Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for managing the operation of a plant, such as a chemical plant or a petrochemical plant or a refinery, and more particularly for enhancing system performance of a catalyzed reaction system by, among other features, detecting catalyst deactivation and cycle length. Plants may include those that provide hydrocarbon cracking or other process units. A plant may include a reactor, a heater, a catalyst bed, a separator, and other equipment. The equipment may use catalyst to treat feed products to remove compounds and produce different products. Catalysts used in the various reactors in these processes become deactivated over time. Systems and methods are disclosed for extending catalyst life and thereby improving efficiency of the plant.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods are disclosed for detecting catalyst transfer pipe plugging in a chemical plant or petrochemical plant or refinery. The catalyst transfer pipe may extend from a reactor to a catalyst collector and enable the flow of catalyst from the reactor to the catalyst collector. Specifically, one or more sensors affixed to a catalyst transfer pipe may collect sensor data for analysis. Based on one or more detected changes in the sensor data outside a range, a data collection platform may send one or more alerts and/or send one or more signals to a control platform to adjust a flow rate, a pressure differential, or perform another action to clear a developing catalyst buildup and thereby attempt to avoid a catalyst transfer pipe from becoming plugged.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for managing the operation of a plant, such as a chemical plant or a petrochemical plant or a refinery, and more particularly for enhancing system performance of a catalyzed reaction system by, among other features, detecting catalyst deactivation and cycle length. Plants may include those that provide hydrocarbon cracking or other process units. A plant may include a reactor, a heater, a catalyst bed, a separator, and other equipment. The equipment may use catalyst to treat feed products to remove compounds and produce different products. Catalysts used in the various reactors in these processes become deactivated over time. Systems and methods are disclosed for extending catalyst life and thereby improving efficiency of the plant.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a memory and one or more processors operably connected to the memory. The one or more processors are configured to receive data collected from a process facility system, detect anomalies for field device or process failures associated with the process facility system that are not monitored by alarms, detect leading indicators for field device or process failures that are monitored by alarms, and monitor the process facility system to detect further anomalies and leading indicators before failures occur.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable and executable instructions are described herein. One method includes receiving a sequence of images of a flare stack area from a thermal imaging component, identifying a first portion of the flare stack area moving at a first threshold optical flow using the sequence of images of the flare stack area, and identifying a second portion of the flare stack area moving at a second threshold optical flow using the sequence of images of the flare stack area.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods are disclosed for detecting catalyst transfer pipe plugging in a chemical plant or petrochemical plant or refinery. The catalyst transfer pipe may extend from a reactor to a catalyst collector and enable the flow of catalyst from the reactor to the catalyst collector. Specifically, one or more sensors affixed to a catalyst transfer pipe may collect sensor data for analysis. Based on one or more detected changes in the sensor data outside a range, a data collection platform may send one or more alerts and/or send one or more signals to a control platform to adjust a flow rate, a pressure differential, or perform another action to clear a developing catalyst buildup and thereby attempt to avoid a catalyst transfer pipe from becoming plugged.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a memory and one or more processors operably connected to the memory. The one or more processors are configured to receive data collected from a process facility system, detect anomalies for field device or process failures associated with the process facility system that are not monitored by alarms, detect leading indicators for field device or process failures that are monitored by alarms, and monitor the process facility system to detect further anomalies and leading indicators before failures occur.

Abstract: A method comprises receiving one or more images of a person from one or more image capture devices in response to an input, identifying one or more items of personal protective equipment in the one or more images, determining the positioning of the one or more items of personal protective equipment relative to the person in the one or more images, and verifying compliance with personal protective equipment standards based on the one or more identified items of personal protective equipment and the positioning of the one or more items of personal protective equipment.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for displaying information on a heads up display (HUD). A background image is captured with a camera. A plurality of regions of the background image are analyzed to determine a region-wise image attribute for each of the plurality of regions. A symbology having a symbology attribute is generated and overlaid on an overlay region of the background image to generate a heads up display image. The overlay region is one of the plurality of regions of the background image. The symbology attribute is adjusted based on the region-wise image attribute of the overlay region to generate an adjusted heads up display image. The adjusted heads up display image is displayed on the HUD.

