JP3709367B2 - Plant operation support device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention includes, for example, a chemical product manufacturing plant, a petrochemical product manufacturing plant, an oil refining plant, a steel product plant, a food manufacturing plant, a paper pulp product manufacturing plant, a pharmaceutical product manufacturing plant, an automobile manufacturing plant, a machine product manufacturing plant, and an electric machine. The present invention relates to a plant operation support apparatus that supports operations of various manufacturing plants such as product manufacturing plants, power generation plants, and waste treatment plants.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a monitoring control device such as a distributed control system (DCS) is used to monitor and control the operation of a manufacturing plant, etc., and an operator uses the monitoring control device to monitor and operate the manufacturing plant. Is going. The contents of the monitoring and operation are greatly different between the operation state of the manufacturing plant, particularly the steady operation in which products are stably manufactured and the unsteady operation such as operation start and stop. That is, in steady operation, the same operation is performed for a long period of time, and during that time, the operator repeats almost the same monitoring and operation, but in the non-steady operation, the occurrence frequency is low, and the monitoring and operation of the operator is further performed. Since the contents of are different from those in steady operation, they cannot be handled by repeating the same monitoring and operation as in steady operation. Therefore, the operator checks the contents while looking at the confirmation operation manual printed on the paper so as not to make a mistake in the monitoring and operation of the unsteady operation, and confirms the operation of the plant. Thus, in addition to viewing confirmation operation manuals that are rarely used in steady operation, the operator has a large burden because monitoring and operation contents of unsteady operation are different from those in steady operation.
[0003]
Therefore, to reduce this burden, plant operation support that automatically controls the plant to the target operating state by substituting part of the monitoring and confirmation operations of the plant using an automatic operation program. A device has been proposed.
[0004]
As such a plant operation support device, for example, a device as disclosed in JP 2000-56824 A can be cited. In this plant operation support apparatus, a plant operation procedure, a confirmation operation item, and a corresponding operation when an abnormality occurs are stored as text, and the text is displayed on the screen. The operator reads the text such as the plant operation procedure displayed on the screen and clicks the text with a mouse etc. to call up information necessary for plant operation on the screen, and confirms the operation of the plant. Can be done.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the plant operation support device described above does not require the operator to check the confirmation operation manual printed on the paper, but the plant operation confirmation operation is performed while reading the text such as the plant operation procedure displayed on the screen. The burden still remains.
[0006]
In addition, the above-mentioned text such as the plant operation procedure does not indicate the progress status of the plant process, and the operator further adds the information obtained separately from the plant operation support device to the progress status of the plant process. The operation of the plant was confirmed by grasping the above.
[0007]
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and displays information related to the confirmation operation of the plant operation and the progress of the process in an easy-to-understand manner, so that the operator and the monitoring control device can interact with the plant in an interactive manner. An object of the present invention is to provide a plant operation support device that can reduce the burden on an operator by allowing the operation of the plant to proceed.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
To achieve the above object, the present invention is, by displaying the operation status of the plant on a screen, the plant operation support apparatus for supporting a semi-automatic operation of the plant, a plurality of steps showing the plant for each process A block in which a display block and a plurality of confirmation operation blocks that are displayed in correspondence with each process and that indicate an automatic part and a manual confirmation operation item selected from semi-automatic operation having a manual confirmation operation are arranged in the order of the process and the confirmation operation. and display means for displaying on the screen in chart, a display form changing means by changing the display mode of the previous SL confirmation operation block on said display device prompt confirmation of items of said manual checking operation, the display form changing A first input means for inputting that the item has been confirmed with respect to the confirmation operation block prompted for confirmation by the means, and an operation procedure for each step. Storage means for storing text information related to the operation procedure, and second input means provided in association with the process display block for displaying text information related to the operation procedure, wherein the display means is the second input means. Based on the input result, the text information regarding the driving procedure stored in the storage means is displayed corresponding to the process display block in a state where the automated part and the manual confirmation operation are combined, and the first input means Based on the input result, the display form changing means further changes the display form of the confirmation operation block, and the operation is advanced in the order of confirmation operations .
