Abstract: An on-line data analytics device can be installed in a process control system as a standalone device that operates in parallel with, but non-intrusively with respect to, the on-line control system to perform on-line analytics for a process without requiring the process control system to be reconfigured or recertified. The data analytics device includes a data analytics engine coupled to a logic engine that receives process data collected from the process control system in a non-intrusive manner. The logic engine operates to determine further process variable values not generated within the process control system and provides the collected process variable data and the further process variable values to the data analytics engine. The data analytics engine executes statistically based process models, such as batch models, stage models, and phase models, to produce a predicted process variable, such as an end of stage or end of batch quality variable for use in analyzing the operation of the on-line process.

Abstract: A process control system includes module-level attributes that may be used to control access for writing information to unit module objects and module objects. A security check process examines the module-level attributes, which may include OPERMODE and OPERLOCK attributes, the values of which determine whether information may be written to unit module objects or module objects. The values of the module-level attributes may be controlled based on whether a particular module object is being used by the process control system.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to identify a degradation of integrity of a process control system are disclosed. An example method includes identifying a file on a file system of the process control system. The example method further includes determining if the file is identified in a system profile, the system profile identifying files expected to be present. A degradation of integrity of the process control system is identified when the file is not identified in the system profile.

Abstract: Example methods, apparatuses and systems to correlate candidate factors to a predicted fault in a process control system are disclosed. Techniques may include obtaining a value associated with a particular factor corresponding to a process, and predicting a fault based on the value. A set of candidate factors corresponding to the predicted fault may be determined, and a correlation between the predicted fault and at least one factor from the set may be displayed. Different sections of the display may respectively correspond to the predicted fault and to the at least one factor, and the correlation may be indicated by time aligning the different sections. Modifications to one displayed section may result in automatic modification of other sections to maintain the correlation. A user may select one or more candidate factors to be displayed, and may indicate a particular point of a particular section to obtain additional details.

Abstract: A configuration system uses process plant items that may represent, or be capable of representing, entities in a process plant to assist in configuring, organizing, and changing the control and display activities within the process plant. Access to the items may be controlled by associating access control data with the items. The configuration system may also use objects that represent, or may be capable of representing, one or more steps to be performed by entities in the process plant. Access to these objects may be controlled by associating access control data with the objects. The access control data may indicate whether users or certain users may be able to, for example, view or modify all or some data associated with the process plant items or the objects.

Abstract: Various graphical displays for plant process operators are provided which combine aspects of alarm priority and alarm age to assist operators in making better choices in responding to alarms. The disclosed graphical displays provide improved contextual information about specific alarms and the relationships with other alarms in the same control module, equipment module, etc. Hierarchically organized presentations of active alarms and alarm age profiles are also provided to assist operators in evaluating causes of “alarm floods” in chain reactions within complex process environments. Various types of alarm or display alerts are also provided for improved monitoring of processed conditions and changes in process controls.

Abstract: A version control system helps to keep track of versions of process plant items that may represent, or be capable of representing, entities in a process plant. The process plant items may comprise, for example, module objects which may be capable of specifically representing process entities of the process plant. These module objects may be created from module class objects which may be capable of generically representing process entities of the process plant. Version data is stored and associated with a module object. The version data may comprise data indicative of a version of a module class object that was used to create the module object. The version data may also comprise data indicative of a version of the module object. Configuration systems, version control systems, viewing systems, debugging systems, run-time monitoring systems, asset management systems, etc., may examine or permit viewing of the version control data associated with an item.

Abstract: A version control system helps to keep track of versions of process plant items that may represent, or be capable of representing, entities in a process plant. The process plant items may comprise, for example, module objects which may be capable of specifically representing process entities of the process plant. These module objects may be created from module class objects which may be capable of generically representing process entities of the process plant. Version data is stored and associated with a module object. The version data may comprise data indicative of a version of a module class object that was used to create the module object. The version data may also comprise data indicative of a version of the module object. Configuration systems, version control systems, viewing systems, debugging systems, run-time monitoring systems, asset management systems, etc., may examine or permit viewing of the version control data associated with an item.

Abstract: A configuration system uses process plant items that may represent, or be capable of representing, entities in a process plant to assist in configuring, organizing, and changing the control and display activities within the process plant. Access to the items may be controlled by associating access control data with the items. The configuration system may also use objects that represent, or may be capable of representing, one or more steps to be performed by entities in the process plant. Access to these objects may be controlled by associating access control data with the objects. The access control data may indicate whether users or certain users may be able to, for example, view or modify all or some data associated with the process plant items or the objects.

Abstract: A communication technique enables the efficient transmission of data through a low bandwidth and/or time delayed communication link and minimizes the idle time of the communication link by using a deferred acknowledgment of message bundles to temporally pack the communication link. The transmitting system stores messages to be transmitted in a pending message queue and applies a dynamic window to the pending message queue to define a message bundle to be sent through the slow communication link. The transmitting system requests an acknowledgment for at least one message within the bundle, but does not require an acknowledgment for every message within the bundle. Transmitted messages are temporarily stored as outstanding messages in a retransmission queue until the transmitted messages are acknowledged or until a time-out period associated with the messages has lapsed.

