JP2003345425A - Remote plant monitoring/diagnosing method for enabling remote monitoring/diagnosing and its plant monitoring/ diagnosing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To flexibly change a plant monitoring/diagnosing method by performing monitoring/diagnosing for a plant from a remote monitoring base with low cost. <P>SOLUTION: A monitoring/diagnosing program which is created by the same language as the plant control language and coordinates with a plant control program is received at the monitoring base to install it into a controlling controller of the plant, collects measured data and runs the monitoring/diagnosing program together with the control program to send generated data to the monitoring base. By sending and installing the monitoring/diagnosing program coordinating with the control program to and into a controlling controller on a site from the remote monitoring base, the collected data or the data for monitoring, etc., can be sent to the remote monitoring base at timing when the data generated by running the control program becomes to a predetermined condition, when an event occurs and when the data for monitoring which is processed additionally into the generated data becomes a predetermined condition. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote plant monitoring / diagnostic method and plant monitoring / diagnostic apparatus for enabling remote plant monitoring and diagnosis, and more particularly to a plant monitoring / diagnostic method while reducing communication costs. The present invention relates to a method for enabling flexible change from a remote location and a device using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various methods for remotely monitoring and diagnosing plants such as power plants and mechanical facilities have been proposed. The remote monitoring / diagnosis method of the plant includes (1) all plant data transmission type, (2) real-time monitoring type, (3)
There are self-monitoring and diagnostic types.

(1) The all plant data transmission type transmits all data such as plant sensor output and actuator status to a remotely installed monitoring base, and is a monitoring / diagnostic system installed at the monitoring base. It is a method to input. Since this method always transmits all data to a remote monitoring base, it requires enormous communication costs and is not preferable from the viewpoint of cost reduction.

(2) The real-time monitoring type is a method for directly monitoring necessary data from a remote monitoring base. A monitoring worker at the monitoring base designates data that needs to be monitored and transmits the data from the plant. In this method, the plant is monitored and diagnosed. When the number of plants to be monitored increases, this method needs to increase the number of monitoring workers at the monitoring base corresponding to them, and there is little merit in terms of cost.

(3) The self-monitoring / diagnostic type performs a certain degree of monitoring / diagnosis in a local plant, and sends a warning to a monitoring base when a problem occurs, or periodically sends a report. Is the method. Monitoring at local plant
Diagnosis can be done by referring the manual to the monitoring staff dispatched to the site, or installing a simple monitoring / diagnostic program at the stage of plant installation, and then creating a report created by the monitoring base. It is realized by receiving with. In this method, after changing the plant to the most suitable monitoring / diagnosis method for each plant, a manual is recreated for each plant and is thoroughly communicated to local monitoring workers. It is necessary to change the monitoring / diagnosis program on a business trip and change the monitoring / diagnosis method dynamically. In the first place, having a monitoring worker stationed locally increases costs.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a conventional plant system according to the above (3) self-monitoring / diagnostic type. In the plant site 10 to be monitored, various sensors 14 and various actuators 16 are provided in the plant 12.
The system 20 for controlling the plant is provided with a control controller / data collection device 22 that performs operation control of the plant and collects monitoring data such as sensors necessary for the plant. The controller 22 collects sensor values in the plant, inputs them into a previously installed control program and executes them, and gives necessary commands to the actuators in the plant according to the execution results. In addition, the control controller can communicate with other systems via the communication device 32.

Further, the plant control system 20 is connected to an operation station 26, a data management device 28, and a communication device 30 via an internal network 24. The operation station 26 is a terminal device on which a central operation panel is displayed. A local maintenance worker 40 is resident in the operation station 26 to monitor and diagnose the operation state of the plant.
Further, the data management device 28 stores logs such as collected plant monitoring data and operation data associated with plant operation, and is referred to when creating a report. The communication device 30
The remote monitoring base 50 can be connected via a public communication line 44 such as the Internet.

In the conventional method, the local plant maintenance worker is provided with a monitoring manual and a report manual 42, and the maintenance worker 40 monitors the plant according to this manual, and receives a monthly periodic report and abnormality. An irregular report at the time of occurrence is created, and the report 46 is transmitted to a remote monitoring base via the communication device 30. The remote monitoring base 50 refers to this report and grasps the operation state of the plant.

As another method, it has also been proposed to install a simple monitoring / diagnostic program in the controller 22 such as periodically transmitting predetermined data to a remote monitoring base. However, this proposal has only a function of periodically transmitting predetermined data collected and accumulated by the data management device 28.

