Abstract: A long-haul process control plant includes a process control system which controls industrial processes running within the plant, and a safety instrumented system, servicing the process control system, which detects safety-related problems within the plant and communicates safety messages within and between portions of the process plant, e.g., to effect a trip or other mitigating action. To transmit safety messages between remotely located portions of the process plant via a low-bandwidth long-haul link, a safety data concentrator combines individual safety messages generated by the safety logic solvers disposed at one portion of the plant into a concentrated safety message, and transmits the concentrated safety message to a safety data de-concentrator in the remote portion of the plant.

Abstract: Apparatus, systems, and methods for communicating data between a controller and a multiplicity of field devices operating in a process plant are provided. The system includes distributed marshaling modules coupled by a head-end unit to I/O cards in communication with the controller. The distributed marshaling modules communicate with the field devices via respective electronic marshaling components converting signals between the field devices and the I/O cards. The distributed marshaling modules are coupled to the head-end unit by a ring communication architecture, such that the distributed marshaling modules may each be located relatively proximate to the field devices to which they are coupled.

Abstract: Apparatus, systems, and methods for communicating data between a controller and a multiplicity of field devices operating in a process plant are provided. The system includes distributed marshaling modules coupled by a head-end unit to I/O cards in communication with the controller. The distributed marshaling modules communicate with the field devices via respective electronic marshaling components converting signals between the field devices and the I/O cards. The distributed marshaling modules are coupled to the head-end unit by a ring communication architecture, such that the distributed marshaling modules may each be located relatively proximate to the field devices to which they are coupled.

Abstract: A control system, a safety system, etc., within a process plant may each use one or more state machine function blocks that can be easily integrated into a function block diagram programming environment. Such a state machine function block may include one or more inputs, which may cause a state machine implemented by the state machine function block to identify a next state as well as one or more transition actions to perform in accordance with transitioning from a current state to the next state. Configuration data associated with the transition actions may be retrieved from a database based on the current and next states of the state machine and at least one of the inputs. The state machine function block may also include one or more outputs that are generated based on the state transition.

Abstract: Techniques for controlling the operation of a process plant or several process plants within a process control system using a centralized or distributed controller farm allow for increased flexibility in the process control system. Any of the controllers in the controller farm may be utilized to execute modules corresponding to any of the field devices in one or several process plants. Control modules or other operations may be allocated amongst the controllers distributing the load so that one controller is not performing several operations while others are inactive. Additionally, the controller farm may be located in a temperature controlled room or area in an offsite location from the process plants. In some scenarios, load balancing techniques are performed to distribute the load for the modules equally or at least similarly amongst the controllers.

Abstract: A method for decreasing the risk of unauthorized access to an embedded node in a secure subsystem of a process control system includes receiving a message comprising a message header and a message payload, and determining that the message is an unlock message configured to access one or more protected functions of the embedded node, at least by analyzing a bit sequence of one or more bits in the message header. The method also includes determining whether a manual control mechanism has been placed in a particular state by a human operator, and, based upon those determinations, either causing or not causing the embedded node to enter an unlocked state in which one or more of the protected functions are accessible.

Abstract: Generic shadowing allows a shadowing device in a process plant to automatically discover, without pre-configuration or pre-definition, and without the use of a configuration tool, source control objects that are hosted at other devices and that are to be shadowed. Source control objects may utilize any data type, format, structure, language, etc. The shadowing device includes a shadow manager and a set of primitive components defining simple data types that are utilized to discover the configurations/definitions and data types of source control objects, and includes a shadow library in which signatures of discovered source control objects are stored. Signatures are instantiated and used by the shadowing device to provide dynamic data to recipient devices, applications, and/or control objects in the process control system, where the dynamic data is a mirror of data that is observed first-hand by the source control objects during their on-line operations at their host devices.

Abstract: The described methods and systems give users situational awareness regarding control loops in a process control system. The user can utilize the loop interface described herein to quickly understand how a given element (e.g., a device or function block) relates to other elements of the control loop. This enables the user to appreciate how modifying a parameter or device, for example, may impact control of the process. The user need not be intimately familiar with the logic associated with a control loop to understand the status of the control loop and its constituent elements. Further, in an embodiment, the user can easily correct certain statuses (e.g., unusual conditions) that arise with respect to the control loop.

Abstract: A system and method for visualizing safety events within a process plant includes accessing a cause and effect matrix (CEM) having a set of causes and a set of effects, wherein each of the set of causes represents a condition within the process plant and each of the set of effects represents an effect to be performed within the process plant, wherein the set of causes and the set of effects are representative of a set of monitored safety events within the process plant. The system and method further includes receiving a selection of a monitored safety event of the set of monitored safety events. The system and method may also include displaying, in a user interface, (i) an indication of the monitored safety event, and (ii) a current status of the monitored safety event. The system and method may also include detecting a change in status to the monitored safety event.

Abstract: A system and method for determining a configuration of a process control system for a process plant, the process control system implemented as a set of function blocks, includes, for each of the set of function blocks, determining a configuration of the function block based on: (i) a set of outputs of the function block, (ii) logic of the function block, and (iii) a set of inputs of the function block. The system and method further includes generating, based on the set of configurations of the set of function blocks, a test cause and effect matrix (CEM) having a set of test causes and a set of test effects. The system and method further includes accessing a requirement-defining CEM having a set of causes and a set of effects. The system and method may also include comparing the test CEM to the requirement-defining CEM to determine whether a set of discrepancies exists.

