USE OF THE INTERNET FOR MONITORING PERFORMANCE OF PROCESS CONTROLS

摘要

The last 20 years has seen significant changes in the way process plants have been controlled. Initially in the 1980s there was a transition from single loop field or panel mounted controls to distributed control systems. This change allowed fewer -but higher skilled - operators to operate a larger part of the process. The next transition saw the introduction of site-wide information systems that allowed better monitoring and management of the process - not just by operators, but also engineers, maintenance staff, and management. By engaging local experts and stakeholders, this again allowed higher process performance. The current transition extends this trend. The use of the Internet to safely and cost-effectively engage remote expertise is now allowing sites to identify performance improvement opportunities more quickly to achieve performance gains and other competitive advantages. This paper focuses on the use of Internet-based monitoring tools and services to help manage the performance of single loop controls using modern control analysis methods and performance benchmarking. This approach is now routinely used as part of process control and optimisation projects by leading suppliers. In addition, the use of this approach for other statistical monitoring situations will be presented, including alarm, operator intervention, and configuration change analysis.