[0009]
According to this configuration, the plant process and the confirmation operation item are each displayed on the screen in the form of a block diagram, and the display form of both blocks is changed according to the progress of the operation of the plant. Thereby, the operator can easily grasp the progress state regarding the process and the confirmation operation item.
[0010]
Here, the process is not only a process according to a large classification such as “pretreatment”, “reaction”, “purification”, etc. of the plant, but “subject raw materials”, “stirring”, etc., which are further subdivided into this process. This means a work process indicating an operation procedure. Moreover, these processes do not necessarily need to be processed in series, and include a parallel processing process . Further, the semi-automatic operation, and interposed operator to automatic operation of the plant, perform a manual confirmation operation, such as operator confirmation before critical operations operation refers to a case where advance the operation of the plant.
[0011]
Further , by displaying information for prompting confirmation of the confirmation operation item on the screen, the operator can be surely performed the confirmation operation. That is, after to display information prompting to confirm the items of the above-described manual operation to confirm the screen, and more and this for inputting whether the item is verified by using the first input unit, the operator is prompted for confirmation operation for the previous climate eyes, it is possible to prevent the confirmation operation forget. Here, as the first input means, it is common that the display means and the console are separately provided, and an operator calls a necessary information on the screen by clicking operation such as a mouse or directly inputting from the console. In order to simplify the operation of the operator, the necessary information is called on the screen by directly touching the necessary part of the display screen with a finger using a touch panel type display device integrated with these. It is also possible.
[0012]
Also, the display means, based on an input result by the second input means, information about the driving procedure corresponding stored in the storage means to be displayed in association with the process display block. Thereby, the operator does not need to see a confirmation operation manual printed on paper, and can confirm the operation procedure on the screen. The second input means preferably uses an input method by a click operation such as a mouse or a touch panel method.
[0013]
Moreover, this invention is comprised so that the driving procedure window which displays the text information regarding the said driving procedure may be displayed so that it may overlap with the progress condition screen which displays the said process display block and the said confirmation operation block. If it does in this way, a progress situation screen can be checked, displaying text information about a driving procedure in the screen.
[0014]
Further, the present invention is configured such that the display means displays the text information related to the driving procedure by distinguishing between the automatic part of the semi-automatic driving and the manual confirmation operation and changing the display form, for example, color change or underline It is good to distinguish each using.
[0015]
In the present invention, the display means is a high-order block in which a plurality of first level screens each showing at least the process display block and a plurality of the process display blocks displayed on the plurality of first level screens are collected. selectively configured to display so multiple hierarchies screens composed of a second layer screen shown. For example, if the second hierarchy screen is the overall process of the plant, the operator switches between a screen on which the overall process of the plant is displayed and a screen on which the progress status of each process constituting the overall process is displayed. By displaying, it is possible to easily grasp the entire process and individual processes. Furthermore, if the display form changing means of the process display block is used together, the progress status of the entire process of the plant can be easily grasped.
[0016]
Further, the present invention is configured to display numerical information indicating the plant state of the process on the screen of the display device, and the numerical information includes process information necessary for monitoring, such as valve opening and flow rate setting values. It is preferable to display such as.
[0017]
Moreover, this invention may represent the process of the plant in which the said process display block has a parallel processing process.
[0018]
Further, the present invention further comprises a plant operation assisting computer to perform some of the functions related to monitoring and control of the monitoring and control device, the monitor control apparatus is provided with the display unit and the display changing means. As a result, a large-size automatic operation program can be executed without being limited by the storage capacity of the monitoring control device. Further, since the information necessary for monitoring and operating the plant, which has conventionally been displayed on the plant operation assistance computer and the monitoring control device, is collectively displayed on the monitoring control device, the burden on the operator is reduced. Can also be reduced.
