JP5587643B2 - Integrated management system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an integrated management system for preventing intrusion of a computer virus into a distributed instrumentation computer and unauthorized access / unauthorized operation in a plurality of small-scale networks including, for example, a distributed instrumentation computer that controls a plant or the like. .

In the petrochemical complex, many companies such as oil refining companies and petrochemical companies are located adjacent to each other.
In a petroleum refining company constituting such a petrochemical complex, high-purity hydrogen is used in a desulfurization apparatus and an isomerization apparatus such as light oil and heavy oil. As described above, since a large amount of high-purity hydrogen is required in an oil refining company, about 98% of high-purity hydrogen is produced using a hydrogen production apparatus and used in a desulfurization apparatus and an isomerization apparatus.

  On the other hand, in a petrochemical company adjacent to an oil refinery company, a high-purity hydrogen-containing gas is obtained as a by-product from a naphtha cracking / separation apparatus, a methyl ethyl ketone synthesis apparatus, or the like. These hydrogen-containing gases may contain impurities such as olefins and alcohols, and although they are high-purity hydrogen-containing gases, they cannot be used as they are in desulfurization equipment and isomerization equipment of petroleum refining companies. This is because olefins and alcohols become catalyst poisons in the isomerization apparatus and degrade the activity of the catalyst.

  Also in oil refineries, reformer gas is obtained by catalytic reforming equipment as hydrogen-containing gas other than hydrogen production equipment, and these reformer gases are used in naphtha desulfurization equipment, kerosene desulfurization equipment, and the like. . However, the reformer gas has a low hydrogen purity (hydrogen purity of about 70 to 80%) and cannot be used for other desulfurization apparatuses. In addition, in an oil refinery company, sweet gas is also obtained by a gas scrubber. Since this sweet gas has a low hydrogen purity (hydrogen purity of about 60%) and a low pressure, it cannot be used as hydrogen for a desulfurization apparatus.

  Although such hydrogen-containing gases are essential for petrochemical complexes, they are not effectively used as a whole, and each company generally produces and consumes only the necessary amount. Met.

  For this reason, in Patent Document 1, hydrogen can be exchanged between the hydrogen consumption department and the hydrogen possession department (each corresponding to an oil refinery company or a petrochemical company) via a circle-shaped accommodation pipe. In addition, a hydrogen interchange system that can effectively use each other's surplus hydrogen is disclosed.

  In this hydrogen interchange system 100, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, Company A 102, which is an oil refinery company, Company B 104, which is a petrochemical company, which are adjacent to each other in a petrochemical complex, need hydrogen or otherwise use hydrogen. Company C 106 and the like that can be supplied to this company are connected by a circle-shaped accommodation pipe 108. This circle-shaped accommodation pipe 108 is connected to a first pipe 110 from company B. Further, the hydrogen separation membrane device 112 of company A is connected to the second pipe 114 from company B, and the pipe 116 from company C is shaped like a circle in the same manner as the first pipe 110 from company B. Are connected to the interchangeable pipe 108.

  Then, by appropriately opening and closing valves such as the control valves 118, 120, 122 and check valves 124, 126 provided in the circle-shaped accommodation pipe 108, hydrogen is required from the place where hydrogen is surplus. However, the hydrogen-containing gas can be stably supplied as necessary.

JP 2009-1455 A

  However, when such a hydrogen interchange system is used among many companies, it is necessary to share information such as hydrogen supply amount, hydrogen demand amount, and components of hydrogen-containing gas in each company specifically and in real time. .

  For this reason, it is considered that management systems used in each company are connected by a communication network to share information between the companies. However, in oil refineries and petrochemical companies, a management system that manages information as described above, and a distributed instrumentation system (DCS: Distributed) that monitors, controls, and operates plants such as opening and closing valves in actual plants. Control System) is connected by a closed network such as a LAN (Local Area Network).

  Normally, communication networks between companies communicate using wide-area networks (for example, dedicated lines or VPNs (Virtual Private Networks)) that are highly independent and stable. It is necessary to communicate with the outside, such as updating the virus pattern file of the installed antivirus software, and it is also connected to the Internet, which is independent and less stable.

