Over the last 40 years,there has been continual growth in the use of digital technologies in process manufacturing.This has ranged from increasingly reliable and low-cost sensors,digital field networks,control and shutdown systems,process historians,model-based optimising controllers,and manufacturing information systems,to enterprise resource planning systems.These technologies have enabled higher process performance,reduced operating risk and improved staff productivity.Improvements in these technologies continue: 1.Continued improvements in self-diagnostics,error prevention,precision in field instruments and valves along with continued cost reduction and instrument asset management.2.Better control systems capabilities such as configurable I/O and tools that ensure control systems are no longer on the critical path of new build projects.Better tools and new modules to reduce the cost of system maintenance,migration and sustaining IP in existing systems.Better approaches and technologies to build operator interfaces.3.Better control loop maintenance and advanced control including distributed MPC and site-wide real time dynamic optimisation.4.More integrated manufacturing execution systems.5.Better technologies and approaches to manage cyber security risk.In the broader world,there are trends that will impact the process industries and enable further performance improvements and help mitigate loss of expertise.They will also contribute to improved sustainability of these industries.This article focuses on digital technologies.Many of these will be addressed in Advances in in Process Automation and Control 2019 in November in Manchester,UK.The following is a high-level view of these.
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