[0019]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0020]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a plant operation support apparatus according to the present embodiment and a plant to be controlled by the plant operation support apparatus. In FIG. 1, the plant 8 is an arbitrary plant, and is illustrated here as a simple manufacturing plant. The plant 8 includes a tank 81, a pump 83, a manual valve 89, a flow meter 85, a control valve 86, and the like from upstream to downstream. The tank 81 is provided with a liquid level gauge 82 for measuring the liquid level in the tank 81. In addition, the plant 8 is connected to a monitoring control device 20 described later that constitutes the plant operation support device 1, and transmits or receives a signal related to the operation of the plant 8 to and from the monitoring control device 20 described later. For example, the plant 8 transmits a plant state signal indicating the state of the plant 8 such as a pump operation state signal 84, a liquid level indication value of the liquid level indicator 82, and a flow rate indication value of the flow meter 85. Further, a plant operation command signal indicating an operation command to the plant 8 such as an activation signal 88 of the pump 83 and an opening output signal 87 of the control valve 86 is transmitted from the monitoring control device 20 described later.
[0021]
Based on the plant 8 having the simple configuration described above, the configuration and function of the plant operation support apparatus 1 according to the present invention will be described below.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 1, the plant operation support device 1 includes a monitoring control device 20 that performs monitoring and control of the plant 8 and a plant operation assisting device that executes a part of the monitoring and control functions of the monitoring control device 20. It is comprised from the computer 10, and these are interconnected so that communication is possible.
[0023]
The monitoring control device 20 includes a control calculation unit 20a, a storage unit 23, a first input / output device 27, a second input / output device 28, and the like.
[0024]
The control calculation unit 20a is connected to the storage unit 23, the first input / output device 27, and the second input / output device 28, and monitors and controls the plant 8.
[0025]
The first input / output device 27 connects the monitoring control device 20 to the dedicated cable 91 and inputs / outputs signals between the plant 8 and the monitoring control device 20.
[0026]
The second input / output device 28 connects the monitoring control device 20 to the network 92 and inputs / outputs signals between the plant operation assistance computer 10 and the monitoring control device 20.
[0027]
The storage unit 23 includes a plant state storage unit 24, a plant operation command storage unit 25, a display state storage unit 26, and the like. The plant state storage unit 24 stores plant state data 24a, 24b,... Related to the plant state signal of the plant 8 received via the first input / output device 27. Further, the plant operation command storage unit 25 stores plant operation command data 25a, 25b,... Related to the plant operation command signal. The display state storage unit 26 stores ON / OFF data 26a, 26b,... Relating to a plurality of logic switches.
[0028]
In addition, a display device 21 and a console 22 are provided outside the monitoring control device 20, and are connected to the control calculation unit 20a. The display device 21 is a touch panel type display device, and displays a progress situation screen 211 of operation of the plant 8 described later. The display device 21 and the console 22 are connected to the outside of the monitoring control device 20 here, but may be incorporated inside the monitoring control device 20.
[0029]
With this configuration, the control calculation unit 20a receives the plant state signal input from the plant 8 via the first input / output device 27 and then stores the plant state signal in the plant state storage unit 24 as plant state data 24a, 24b. Further, the control calculation unit 20a calculates an operation command value based on the plant state data 24a, 24b, ... stored in the plant state storage unit 24, and is stored in the plant operation command storage unit 25 based on the calculation result. The plant operation command data 25a, 25b... Are rewritten, and the plant operation command data 25a, 25b... Are sent to the plant 8 through the first input / output device 27 as the plant operation command signal to control the operation of the plant 8. .
[0030]
On the other hand, the plant operation assistance computer 10 includes a calculation unit 10a, a storage unit 13, an input / output device 14, and the like. In addition, a display device 11 and a console 12 are provided outside the plant operation assistance computer 10 and are connected to the calculation unit 10a. Here, the display device 11 and the console 12 are connected to the outside of the plant operation assisting computer 10 here, but may be incorporated into the plant operation assisting computer 10.
[0031]
The arithmetic unit 10 a is connected to the storage unit 13 and the input / output device 14, and performs a part of the monitoring / control function of the monitoring control device 20.
[0032]
The input / output device 14 connects the plant operation assistance computer 10 to the network 92 and inputs / outputs signals between the plant operation assistance computer 10 and the monitoring control device 20.