  For this reason, there is a risk that unauthorized access / unauthorized operation is performed via a network such as the Internet, and computer viruses are mixed. In addition, since the management system uses an external medium for maintenance, data backup, and the like, there is a risk that a computer virus may be mixed through the external medium.

  In this way, if the management system is infected with a computer virus, or if unauthorized access or manipulation is performed, even the distributed instrumentation system connected to the management system via the network is infected with a computer virus or illegal. There is a possibility of access and unauthorized operation.

  When a distributed instrumentation system is infected with a computer virus, memory consumption, CPU processing delay, data destruction, etc. may occur, and plant monitoring / control / operation may become impossible. In addition, if the distributed instrumentation system is illegally accessed or manipulated, there is a possibility that the plant will be seriously damaged.

  In view of such a situation, the present invention is not limited to a hydrogen accommodation system, but also a management system for managing plant information and a distributed system for monitoring, controlling, and operating the plant in the accommodation system for raw materials, fuel gas, fuel oil, etc. By making the communication between the instrumentation systems different from the communication between the management system and other companies and outside, even if the management system should be infected with a virus or illegally accessed or operated, The purpose is to provide an integrated management system that prevents damage to the distributed instrumentation system and does not hinder plant monitoring, control, and operation.

The present invention was invented in order to achieve the above-described problems and objects in the prior art, and the integrated management system of the present invention is an integrated management system for managing a small-scale network,
The small network is
A distributed instrumentation system connected to one or more field devices and a system information server connected to an external network;
The external network and the system information server communicate with each other by a first communication method,
The distributed instrumentation system and the system information server are configured to communicate with each other by a second communication method different from the first communication method ,
The distributed instrumentation system includes a DCS controller that converts information from the one or more field devices into a current value, and an I / O unit that transmits and receives current for communication with the system information server.
The second communication method is a parallel connection method in which a plurality of conductive wires corresponding to each of the one or more field devices are connected in parallel, and is configured by transmitting and receiving a current of the current value. And

  This configuration prevents direct communication between the external network and the distributed instrumentation system, so that the system information server may be infected with a computer virus via the external network, or unauthorized access / Even if it is illegally operated, the distributed instrumentation system is not affected, and the monitoring, control and operation of the plant can be continued safely.

Also, by adopting a parallel connection method, each of the one or more field devices and each of the plurality of conductive wires have a one-to-one correspondence, so there is no need for protocol conversion and the like, which is relatively inexpensive and simple. Communication can be performed by the device.
Also, by dividing the distributed instrumentation system according to the role, the overall system load can be reduced, the distributed instrumentation system can be operated stably, and the maintenance of the distributed instrumentation system is easy. Become.

  The integrated management system of the present invention is characterized in that the plurality of conductive lines are connected to each of the one or more field devices, respectively.

  As described above, since one-way communication can be performed by connecting each of one or more field devices with one conductive line, information from the field devices is transmitted to the system information server. Computer viruses can be prevented from entering via an external network, etc., and unauthorized access and manipulation can be prevented via an external network.

  In the integrated management system of the present invention, the plurality of conductive lines are configured such that at least two conductive lines are connected to each of the one or more field devices. .

  In this way, two-way communication can be performed by connecting each of one or more field devices with at least two conductive lines, so only information from the field devices is transmitted to the system information server. Instead, a command for controlling the field device can be transmitted from the system information server.

  Even in such a case, the communication method performed between the external network and the system information server is different from the communication method performed between the distributed instrumentation system and the system information server. This prevents computer viruses from entering the distributed instrumentation system and unauthorized access and manipulation of the distributed instrumentation system from an external network.

  In the integrated management system of the present invention, the distributed instrumentation system and the system information server are connected via a DCS collector that performs protocol conversion between the first communication method and the second communication method. It is characterized by that.

  In this specification, the protocol conversion does not only mean that the communication protocol of the first communication method and the communication protocol of the second communication method are converted, but the first communication method is physically different. It also means that the communication by the communication method is connected to the communication by the second communication method.

  Thus, by providing a DCS collector that handles protocol conversion, it is not necessary to perform protocol conversion in the system information server, and the load on the system information server can be reduced.

