Abstract: A process plant and industrial control system architecture includes a generalized compute fabric that is agnostic or indifferent to the physical location at which the compute fabric is implemented. One or more applications, executing via the location-agnostic compute fabric, provide for access, management, and/or reconfiguration of various aspects of one or more process control systems across one or more physical sites operated by an enterprise. The one or more applications may, for example, provide for viewing of operational parameters and/or health statuses based upon information accessed from one, two, three four or more physical sites.

Abstract: An architecture supporting a process control or automation system may include an authentication service which determines whether an entity (e.g., a human, automated, virtual, or physical entity) is the party that/who the entity claims to be, and an authorization service which determines whether a request of the entity to access a resource is allowed or denied. The authentication service provides unique identities of entities and respective security credentials, which may include tokens utilized during authorization. The authorization service authorizes an entity to access a requested resource based on role-based permissions of a role to which the entity is assigned and resource access permissions protecting the requested resource. The role-based permissions and/or the resource access permissions may be respectively scoped to limit or restrict actions, activities, operations, and/or resource access based on specified criteria.

Abstract: A process plant and industrial control system architecture includes a generalized compute fabric that is agnostic or indifferent to the physical location at which the compute fabric is implemented, includes one or more physical control or field devices located at one or more specific sites at which a product or process is being manufactured and further includes a transport network that securely provides communications between the compute fabric and the pool of physical devices.

Abstract: An industrial process control system includes a compute fabric having a first portion operating on-premises at an industrial process plant controlled by the industrial process control system and a second portion operating remotely from the industrial process plant controlled by the industrial process control system. The system also includes one or more transmitters in the process plant measuring or sensing physical parameters and includes one or more physical control elements in the process plant, each physical control element responsive to a respective setpoint parameter. The system further includes a plurality of micro-encapsulated execution environments instantiated in the compute fabric, each executing at least a portion of a control module that receives data from the one or more transmitters and transmits at least one setpoint parameter to each of the one or more physical control elements to cause the physical control elements to control a process in the industrial process plant.

Abstract: A digital safety lock of a field device or other process plant equipment activates in response to receiving a request from a locking party, thereby placing the device into a locked mode. While the device is in the locked mode, only the locking party may perform maintenance activities on, or otherwise functionally control, the device. While locked, the device may provide an indication of the locking party to any other device or application attempting to access or control the locked device. Other devices, applications, and users may communicate with the locking party or locking party device to request that the device be unlocked and/or to request the corresponding digital safety lock key. Upon the device receiving the correct digital safety lock key, the digital safety lock may be deactivated, and the device may enter into an unlocked state if no other digital safety locks remain activated for the device.

Abstract: A process control device for use in an industrial process control or automation system of an industrial process plant includes a sensor configured to measure a parameter of a process in the industrial process plant and to output to a controller in the industrial process plant the parameter measured. The process control device also or alternatively includes a control element configured to perform an action in the industrial process plant according to an input received from the controller in the industrial process plant. The process control device also includes an embedded device identifier, unique to the process control field device and associated with one or more of an owner of the process control field device, a plant location of the process control field device, a country or geographical or geopolitical region, and a device tag.

Abstract: To provide search capabilities in a process control system, a contextual knowledge repository is generated that organizes process plant-related data according to semantic relations between the process plant-related data and the process plant entities. When a user submits a process plant search query related to process plant entities within a process plant, search results are obtained by identifying a data set from the contextual knowledge repository which is responsive to the process plant search query. The search results are then presented on a user interface device based on the identified data set. To allow for searches to be performed by user interface devices external to the process plant, a data diode is disposed between a field-facing component and an edge-facing component of the process plant so that data flows from the field-facing component to the edge-facing component without flowing from the edge-facing component to the field-facing component.

Abstract: A process control or automation system comprising a plurality of instantiated micro-encapsulated execution environments (MEEEs) includes a first one or more instantiated MEEEs communicatively connecting a provider of the plurality of instantiated MEEEs to a first enterprise operating a first one or more industrial or automation processes at a first one or more physical locations or sites. The system also includes a second one or more instantiated MEEEs communicatively connecting the provider to a second enterprise operating a second one or more industrial or automation processes at a second one or more physical locations or sites.

Abstract: A process plant and industrial control system architecture includes a generalized compute fabric that is agnostic or indifferent to the physical location at which the compute fabric is implemented, includes one or more physical control or field devices located at one or more specific sites at which a product or process is being manufactured and further includes a transport network that securely provides communications between the compute fabric and the pool of physical devices.

Abstract: A distributed control system (DCS) of an industrial process plant includes a data center storing a plant information model that includes a description of physical components, the control framework, and the control network of the plant using a modeling language. A set of exposed APIs provides DCS applications access to the model, and to an optional generic framework of the data center which stores basic structures and functions from which the DCS may automatically generate other structures and functions to populate the model and to automatically create various applications and routines utilized during run-time operations of the DCS and plant. Upon initialization, the DCS may automatically sense the I/O types of its interface ports, detect communicatively connected physical components within the plant, and automatically populate the plant information model accordingly. The DCS may optionally automatically generate related control routines and/or I/O data delivery mechanisms, HMI routines, and the like.