[0033]
The storage unit 13 stores an automatic operation program 13p of the plant 8 and the like.
The automatic operation program 13p is a program related to operation control of the plant 8 and the like.
[0034]
With this configuration, the calculation unit 10a is based on the plant state data in the plant state storage unit 24 and the ON / OFF data in the display state storage unit 26 input from the monitoring control device 20 via the second input / output device 28. The automatic operation program 13p is executed, and the ON / OFF data 26a, 26b,... Relating to the logic switch stored in the display state storage unit 26 of the monitoring control device 20 is rewritten. Strictly speaking, the calculation unit 10a does not rewrite the ON / OFF data relating to the logic switch stored in the direct display state storage unit 26, but based on the output signal transmitted from the plant operation assistance computer 10, the supervisory control is performed. The device 20 rewrites the ON / OFF data 26a, 26b,... Relating to the logical switch stored in the display state storage unit 26. Based on the rewritten ON / OFF data 26a, 26b,... Relating to the logical switch, the monitoring control device 20 controls the screen such as changing the display form of a process display block on a progress status screen 211 described later. Further, the plant operation assisting computer 10 rewrites the plant operation command data 25a, 25b... Stored in the plant operation command storage unit 25 of the monitoring control device 20 based on the ON / OFF data 26a, 26b. Based on the plant operation command data 25a, 25b,..., The monitoring control device 20 sends an output signal to the plant 8 to control the operation of the plant 8.
[0035]
Thus, all the information from the plant 8 and the plant operation assistance computer 10 is collected in the monitoring control device 20 and displayed on the display device 21 of the monitoring control device 20. This eliminates the need for the operator to perform monitoring or operation using the display device 11 and the console 12 of the plant operation assistance computer 10.
[0036]
When the size of the automatic operation program 13p can be reduced, the function of the plant operation assisting computer 10 can be incorporated into the monitoring controller 20 and integrated.
[0037]
Next, the function which each screen displayed on the display apparatus 21 of the monitoring control apparatus 20 which concerns on this Embodiment has is demonstrated.
[0038]
FIG. 2 is an example of a progress status screen 211 that shows the progress status of the operation of the plant 8. For convenience of explanation, in this example, the process of the plant 8 is divided into four processes: a process A, a process B, a process C, and a process D.
[0039]
The progress status screen 211 includes a start block 31 s, a process display block 310 of process A, a process display block 320 of process B, a process display block 330 of process C, a process display block 340 of process D, and an end block 31 e in the order of processes. The blocks are arranged in series and in parallel, and each block is configured in the form of a block diagram connected by straight lines.
[0040]
Further, an operation procedure confirmation button Ha represented by a circle is provided on the left side of the process display block 310 of the process A, and confirmation operation blocks 311 to 314 are arranged in the order of the confirmation operation on the right side of the process display block 310 of the process A. It has been. Similarly, operation procedure confirmation buttons Hb and confirmation operation blocks 321 to 323 are respectively provided on the left and right of the process display block 320 of the process B, and operation procedure confirmation buttons Hc are provided on the left and right of the process display block 330 of the process C, respectively. Operation procedure confirmation buttons Hd and confirmation operation blocks 341 to 342 are provided on the right and left sides of the confirmation operation blocks 331 to 333 and the process display block 340 of the process D, respectively.
[0041]
Furthermore, here, on the right side of the confirmation operation block 314 of the process A, the flow rate and the liquid level indicating the plant state of the plant 8 related to the process A are displayed. Similarly, on the right side of the confirmation operation block 323 of the process B, the temperature indicating the plant state of the plant 8 related to the process B is displayed. Thereby, the operation state of the plant 8 can be grasped together with the progress of operation of the plant 8.