In the integrated management system of the present invention, a management system for managing the distributed instrumentation system is connected to the distributed instrumentation system.
In this way, by connecting a management system that is not connected to the external network to the distributed instrumentation system, the management system is invaded by computer viruses via the external network, or unauthorized access and The distributed instrumentation system can be managed safely without being tampered with.

In the integrated management system of the present invention, the small-scale network is connected to the Internet as an external network.
For example, when introducing anti-virus software or the like into the system information server, it is necessary to update the latest virus pattern file by connecting to the Internet in this way.

  Even in such a case, the communication method performed between the external network and the system information server is different from the communication method performed between the distributed instrumentation system and the system information server. This prevents computer viruses from entering the distributed instrumentation system and unauthorized access and manipulation of the distributed instrumentation system from an external network.

The integrated management system according to the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of small-scale networks are connected via the external network.
In this way, by connecting a plurality of small-scale networks, for example, a network of an oil refinery company and a network of a petrochemical company in a petrochemical complex, information can be shared between the companies.

  For this reason, for example, the above-described hydrogen accommodation system can be effectively used, and since a computer virus does not enter the unauthorized instrumentation system and unauthorized access / operation is prevented, monitoring and control of the plant is possible.・ Operation can be continued safely and there will be no serious damage to the plant. The integrated management system of the present invention is not applicable only to the hydrogen interchange system as described above. For example, in a petrochemical complex such as raw material, fuel gas, fuel oil, etc., an oil refinery company, a petrochemical company, etc. Needless to say, these can be applied to an interchangeable system.

  In the integrated management system of the present invention, a dedicated line or a virtual private network is used as an external network connecting the plurality of small-scale networks.

  In this way, unauthorized access and fraud through external networks can be achieved by using relatively independent and stable networks such as dedicated lines and virtual private networks (VPNs) between small networks. Operation can be prevented.

The integrated management system of the present invention is provided to a petrochemical complex.
As described above, the integrated management system of the present invention, like a petrochemical complex, has to monitor, control, and operate the plant safely, and it is caused by computer virus infection, unauthorized access, and unauthorized operation. It can be highly effective for systems that are likely to extend.

  According to the present invention, the communication between the external network and the system information server and the communication between the distributed instrumentation system and the system information server have different communication methods. Even if a computer virus enters the information server or the system information server is illegally accessed or manipulated via an external network, it can prevent damage to the distributed instrumentation system and can be used to monitor, control, and operate the plant. There will be no hindrance.

  In particular, the present invention requires a system that can safely monitor, control, and operate a plant, such as a petrochemical complex, and can cause serious damage due to computer virus infection, unauthorized access, and unauthorized operation. Can be highly effective.

FIG. 1 is a system schematic diagram for explaining a connection state between other companies and the outside in the integrated management system of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a system schematic diagram for explaining a connection state between another company and the outside in another embodiment in the integrated management system of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a system configuration diagram illustrating an example of a hydrogen accommodation system.

Hereinafter, embodiments (examples) of the present invention will be described in more detail based on the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a system schematic diagram for explaining a connection state between other companies and the outside in the integrated management system of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the integrated management system 10 in the present embodiment includes, for example, an in-house network (small network) of company A 12 that is an oil refinery company and an in-house network (small network) of company B 14 that is a petrochemical company. The scale network) and the in-house network (small network) of Company C 16 are connected by a relatively highly independent and stable network, for example, a dedicated line or a VPN (Virtual Private Network).

  The internal networks (small networks) of Company A 12, Company B 14, and Company C 16 are each connected to a network 20 having relatively low independence and stability, for example, the Internet. For example, it is connected to an external server computer group 22 in order to update a virus pattern file of anti-virus software.

  The system information server 28 of Company A 12 is connected to the network 20 via a router 24 and a firewall 26. The system information server 28 is connected to the network 18 via the firewall 26.

  In the present specification, the network 18 and the network 20 are referred to as external networks with respect to the in-house network (small network). As the external network, for example, there may be a plurality of networks such as the Internet and a dedicated line, or a single network such as the Internet alone.

  In the present embodiment, the router 24 and the firewall 26 are described as separate devices, but may be configured as an integrated device. In addition, when a VPN is used as the network 18, a device for configuring a VPN connection may be installed as appropriate.