[0010]

However, according to the self-diagnosis type plant monitoring / diagnostic method shown in FIG.
As described above, it is practically difficult to change to the optimum plant monitoring / diagnosis for each plant, and there is a problem that optimum plant monitoring / diagnosis cannot be provided for many plants.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a plant monitoring / diagnostic method and a method for performing a certain degree of monitoring / diagnosis at a local plant, automatically generating a report thereof, and transmitting the report to a remote monitoring base. To provide an apparatus.

Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a plant monitoring / diagnosis method and apparatus capable of flexibly changing the monitoring / diagnosis method at the local plant from a remote monitoring base. .

[0013]

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is a method for enabling plant monitoring / diagnosis from a remote monitoring base. A monitoring / diagnostic program written in the same language as the plant control language and linked with the plant control program, installed in the plant controller, and collecting the measurement data from the plant A step of executing, a step of executing the monitoring / diagnosis program together with the plant control program, and a step of transmitting monitoring / diagnosis data generated by execution of the monitoring / diagnosis program to the monitoring base. It is a diagnostic method.

According to the above aspect of the invention, the monitoring / diagnostic program linked with the plant control program is transmitted from the remote monitoring base to the control controller of the local plant and installed. Therefore, the data generated with the execution of the plant control program becomes a predetermined condition, the timing of the event that occurs with the execution of the plant control program, and the data generated with the execution of the plant control program are further processed. The collected data, the monitoring data, or the like can be transmitted to a remote monitoring base at a timing at which the monitoring data is in a predetermined condition.

Since this monitoring / diagnostic program is written in the same language as the plant control program, the monitoring / diagnostic program is created in addition to the plant control program, and is transmitted to the local plant controller for installation. Can be monitored and optimized for each plant.
Diagnosis can be performed. Therefore, plant monitoring / diagnosis based on the know-how of the monitoring base can be easily provided to each plant.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment,
It extends to the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the plant system in the present embodiment. In this plant system, the configuration of the plant 10 to be monitored is the same as that in FIG. 1, and a plurality of sensors 14 and actuators 16 are provided in the plant 12. As in FIG. 1, the configuration of the plant control system 20 that controls the plant also collects data such as sensor values from the plant, executes the plant control program, and controls the necessary actuators 16. A data collection device 22;
An operation station 26 that provides a central operation panel, and a data management device 28 that manages collected data
And a communication device 30 and an internal network 24 for connecting them. The data management device 28 accumulates collected data, data generated in accordance with the execution of the control program 58, data generated by the execution of the monitoring / diagnostic program 60, and the like as the monitoring data 29.

The plant control system 20 includes the communication device 3.
0, connected to a system in the remote monitoring base 50 via the public or dedicated network 44. Monitoring base 50
Are provided with an operation station 54 capable of realizing a monitoring environment similar to the operation station 26 in the plant control system 20, a communication device 52, and a monitoring / diagnostic program creating means 56. Monitoring base 5
The operation station 54 in 0 is provided as necessary, and is not an essential configuration for the monitoring / diagnostic method in the present embodiment.

In the plant control system 20, the control controller 22 inputs the collected data from the plant, executes the control program 58, and performs necessary control on the actuators 16. In particular, as long as no abnormality occurs in the plant, the control controller 22 executes the plant control program 58 so that the plant 1
2 is operated normally. In addition, if necessary, a worker resident in the plant site can monitor the plant and perform necessary operations via the operation station 26.

3 to 8 are diagrams showing examples of images displayed on the display device of the operation station 26. FIG.
FIG. 3 is an example of a graphic (system diagram display) image, displaying a system diagram of the entire plant or a partial plant, and expressing the process state and process value in digital display, bar graph, color change, etc. Displays plant status in real time. FIG. 4 is an example of a trend graph image, in which time is plotted on the horizontal axis and process values are plotted on the vertical axis, and the process time change is displayed in a graph. FIG. 5 is an example of a control loop plate image, and an analog control loop set value operation and an electric device start / stop operation can be performed via this image.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a list-like information display image.
Changes in sensor values in the plant are indicated numerically one by one. FIG. 7 is an example of a processing flow expression image, which is used for monitoring the control controller 22 of the plant operation, showing the change of each stage value in the plant control logic circuit described by the plant control program 58 one by one. The FIG. 8 is an example of an event list display image.
The time and event message are shown.

The plant monitoring image as described above is generated by collecting monitoring data from the plant and converting them into an image. The operator refers to these monitoring images at the operation station 26 as appropriate. Monitor and control the plant. Moreover, in the operation station 54 provided in the remote monitoring base 50,
It is possible to monitor a similar image by using communication control means via the Internet.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a control program and a monitoring / diagnostic program in the present embodiment. This program is described by a function block diagram (FBD) which is one of control description languages. In addition to FBD, ladder,
Scripts, sequential function controllers (SFC), etc. can be used. However, it is preferable that both programs are described in the same control description language so that the control program and the monitoring / diagnostic program can be linked.