[0042]
In addition, the display colors of the process display blocks 310 to 340 and the confirmation operation blocks 311 to 314, 321 to 323, 331 to 333, and 341 to 342 described above are changed according to the progress of plant operation. Specifically, when the operation of the plant 8 is started, the start block 31s is changed to a color indicating execution, and the process display block 310 of the process A on the progress status screen 211 is also changed to a color indicating execution. Indicating that step A is in operation. At the same time, the confirmation operation block 311 “confirmed on site” is changed to another color indicating a request for confirmation operation. Such a change in the display color prompts the operator to perform on-site confirmation such as advance preparation confirmation or safety confirmation of the plant 8. When the operator touches the confirmation operation block 311 with a finger or the like after completing the on-site confirmation related to the process A according to the display color change, an operation confirmation dialog 60 as shown in FIG. It is displayed overlapping the part. Here, the operation confirmation dialog 60 includes an ON button 61a and an OFF button 61b. When the operator touches the ON button 61a with a finger or the like, the confirmation operation block 311 is changed to another color indicating that the confirmation has been completed, and the on-site confirmation related to the process A is completed. The operation confirmation dialog 60 is not limited to the dialog box format shown here. Then, after the confirmation operation block 311 of “confirmed on site” is changed to another color indicating that confirmation has been completed, the confirmation operation block 312 of “confirmation before pump activation” requests a similar confirmation operation. . Similarly, the process proceeds in the order of the confirmation operation blocks 312 to 314 connected to the process display block 310 of the process A, and the process A ends. Then, the process display block 310 of process A is changed to another color indicating that it has been confirmed.
[0043]
As described above, the confirmation operation blocks 321 to 323 connected to the process display block 320 of the process B, the confirmation operation blocks 331 to 333 connected to the process display block 330 of the process C, or the confirmation display blocks 340 connected to the process display block 340 of the process D. The processing proceeds in the order of the operation blocks 341 to 342, and when a final block 31e is finally reached, a series of processes of the plant 8 is completed. Thus, the information regarding the progress status of the process of the plant 8 and the information prompting the confirmation operation are displayed on the screen, so that the operator can perform the confirmation operation in an interactive manner.
[0044]
Moreover, like the process C and the process D, the process display blocks 330 and 340 of the parallel processing process can be displayed on the screen. Thereby, the complicated operation procedure of the plant 8 can be displayed in an easy-to-understand manner including the context and the parallel processing relationship.
[0045]
In the present embodiment, an example of displaying by changing the display color is shown as the block display form changing means. However, it is also possible to use a method such as blinking or a combination of blinking and color change. .
[0046]
Further, when the operator touches the operation procedure confirmation button Ha corresponding to the process A shown in the progress situation screen 211 with a finger or the like, the operation procedure window 70 related to the process A as shown in FIG. Overlaid. Here, the operation procedure window 70 related to the process A is taken as an example, but the operation procedure windows 70 related to the other processes B to D can be displayed in the same manner. The operation procedure window 70 prompts the operator to confirm the plant 8 and can surely perform the operation of confirming the plant 8.
[0047]
As shown in the figure, “(1) Check on site according to check sheet No. 1”, “(2) Turn on the pre-start check when the pump is ready to start” and “(3) Turn on the discharge valve if the pump is normally started. Operation procedures such as “open confirmation ON” are arranged in the order of operation. Furthermore, in the operation of the plant 8, in order to clearly show the distinction between the automatic part of the semi-automatic operation or the manual confirmation operation , a sentence regarding the automatic part of the semi-automatic operation such as “(4) CV gradually opens up to 30%” Is underlined. In the present embodiment, the text related to the automated part of the semi-automatic operation is underlined, but the automated part of the semi-automatic operation and the manual confirmation operation can be identified and displayed by a method such as changing the display color.
[0048]
FIG. 5 is an example in which the upper hierarchy screen 212 of the operation progress status screen 211 of the plant 8 shown in FIG. 2 is displayed. In this example, the upper hierarchy screen 212 shows the progress of the operation of the plant 8 and other equivalent or similar plants other than the plant 8. Here, the plant 8 and other plants are respectively shown for convenience of explanation. They are referred to as “series 1”, “series 2”, and “series 3”. Note that the number of series is not limited to three. The number of series is determined by the overall configuration of the plant.