  The distributed instrumentation system 32 of Company A 12 includes a DCS console 34 for a plant supervisor to operate the distributed instrumentation system 32, and a DCS controller responsible for operations and temporary storage of data in the distributed instrumentation system 32. 36 and an I / O unit 38 responsible for input / output of communication of the distributed instrumentation system 32.

  The distributed instrumentation system 32 is connected via a gateway 42 to a management system 44 for managing the distributed instrumentation system 32. In this embodiment, as described above, the management system 44 is not connected to the network 18 and the network 20, and is connected only to the distributed instrumentation system 32 for managing the distributed instrumentation system 32.

  The distributed instrumentation system 32 is connected to a field device 40 such as a plant flow meter and a valve via the I / O unit 38 and is sent from the field device 40, for example, a flow rate value. And information such as the degree of opening and closing of the valve are taken into the distributed instrumentation system 32.

  On the other hand, the system information server 28 is connected to the I / O unit 38 of the distributed instrumentation system 32 via the DCS collector 30, and is sent from the field device 40 in the same manner as the distributed instrumentation system 32. The incoming information is taken into the system information server 28.

In B company 14 and C company 16, the same system configuration as that of A company 12 is constructed.
In the integrated management system 10 having such a configuration, the company A 12, the company B 14, the company C 16, and the external server computer group 22 are provided with a public communication protocol such as an Internet protocol in order to facilitate communication. Communication based on the above (communication by the first communication method) is performed.

Similarly, communication according to the first communication method is used for communication among the router 24, the firewall 26, the system information server 28, and the DCS collector 30.
On the other hand, for communication between the DCS collector 30 and the I / O unit 38, communication by the second communication method, which is a communication method different from the first communication method, is performed.

  The second communication method is not particularly limited as long as it is different from the first communication method. In the present specification, “different communication methods” is not only a difference in communication protocol such as a protocol but also a concept including a difference in physical communication means.

In the present embodiment, as the second communication method, a unidirectional parallel connection method in which the DCS collector 30 and the I / O unit 38 are connected by a plurality of conductive wires 46 is employed.
In this unidirectional parallel connection method, each of the one or more field devices 40 is connected so as to correspond to each of the plurality of conductive wires 46 via the I / O unit 38, and information from the field devices 40 is obtained. Is transmitted to the DCS collector 30 as a current value or a voltage value flowing through the conductive line 46. That is, one conductive line 46 is connected to each of the one or more field devices 40.

  Specifically, information from the field device 40 is taken into the DCS controller 36 via the I / O unit 38 in real time at a rate of once per minute, for example, and the information (from the field device 40 ( For example, in the case of the degree of opening and closing of the valve, 0% opening degree (completely closed state) and 60% opening degree information) is converted from a current value of 4 mA to 20 mA (if the opening degree is 0%) If the opening is 4 mA and 60%, it is converted to 14.4 mA), and a current is passed through the conductive wire 46 via the I / O unit 38.

  The DCS collector 30 performs protocol conversion in order to transmit information from the field device 40 sent by the second communication method to the system information server 28 by the first communication method.

Thus, since the information from the field device 40 is transmitted as the current value to the system information server 28 via the I / O unit 38 and the DCS collector 30, the system information server via the external network should be used. Even if the computer 28 is infected with a computer virus, or is illegally accessed or manipulated, the distributed instrumentation system 32 will not be affected, and the plant monitoring, control and operation can be continued safely. it can.

  In the present embodiment, a unidirectional parallel connection system is adopted in which each of the one or more field devices 40 is connected to each of the plurality of conductive wires 46 via the I / O unit 38. However, a bidirectional parallel connection system in which each of the one or more field devices 40 is connected to at least two conductive lines 46 via the I / O unit 38 may be employed.

  By adopting the bidirectional parallel connection method, not only information from the field device 40 is transmitted to the system information server 28 but also, for example, based on the information transmitted from the company B 14, the system information server 28 to the field device 40. It is also possible to send a command to control

  Even in such a case, since the communication is performed between the DCS collector 30 and the I / O unit 38 using the second communication method different from the first communication method, the distributed instrumentation system 32 is used. Is safe from plant monitoring, control and operation without being affected by computer viruses that have entered through external networks, etc., and without being illegally accessed or operated through external networks. can do.