The control program 58 shown in FIG. 9 has a control function for outputting control data S3 for controlling the valve opening degree of the pressure valve 72 in response to the input of the measurement data S0 of the pressure gauge 70 in the plant. Therefore, according to the control program, the measurement data S0 of the pressure gauge is converted to the analog input AI.
The input data S1 is supplied to the conversion function FX
Fixed value SG that is normalized by and set as the target value
Is calculated, the proportional integration calculation PI is performed on the difference value, the calculation result S2 is stored in the analog memory at the designated address (AM), and the calculation result S2
Is inversely converted into actual control data by the inverse conversion function FX and output as an analog value S3 (AO: analog output).

Further, while being automatically controlled by the proportional integral value S2, by operating the switch group 74, a switching signal S8 from automatic to manual is given to the analog memory AM (1) by the switch input D3, and thereafter Can increase (by the increase signal S6) and decrease (by the decrease signal S7) of the proportional integral value S2 at the switch inputs D1 and D2. Furthermore, the measurement data S0 of the pressure gauge 70,
When S1 exceeds a predetermined threshold value H, an alarm is output by the alarm output means A in response to the signal S4 that informs it.

The above is an example of the control program 58.
A program is generated by describing a control circuit composed of element blocks such as AI, FX, and PI. The control program 58 is installed in the control controller 22, and normal plant control is performed by the control program 58.
It is performed according to the execution result of.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a monitoring / diagnostic program 60 described in the same control description language (FBD) in cooperation with the plant control program 58. This monitoring
The diagnosis program 60 describes which data is transmitted as a report 46 to a remote monitoring base by using what data format and communication method in cooperation with the control program 58. Further, if necessary, the monitoring / diagnostic program creates estimated data using the control data generated by the control program 60 and describes how to transmit the estimated data.

The monitoring / diagnostic program 60 shown in FIG.
In the example, the first program 602 is described which describes in what data format and communication method and at what timing the alarm output signal S4 is transmitted. The first program 602 is described by an element called mail output MLO that receives the alarm output signal S4. In the mail output MLO that is a block element, as its setting parameter,
It is defined in what data format and communication method and at what timing.

Further, the example of the monitoring / diagnosis program 60 includes a second program 604 for further processing the control data generated by the control program 58 to generate certain estimated data and transmitting it to the monitoring base. In the second program 604, function conversion (FX) is performed on the proportional integral value S2, and a predetermined fixed value SG or a certain analog input AI is obtained.
Is calculated (Δ), stored in an analog memory (AI (2)), and transmitted by a predetermined mail means MLO.

Returning to FIG. 2, as described above, the monitoring / diagnostic program 60 described in the same control description language in the control program 58 and linked to the control program is used for monitoring / monitoring of the remote monitoring base 50. It is generated by the diagnostic program generation means 56. This generation means is a program creation tool by FBD, and can also be used as a tool for creating a control program. In addition to the various elements necessary for the control program, the necessary elements for the monitoring / diagnostic program (for example, mail output element MLO) are prepared. A diagnostic program can be easily created.

The monitoring / diagnostic program 60 is linked with the control program 58 to (1) report the data collected and accumulated from the plant in a predetermined data format, a predetermined communication method, and at a predetermined timing. A function to transmit to the remote monitoring base 50 as a document 46, (2) the occurrence of the event at the remote monitoring base 50 at the timing of the event controlled by the control program, and data related thereto, in a predetermined data format, A function of transmitting as a report 46 by a predetermined communication method, and (3) further processing the data collected or generated by the control program to obtain estimated data as a predetermined data format, a predetermined communication method, at a predetermined timing, A function of transmitting the report 46 to the remote monitoring base 50 can be realized.

Such a monitoring / diagnosis program corresponds to a kind of recipe that allows a local plant controller to monitor and diagnose as an agent.
That is, a remote monitoring base 50 generates a monitoring / diagnosis recipe in the form of a monitoring / diagnosis program, and transmits it to the plant via the communication line 44 as, for example, an Internet mail attachment. install. This program creation, transmission, and installation can be similarly performed for the control program.