Abstract: Methods, devices, and systems for crowd comfortable settings are described herein. One device includes a memory, and a processor configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to receive a number of weighted occupant preferences of a building space, receive a number of internal variables of the building space and a number of external variables of the building space, determine whether each weighted occupant preference is feasible, and modify a setting for the number of internal variables of the building space based on whether the number of feasible occupant preferences is greater than a threshold number.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for displaying information on a heads up display (HUD). A background image is captured with a camera. A plurality of regions of the background image are analyzed to determine a region-wise image attribute for each of the plurality of regions. A symbology having a symbology attribute is generated and overlaid on an overlay region of the background image to generate a heads up display image. The overlay region is one of the plurality of regions of the background image. The symbology attribute is adjusted based on the region-wise image attribute of the overlay region to generate an adjusted heads up display image. The adjusted heads up display image is displayed on the HUD.

Abstract: Devices, methods, and systems for determining pushback direction are described herein. One method includes receiving a video image of an aircraft during a pushback of the aircraft, determining a motion flow map associated with the video image during the pushback, determining a motion orientation histogram associated with the video image during the pushback, and determining a direction of the pushback based on the motion flow map and the motion orientation histogram.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable and executable instructions are described herein. One method includes receiving a sequence of images of a flare stack area from a thermal imaging component, identifying a first portion of the flare stack area moving at a first threshold optical flow using the sequence of images of the flare stack area, and identifying a second portion of the flare stack area moving at a second threshold optical flow using the sequence of images of the flare stack area.

Abstract: Methods, devices, and systems for object tracking are described herein. One or more method embodiments include receiving an initial set of track points associated with a trajectory of an object, compressing the initial set of track points into a plurality of track segments, each track segment having a start track point and an end track point, and storing the plurality of track segments to represent the trajectory of the object.

Abstract: Devices, methods, and systems for determining pushback direction are described herein. One method includes receiving a video image of an aircraft during a pushback of the aircraft, determining a motion flow map associated with the video image during the pushback, determining a motion orientation histogram associated with the video image during the pushback, and determining a direction of the pushback based on the motion flow map and the motion orientation histogram.

Abstract: A method of operating an industrial plant having processing units that includes a wireless network including a network server, at least one router, and a plurality of workers including a first worker. A first handheld computing device is provided having a wireless transceiver and a processor programmed to implement a location-based service algorithm stored in non-transitory machine readable storage to a first worker. The location-based service algorithm implements obtaining location information that identifies a physical location for the first worker, and adding the location information to wireless transmissions of information by the first worker to others of the plurality of workers or to the network server. The first handheld computing device wirelessly receives server provided plant information that is a function of the physical location, and the first worker performs at least one action guided at least in part by the server provided plant information.

Abstract: Tracking aircraft in a taxi area is described herein. One method includes receiving a video image of an aircraft while the aircraft is taxiing, determining a portion of the video image associated with the aircraft, determining a geographical track associated with the aircraft based, at least in part, on the portion of the video image, and mapping the determined geographical track to a coordinate system display while the aircraft is taxiing.

Abstract: A method comprises receiving one or more images of a person from one or more image capture devices in response to an input, identifying one or more items of personal protective equipment in the one or more images, determining the positioning of the one or more items of personal protective equipment relative to the person in the one or more images, and verifying compliance with personal protective equipment standards based on the one or more identified items of personal protective equipment and the positioning of the one or more items of personal protective equipment.

Abstract: A method of operating an industrial plant having processing units that includes a wireless network including a network server, at least one router, and a plurality of workers including a first worker. A first handheld computing device is provided having a wireless transceiver and a processor programmed to implement a location-based service algorithm stored in non-transitory machine readable storage to a first worker. The location-based service algorithm implements obtaining location information that identifies a physical location for the first worker, and adding the location information to wireless transmissions of information by the first worker to others of the plurality of workers or to the network server. The first handheld computing device wirelessly receives server provided plant information that is a function of the physical location, and the first worker performs at least one action guided at least in part by the server provided plant information.

Abstract: A method for capturing surveillance images includes of a secured area has a first camera with a first field of view and a second camera with a second field of view. An optical center is determined for the second field of view. A magnification ratio is determined between a target located in the first field of view relative to the second field of view. A pan and tilt model is determined that provides a relationship between a first camera coordinates and pan and tilt values to position the second camera at the optical center. A target is captured in the first field of view and the second camera is controlled to record the target in the second field of view with the second field of view being an enhanced view relative to the first field of view.