[0049]
On the upper layer screen 212, the series 1 series display block 30, the series 2 series display block 40, and the series 3 series display block 50 are arranged vertically, and the related process display blocks 310 to 340 are arranged on the right side of each series. , 410 to 430, 510 to 530 are arranged in the order of processes.
[0050]
The display colors of the series display blocks 30, 40, and 50 and the process display blocks 310 to 340, 410 to 430, and 510 to 530 of each series are changed according to the progress of operation of the plant 8. For example, when the display color of the series display block 30 of the series 1 and the process display block 310 of the process A is changed to a color indicating execution, the operator changes the display color to a color indicating execution. When the display block 310 is touched with a finger or the like, a progress situation screen 211 shown in FIG. 2 is displayed. Even if the display color of the process display block 310 is not changed to the color indicating that the process is in progress, the operator can touch the process display block 310 with a finger or the like as necessary to display the progress status screen shown in FIG. 211 can also be displayed .
[0051]
【The invention's effect】
According to the plant operation support apparatus according to the present invention, information on the manual confirmation operation of the semi-automatic operation of the plant and the progress status of the process is displayed in an easy-to-understand manner, and the operator and the supervisory control apparatus operate the plant in an interactive manner. Since it can be advanced, the burden on the operator can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a plant operation support apparatus according to the present invention and a plant to be controlled by the apparatus.
FIG. 2 is a progress screen of plant operation.
FIG. 3 is a progress screen of plant operation in a state where an operation confirmation dialog is called.
FIG. 4 is a progress screen of plant operation in a state where an operation procedure window is called.
FIG. 5 is an operation progress status screen for the entire plant, which is the upper layer screen of FIG. 2;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Plant operation assistance apparatus 8 Plant 10 Plant operation assistance computer 20 Monitoring control apparatus 211 Progress status screen 60 Operation confirmation dialog 70 Operation procedure window 310-340 Process display block 410-430 Process display block 510-530 Process display block 311-314 Confirmation operation blocks 321 to 323 Confirmation operation blocks 331 to 333 Confirmation operation blocks 341 to 342 Confirmation operation blocks 30 to 50 Sequence display block

Claims (6)

By displaying the operation status of the plant on a screen, the plant operation support apparatus for supporting a semi-automatic operation of the plant,
A plurality of steps display block shown a plant for each process, is displayed corresponding to each process, and a plurality of confirmation operation block shown select the item of manual checking operation of a semi-automatic operation with automated partial and manual checking operation Display means for displaying on the screen in a block diagram format arranged in the order of the process and the confirmation operation ;
A display form changing means for prompting to confirm the entry of the manual confirmation operation by changing the display mode of the previous SL confirmation operation block on said display device,
First input means for inputting that the item has been confirmed to the confirmation operation block prompted to be confirmed by the display form changing means;
Storage means for storing text information regarding the operation procedure of each process;
A second input means provided in association with the process display block for displaying text information relating to the driving procedure,
The display means corresponds to the process display block in a state in which the text information related to the driving procedure stored in the storage means is combined with the automated part and the manual confirmation operation based on the input result by the second input means. The display form changing means further changes the display form of the confirmation operation block based on the input result by the first input means, and the operation is advanced in the order of confirmation operations. Plant operation support device. The plant operation support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an operation procedure window for displaying text information related to the operation procedure is configured to be displayed so as to be superimposed on a progress situation screen for displaying the process display block and the confirmation operation block. A plant operation support apparatus characterized by comprising: 3. The plant operation support apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display means is configured to display text information relating to the operation procedure by distinguishing between an automated part of semi-automatic operation and a manual confirmation operation and changing a display form. plant operation supporting device, characterized in that there. The plant operation support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the display means includes a plurality of first hierarchy screens each indicating at least the process display block, and a plurality of first hierarchy screens displayed on the plurality of first hierarchy screens. A plant operation support apparatus configured to selectively display a plurality of hierarchical screens composed of a second hierarchical screen indicated by an upper block in which the process display blocks are collected . 5. The plant operation support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein numerical information indicating a plant state of a process is displayed on a screen of the display device. . 6. The plant operation support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the process display block represents a process of a plant having a parallel processing process .

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