The controller 22 is configured so that a plurality of threads are always executed on the operating system (OS) so that the agent function (agent function) can be realized. And control programs and monitoring /
When an instruction (recipe) such as a diagnostic program is given, the instruction is executed by multithreading. By using such an agent function, a monitoring / diagnosis program can be sent from a remote monitoring base as an instruction (recipe), so that plant monitoring / diagnosis based on the know-how of the remote monitoring base can be performed at the local plant. Can be done. Furthermore, if necessary, change the instructions,
Optimal monitoring and diagnosis can be executed for each plant.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of monitoring / diagnosis in the present embodiment. Monitoring and monitoring in this embodiment
In the diagnosis method, a control program 58 and a monitoring / diagnostic program 60 linked (or linked) to the control base 58 are created in the same control description language at a monitoring base remote from the plant, and control of the plant is performed as an attached file of an e-mail. It is transmitted to the system and installed in the controller 22 (S10).

As a result, the controller 22 executes the control program 58 to control the automatic operation of the plant, and simultaneously executes the monitoring / diagnostic program 60 to create a report 46 defined therein. And transmitted to the monitoring base 50 at a predetermined timing. The monitoring base 50 refers to the transmitted report 46 and performs plant monitoring and diagnosis (S12). Monitoring by this report
Diagnosis step S12 is always repeated.

When a change in the monitoring / diagnostic method becomes necessary (eg, YES in S14) due to the occurrence of an abnormality in another plant after the start of operation of the plant (YES in S14), the monitoring base performs monitoring / diagnosis accompanying the change. The program 60 is created, transmitted to the plant control system 20 as an email attachment, and installed in the control controller 22 (S16). As a result, the plant executes the changed monitoring / diagnostic program, creates a report 46 at a predetermined timing, and transmits it to the remote monitoring base 50 (S
12).

In this way, the monitoring base creates an optimum monitoring / diagnosis recipe (monitoring / diagnostic program) for each plant, changes it as necessary, transmits it to the plant control system, and installs it. Therefore, the monitoring / diagnosis method can be flexibly changed and set after the plant operation is started, and optimal monitoring / diagnosis can be provided. Moreover, since the report is only transmitted from the plant to the monitoring base at a predetermined timing, the communication cost associated therewith is not so high.

The report generated by the monitoring / diagnostic program is created in a markup language such as XML, for example, so that the monitoring base 50 can report the report using a personal computer browser, personal digital assistant, mobile phone or the like. It becomes possible to refer to the book one by one.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the monitoring base 50
However, it is not always necessary to be located remotely from the plant, and any base that can communicate via a network may be used.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform optimum monitoring / diagnosis for each plant at a low cost from a remote monitoring base, and flexible the monitoring / diagnosis method from a remote monitoring base. It is also possible to change to

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional plant system.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a plant system in the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on an operation station.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image displayed on an operation station.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image displayed on an operation station.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on an operation station.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on the operation station.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on the operation station.

FIG. 9 shows the control program and monitoring
It is a figure which shows an example of a diagnostic program.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of monitoring / diagnosis in the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Plant to be monitored 22 Control controller and data collection device 44 Communication line, network 46 Report 50 monitoring bases 56 Monitoring / diagnosis program creation means 58 Control program 60 Monitoring and diagnostic programs

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A method for enabling monitoring and diagnosis of a plant from a monitoring base, wherein the plant is created at the monitoring base, described in the same control description language as the plant control program, and further linked with the plant control program Receive monitoring and diagnostic programs,
A step of installing in a control controller of the plant, a step of collecting measurement data from the plant and executing the plant control program, a step of executing the monitoring / diagnosis program together with the plant control program, and the monitoring / diagnosis A plant monitoring / diagnosis method comprising: transmitting monitoring / diagnosis data generated by execution of the program to the monitoring base. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined control output is generated according to the measurement data collected from the plant by executing the plant control program, and the collected measurement data by executing the monitoring / diagnostic program. Is transmitted to the monitoring base at a predetermined timing as the monitoring / diagnosis data. 3. The plant according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring / diagnosis data is transmitted to the monitoring base at the timing of an event caused by the execution of the plant control program. Monitoring / diagnosis method. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein predetermined estimation data is generated from the collected measurement data or control data generated by the plant control program by executing the monitoring / diagnostic program, and the monitoring / diagnosis is performed. A plant monitoring / diagnosis method characterized by transmitting the data to the monitoring base as data. 5. A plant monitoring / diagnostic apparatus that enables monitoring / diagnosis of a plant from a monitoring site, comprising a control controller that executes a plant control program to control the operation of the plant, and In response to the reception of the monitoring / diagnostic program that is created and described in the same control description language as the plant control program and is linked to the plant control program, the monitoring / diagnostic program is installed in the control controller, and the control The controller collects measurement data from the plant and executes the plant control program, and the control controller executes the monitoring / diagnostic program together with the plant control program, and
A plant monitoring / diagnosis apparatus, wherein monitoring / diagnosis data generated by execution of a diagnostic program is transmitted to the monitoring base.