FIG. 2 is a system schematic diagram for explaining a connection state between another company and the outside in another embodiment in the integrated management system of the present invention.
The integrated management system 10 of this embodiment is basically the same configuration as the integrated management system 10 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components, and Detailed description is omitted.

In this embodiment, a bidirectional serial connection method in which the DCS collector 30 and the I / O unit 38 are connected by a single bidirectional communication line 47 is employed.
In this bidirectional serial connection method, information from one or more field devices 40 is taken into the DCS controller 36 via the I / O unit 38, and the information from the field devices 40 is received by the DCS controller 36 in the first communication method. The protocol conversion is performed based on a predetermined communication protocol different from the communication protocol adopted in the above, and is transmitted to the DCS collector 30 via the bidirectional communication line 47.

  Note that the communication protocol employed in the second communication method is not particularly limited as long as it is different from the communication protocol employed in the first communication method, and can be determined as needed. .

  Further, in this embodiment, since bidirectional communication is possible, as described above, for example, a command for controlling the field device 40 from the system information server 28 based on the information transmitted from the company B 14 Can also be sent.

In this embodiment, the bidirectional serial connection method is adopted using the bidirectional communication line 47, but the unidirectional serial connection method may be adopted using the unidirectional communication line.
In this case, only communication from the I / O unit 38 to the DCS collector 30 is enabled, so that information from the field device 40 can only be taken into the system information server 28. Commands that control 40 cannot be sent.

  As described above, even when the bidirectional serial connection method or the unidirectional serial connection method is adopted, the second communication different from the first communication method is performed between the DCS collector 30 and the I / O unit 38. Since the communication is performed according to the method, the distributed instrumentation system 32 is not affected by the computer virus that has entered through the external network or the like, and is also illegally accessed or operated through the external network. And monitoring, control, and operation of the plant can be continued safely.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the devices constituting each in-house system can be appropriately selected as necessary. In the above embodiment, the integrated management system in the petrochemical complex has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to an integrated management system such as a pharmaceutical plant or a power transmission network. It can be changed.

10 Integrated Management System 12 Company A 14 Company B 16 Company C 18 Network 20 Network 22 Server Computer Group 24 Router 26 Firewall 28 System Information Server 30 Collector 32 Distributed Instrumentation System 34 DCS Console 36 DCS Controller 38 I / O Unit 40 On-Site Equipment 42 Gateway 44 Management system 46 Conductive line 47 Two-way communication line 100 Hydrogen interchange system 102 Company A 104 Company B 106 Company C 108 Conduit piping 110 Piping 112 Hydrogen separation membrane device 114 Piping 116 Piping 118 Control valve 120 Control valve 122 Control valve 124 Check valve 126 Check valve

Claims (9)

An integrated management system for managing a small network,
The small network is
A distributed instrumentation system connected to one or more field devices;
A system information server connected to an external network,
The external network and the system information server communicate with each other by a first communication method,
The distributed instrumentation system and the system information server are configured to communicate with each other by a second communication method different from the first communication method ,
The distributed instrumentation system includes a DCS controller that converts information from the one or more field devices into a current value, and an I / O unit that transmits and receives current for communication with the system information server.
The second communication method is a parallel connection method in which a plurality of conductive wires corresponding to each of the one or more field devices are connected in parallel, and is configured by transmitting and receiving a current of the current value. Integrated management system. 2. The integrated management system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of conductive lines are configured such that one conductive line is connected to each of the one or more field devices. The integrated management system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of conductive lines are configured such that at least two conductive lines are connected to each of the one or more field devices. Said distributed instrumentation system, the system information server from claim 1, characterized in that it is connected through the DCS collector for performing protocol conversion of said first communication method and the second communication method 3 An integrated management system according to any one of the above. Integrated management system according to any of claims 1 4, characterized in that said distributed instrumentation system, the management system for managing the distributed instrumentation systems are connected. The small network, integrated management system according to any of claims 1 5, characterized in that connected to the Internet as an external network. Via said external network, integrated management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a plurality of small networks are connected. The integrated management system according to claim 7 , wherein a dedicated line or a virtual private network is used as an external network connecting the plurality of small-scale networks. The integrated management system according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the integrated management system is provided to a petrochemical complex.

Images