Abstract: To provide a trusted, secure, and immutable record of storage operations executed by a storage center for storing measurement data provided by a process plant, techniques are described for utilizing a distributed ledger. When a data contributor such as a process plant generates measurement data, an encrypted version of a set of measurement data is transmitted to a storage center for secure storage of the measurement data. In some instances, the data contributor divides the set of measurement data into several subsets and transmits each subset of encrypted measurement data to a different storage center. Furthermore, the storage center generates a transaction for the storage operation which is recorded in a distributed ledger. When a data subscriber retrieves the encrypted measurement data from a storage center, the data subscriber can verify the authenticity of the data based on the information recorded in the distributed ledger.

Abstract: To provide enhanced search capabilities in a process control system, a knowledge repository is generated that includes both contextual data and time series data. The contextual data organizes process plant-related data according to semantic relations between the process plant-related data and the process plant entities. When a user submits a process plant search query related to process plant entities within a process plant, search results are obtained by identifying a data set from the knowledge repository. The contextual data categorizes process parameters so that users can search for a particular process parameter category. Users can tag previous searches to execute them once again at a later time.

Abstract: To provide enhanced search capabilities in a process control system, a knowledge repository is generated that includes both contextual data and time series data. The contextual data organizes process plant-related data according to semantic relations between the process plant-related data and the process plant entities. When a user submits a process plant search query related to process plant entities within a process plant, search results are obtained by identifying a data set from the knowledge repository. The contextual data categorizes process parameters so that users can search for a particular process parameter category. Users can tag previous searches to execute them once again at a later time.

Abstract: To provide enhanced search capabilities in a process control system, a knowledge repository is generated that includes both contextual data and time series data. The contextual data organizes process plant-related data according to semantic relations between the process plant-related data and the process plant entities. When a user submits a process plant search query related to process plant entities within a process plant, search results are obtained by identifying a data set from the knowledge repository. The contextual data categorizes process parameters so that users can search for a particular process parameter category. Users can tag previous searches to execute them once again at a later time.

Abstract: Techniques for detecting suspicious performance of a throttling control valve (also referred to herein as a “valve”) in a process plant are described herein. For each of N time periods, a computing device determines and analyzes process parameter values for process parameters related to a valve to determine a status of the valve for the time period. The computing device compares the valve statuses over the N time periods to determine whether the valve is operating well for at least a threshold portion of at least a subset of the N time periods. In response to determining that the valve is not operating well for at least the threshold portion of at least the subset of the N time periods, the computing device determines that the valve is suspected of performing poorly, and provides an indication of the suspect valve to a user interface for display to a user.

Abstract: A Multi-Purpose Dynamic Simulation and run-time Control platform includes a virtual process environment coupled to a physical process environment, where components/nodes of the virtual and physical process environments cooperate to dynamically perform run-time process control of an industrial process plant and/or simulations thereof. Virtual components may include virtual run-time nodes and/or simulated nodes. The MPDSC includes an I/O Switch which delivers I/O data between virtual and/or physical nodes, e.g., by using publish/subscribe mechanisms, thereby virtualizing physical I/O process data delivery. Nodes serviced by the I/O Switch may include respective component behavior modules that are unaware as to whether or not they are being utilized on a virtual or physical node. Simulations may be performed in real-time and even in conjunction with run-time operations of the plant, and/or simulations may be manipulated as desired (speed, values, administration, etc.).

Abstract: An I/O server service interacts with multiple containerized controller services each implementing the same control routine to control the same portion of the same plant. The I/O server service may provide the same controller inputs to each of the containerized controller services (e.g., representing measurements obtained by field devices and transmitted by the field devices to the I/O server service). Each containerized controller service executes the same control routine to generate a set of controller outputs. The I/O server service receives each set of controller outputs and forwards an “active” set to the appropriate field devices. The I/O server service and other services, such as an orchestrator service, may continuously evaluate performance and resource utilization in the control system, and may dynamically activate and deactivate controller services as appropriate.

Abstract: A method and system for publish-subscribe communication architecture for highly-versatile (HV) field devices in control and automation system implements reception at an HV field device, from a client device or application, of a message indicating a selection of one of a plurality of publish categories. The publish category corresponds to a type of information desired by the client device or application. The field device transmits to the client device or application an identification of each of a plurality of publish lists corresponding to the selected publish category, which publish lists are each stored on the field device and each include a set of parameters associated with the field device. The field device receives, from the client device or application, a selection of one of the publish lists identified by the field device, and transmits to the client device or application the set of parameters associated with the selected publish list.

Abstract: A highly versatile process control or factory automation field device is configured with an interface and communication connection structure and security features that enable the field device to operate as a data server that communicates with and supports multiple different applications or clients, either directly or indirectly, while simultaneously performing standard process and factory automation control functions in a highly secure manner. The security features include a root of trust component, a secure boot component, secure memory components, secure communication components, security audit components, secure provisioning components and endpoint identity components, making the field device communications and operations secure and trustworthy.

Abstract: A Multi-Purpose Dynamic Simulation and run-time Control platform includes a virtual process environment coupled to a physical process environment, where components/nodes of the virtual and physical process environments cooperate to dynamically perform run-time process control of an industrial process plant and/or simulations thereof. Virtual components may include virtual run-time nodes and/or simulated nodes. The MPDSC includes an I/O Switch which delivers I/O data between virtual and/or physical nodes, e.g., by using publish/subscribe mechanisms, thereby virtualizing physical I/O process data delivery. Nodes serviced by the I/O Switch may include respective component behavior modules that are unaware as to whether or not they are being utilized on a virtual or physical node. Simulations may be performed in real-time and even in conjunction with run-time operations of the plant, and/or simulations may be manipulated as desired (speed, values, administration, etc.).