Abstract: A system and method for defining a cause and effect matrix (CEM) within a process control system for a process plant, including accessing a cause and effect matrix (CEM) having a set of causes and a set of effects, N wherein each of the set of causes represents a condition within the process plant and each of the set of effects represents an effect to be performed within the process plant. The system and method further includes, for each of the set of effects: (i) identifying a subset of the set of causes according to a corresponding set of the cause-effect pairs corresponding to the effect of the set of effects, (ii) defining the subset of the set of causes as a single-dimension matrix, and (iii) automatically calculating a numerical representation for the single-dimension matrix. The system and method further includes configuring a set of function blocks for the process control system according to the set of numerical representations.

Abstract: A system and method for managing function blocks within a process control system for a process plant includes accessing an initial cause and effect matrix (CEM) having a set of causes and a set of effects. The system and method may then define a set of related groups within the initial CEM including: (i) accessing a set of rules associated with the set of related groups, (ii) identifying a portion of the set of causes that are related to a portion of the set of effects according to the set of rules and based on at least a portion of the corresponding cause-effect pairs, and (iii) rearranging the portion of the set of causes and the portion of the set of effects such that the portion of the corresponding cause-effect pairs are rearranged.

Abstract: A system and method of configuring monitor blocks and effect blocks associated with a process control system for a process plant includes causing a display device to display a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface indicating a first monitor block, a second monitor block, and an effect block. The system and method further includes enabling a user to input configuration data via the input device, including: (i) configuring one of the outputs of the first monitor block to serve as one of the inputs of the second monitor block, (ii) configuring an additional one of the outputs of the first monitor block and one of the outputs of the second monitor block to serve as inputs to the effect block, and (iii) designating at least one of the plurality of cells of each of the first monitor block, the second monitor block, and the effect block as a trigger associated with the respective input/output pair for the respective cell and corresponding to a condition in the process plant.

Abstract: An alarm handling and viewing system includes an alarm display interface that enables the different alarms generated by the same control module, safety system module, device, etc., to be handled and viewed in a manner that is different than each other and/or that is different than the display parameters specified for the module or device that generates the alarms. The system thus enables the selection of various different alarms of a single control module, device, etc., to result in different plant displays, different faceplate displays, and/or different alarm handling parameters to be used to provide further information to the user regarding the selected alarm.

Abstract: Apparatus, systems, and methods for communicating data between a controller and a multiplicity of field devices operating in a process plant are provided. The system includes distributed marshaling modules coupled by a head-end unit to I/O cards in communication with the controller. The distributed marshaling modules communicate with the field devices via respective electronic marshaling components converting signals between the field devices and the I/O cards. The distributed marshaling modules are coupled to the head-end unit by a ring communication architecture, such that the distributed marshaling modules may each be located relatively proximate to the field devices to which they are coupled.

Abstract: Example methods and apparatus to manage testing of a process control system are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes generating a test application from a process control routine, the test application including at least one test that is to be performed within a time period, monitoring an operation of the process control routine, determining if the operation of the process control routine during the time period includes an execution of a portion of the process control routine that is substantially similar to the at least one test, and updating the test application by indicating that the at least one test has been performed within the time period.

Abstract: Process control systems for operating process plants are disclosed herein. The process control systems include control modules that are decoupled from the I/O architecture of the process plants using signal objects or generic shadow blocks. This decoupling is effected by using the signal objects or generic shadow blocks to manage at least part of the communication between the control modules and the field devices. Signal objects may convert between protocols used by control modules and field devices, thus decoupling the control modules from the I/O architecture. Generic shadow blocks may be automatically configured to mimic the operation of field devices within a controller executing the control modules, thus partially decoupling the control modules from the I/O architecture by using the shadow blocks to manage communication between the control modules and the field devices.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to apply multiple trip limits to a device in a process control system are disclosed. An example method involves monitoring a value of a parameter associated with the operation of the device and receiving an input indicative of an operational state of the device, where a first input indicates a first operational state and a second input indicates a second operational state. If the first input is received, comparing via a function block the value of the parameter to a first trip limit, and if the second input is received, comparing via the function block the value of the parameter to a second trip limit, and implementing a response based on the comparison.

Abstract: A control system, a safety system, etc., within a process plant may each use one or more state machine function blocks that can be easily integrated into a function block diagram programming environment. Such a state machine function block may include one or more inputs, which may cause a state machine implemented by the state machine function block to identify a next state as well as one or more transition actions to perform in accordance with transitioning from a current state to the next state. Configuration data associated with the transition actions may be retrieved from a database based on the current and next states of the state machine and at least one of the inputs. The state machine function block may also include one or more outputs that are generated based on the state transition.

Abstract: A control system, a safety system, etc., within a process plant may each use one or more state machine function blocks that can be easily integrated into a function block diagram programming environment. Such a state machine function block may include one or more inputs, which may cause a state machine implemented by the state machine function block to identify a next state as well as one or more transition actions to perform in accordance with transitioning from a current state to the next state. Configuration data associated with the transition actions may be retrieved from a database based on the current and next states of the state machine and at least one of the inputs. The state machine function block may also include one or more outputs that are generated based on the state transition.