Abstract: A configuration system uses process plant items that may represent, or be capable of representing, entities in a process plant to assist in configuring, organizing, and changing the control and display activities within the process plant. Access to the items may be controlled by associating access control data with the items. The configuration system may also use objects that represent, or may be capable of representing, one or more steps to be performed by entities in the process plant. Access to these objects may be controlled by associating access control data with the objects. The access control data may indicate whether users or certain users may be able to, for example, view or modify all or some data associated with the process plant items or the objects.

Abstract: Various graphical displays for plant process operators are provided which combine aspects of alarm priority and alarm age to assist operators in making better choices in responding to alarms. The disclosed graphical displays provide improved contextual information about specific alarms and the relationships with other alarms in the same control module, equipment module, etc. Hierarchically organized presentations of active alarms and alarm age profiles are also provided to assist operators in evaluating causes of “alarm floods” in chain reactions within complex process environments. Various types of alarm or display alerts are also provided for improved monitoring of processed conditions and changes in process controls.

Abstract: An alarm display and interface tool for use in a process control system receives and displays different categories of alarms, including for example, device alarms and hardware alarms as well as traditional process alarms, on a single display to enable an operator or other user to view and have access to these different categories of alarms. The display and interface tool may be used to filter the alarms that are displayed according to any number of categories, including the category of the alarm, the priority of the alarm, the status of the alarm, etc. so as to alternatively segregate or combine the tasks typically associated with operator, maintenance and engineer personnel. The tool may also be used to access each of the displayed alarms to obtain more information about any individual alarm.

Abstract: A batch event historian gathers, stores and presents data regarding a batch process where relationships among the various elements of data are automatically derived by an executive program. A persistent store includes structure corresponding to the relationships defined among procedural elements and equipment in accordance with batch processing industry S88.01 standards. The executive program gathers event information generated by the batch process and derives the relationships among the events in accordance with these industry standard models. Storage and corresponding retrieval and presentation of such historical data is thereby simplified for a user because the user need not manually configure the historian programs to derive the relationships. Association of any continuous data log with event information is automated thereby obviating the need for manual configuration by a user to establish such associations.

Abstract: A version control system helps to keep track of versions of process plant items that may represent, or be capable of representing, entities in a process plant. The process plant items may comprise, for example, module objects which may be capable of specifically representing process entities of the process plant. These module objects may be created from module class objects which may be capable of generically representing process entities of the process plant. Version data is stored and associated with a module object. The version data may comprise data indicative of a version of a module class object that was used to create the module object. The version data may also comprise data indicative of a version of the module object. Configuration systems, version control systems, viewing systems, debugging systems, run-time monitoring systems, asset management systems, etc., may examine or permit viewing of the version control data associated with an item.

Abstract: An alarm display and interface system method for use in a process control system enhances device alarm messages to enable the integrated display device alarms with process alarms. The system and method receives a device alarm message from a field device and the device alarm message has a first set of message fields including a first set of device information. The system and method appends a second set of message fields containing a second set of device information associated with the field device to the device alarm message based on the first set of device information to form an enhanced device alarm message and selects a device alarm table based on the second set of device information within the enhanced device alarm message. The system and method maps the first set of device information within the enhanced device alarm message to the selected device alarm table to identify a set of information fields containing displayable alarm information and displays a portion of the displayable alarm information.

Abstract: A communication technique enables the efficient transmission of data through a low bandwidth and/or time delayed communication link and minimizes the idle time of the communication link by using a deferred acknowledgment of message bundles to temporally pack the communication link. The transmitting system stores messages to be transmitted in a pending message queue and applies a dynamic window to the pending message queue to define a message bundle to be sent through the slow communication link. The transmitting system requests an acknowledgment for at least one message within the bundle, but does not require an acknowledgment for every message within the bundle. Transmitted messages are temporarily stored as outstanding messages in a retransmission queue until the transmitted messages are acknowledged or until a time-out period associated with the messages has lapsed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the integrated display of process events and trend data. The method and apparatus provide for a unified display of trend data and process events related to the control and/or monitoring of a manufacturing process. A workstation generates and displays a trend chart that represents values of one or more selected process parameters during a selected time window. The workstation also generates and displays an event table containing information describing process events that are related to the selected process parameters and that occurred during the selected time window.

Abstract: A hierarchical failure management technique uses an integrated equipment hierarchy to automatically pass failure information from control modules to unit modules. Each control module collects failure information and generates a composite failure code by mathematically combining the failure information collected by that module. Modules which are currently needed by a phase of the unit module to carry out a process automatically send respective failure codes to the unit module. The unit module selects the worst failure code from a list of failure codes within the unit module and compares the selected worst failure code to a predetermined threshold value to determine whether the process should continue.

Abstract: An alarm display and interface tool for use in a process control system receives and displays different categories of alarms, including for example, device alarms and hardware alarms as well as traditional process alarms, on a single display to enable an operator or other user to view and have access to these different categories of alarms. The display and interface tool may be used to filter the alarms that are displayed according to any number of categories, including the category of the alarm, the priority of the alarm, the status of the alarm, etc. so as to alternatively segregate or combine the tasks typically associated with operator, maintenance and engineer personnel. The tool may also be used to access each of the displayed alarms to obtain more information about any individual alarm.