system tag may be stored at the device itself or at a proxy that is disposed in the field of the process plant (e.g., at another component of the loop). One or more commissioning activities that include the device are performed in the field using the device's system tag, and at least some of the field commissioning activities may be automatically triggered based on the derivation of system tag. Upon the loop being communicatively connected to the back-end environment of the plant, the device's system tag known to the loop in the field is synchronized with the device's system tag known to the back-end of the process plant.