Smart futuristic ideas to manage process control challenges

Process safety, next generation visualization (human-machine interface), mobile computing, and alarm management were among themes running through keynote presentations at the 2012 Yokogawa User Conference.

Satoru Kurosu, Yokogawa director, senior vice president, at the event told Control Engineering Europe, “The most pressing concern for all our customers, in all industries today, is that of safety, and this is an area that we are not willing to compromise on.”

Another subject discussed at the event was augmented reality, demonstrated by the company earlier in 2012 at Achema. Yokogawa is looking at how this technology, which is already being used in consumer IT applications, can be brought into the industrial space. Augmented reality describes the ability to view the process by overlaying data and information about a process instrument onto a real-time image of the device itself, on the plant floor. It provides a way to display process instruments with data overlayed on top of the visual image of an instrument. This is a technology that is already being implemented in consumer IT applications.

Commenting on this, Kurosu said: “Augmented reality technology is available today. We have already demonstrated its potential using a tablet and camera to focus on individual sensors to gain information on it how it is connected and what information it contains. The only impractical issue with using this technology in the industrial space today is that it would require the tablet to be explosion-proof to enable it to be used safely in industrial applications. We are currently in discussion with an explosion-proof enclosure manufacturer to solve this issue.”

Dave Emerson, director of Yokogawa’s U.S. development center, used the event to update the audience on emerging user interfaces, enabling industry to keep up with the changing automation technology that will future-proof the plant for use by the next generation of engineers.

Interfaces have changed dramatically over the years, he explained. “Control panel keyboards were, traditionally, laid out in an alphabetic format. This moved to the more-well-used QWERTY format—as more of the population began to regularly use this format on their PCs. The use of a mouse to navigate the system was another development in line with consumer trends.

“With plants having a lifecycle of up to 20 years, we need to be thinking now about interfaces that will suit the next generation of engineers. Operators of the future are being brought up to use touch panels instead of a keyboard and mouse. The consumer IT world is, again, leading the way, and this latest trend will surely filter down to industry.”

Dave Emerson predicts big changes. “A key expectation here is that augmented reality will combine visualization of the plant with data and information on what is being visualized to give overall contextualization using mobile devices.

“There will, of course, be barriers to the adoption of mobile solutions in the industrial space,” he said. “A key concern is cyber security. It is a very real issue, and wherever wireless communication or electronic media is used, it will be vital to secure it from both a safety and a data integrity standpoint.” Echoing Kurosu’s comments on safety, Dave Emerson said that safety was currently a barrier to the use of mobile technology in the process sector, explaining, “Many processes contain hazardous environments, and all devices used in these areas will need to be approved for use in a hazardous environment.

“However, there is the expectation that mobile hardware will soon be hardened for use in the industrial environment. When we have such products, and have overcome the security issues, we expect to see a great many benefits from the use of mobile devices. Today, we need to learn more about how these technologies will add value to customers’ process operations.”

Yokogawa is also experimenting with cloud data. “As a test we imported our alarm analysis tool data onto the Microsoft cloud,” he said. “We now have a test copy in the cloud that can be accessed via a browser, allowing data to be viewed and shared. We are currently looking for customers who are interested in finding out how cloud data can be used and how cloud access can be manipulated. Again, we need to look at the issue of cyber security with this development, too.”

Dave Emerson highlighted the fact that, for all of these concepts, technology is not an answer in itself and does not solve any problems. “Technology is merely a tool,” he said: “What is more important is how these tools can be used to solve problems.”

Managing alarms, HMI, procedures

Yokogawa has identified three main areas of focus: alarm management, HMI management, and procedure management.

In the alarm management arena it is involved in different standard activities. “In the U.S. we are active with ISA and are working towards ensuring that our systems are 18.2 ready,” he said. “There is also a new IPC working group forming to will look at a global standard. We are participating with this too.

“HMI management is another area of great activity. There is a new style of graphics coming out, and we are supporting this with Advanced Operator Graphics (AOG) and are also working with standards groups in this domain.

“Our Advanced Operator Graphics (AOG) offering is provided through Vigilant Plant services. The goal of graphics should not be to hinder operators but to help them. We offer a consultancy service to find the right operator interface solution to meet individual needs. One size does not fit all.

“There are many companies looking at developing ways to display information in a more effective way. In the U.S., Yokogawa is working with the Centre for Operator Performance, a research organization looking to identify more effective operator interfaces,” said Dave Emerson.

In the area of procedure management, Yokogawa is working with the ISA106 committee to standardize the automation of procedures, and Kurosu was keen to explain more about Yokogawa’s activities in this area. He said: “Our Modular Procedural Automation (MPA) philosophy offers a powerful service combined with a software tool, which allows for the modularization and automation of best practice within a plant in a standardized way based on ISA106, and ensures a stable process quality that does not depend on the operator skills of any one individual.”

MPA starts with a consultative assessment of a site’s procedural needs. A recommendation will then be made as to the best platform for the customer to achieve the desired result. Prompted procedures may be implemented on any control system using Yokogawa Exapilot, while fully automated procedures may need a Yokogawa Centum VP solution, or both.

“The goal is to provide value-added operating consultancy services to bridge the gap between production planning and process control. We already have some user success stories from the implementation of MPA. Savings of up to 69% have been identified in crude switchover times in one refinery process,” concluded Kurosu.

– This Dec. 4, 2012, article from Control Engineering Europe was edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, CFE Media, for Control Engineering and Plant Engineering, mhoske@cfemedia.com.

Control Engineering Europe has more details and a related whitepaper linked in the following article: Smart futuristic ideas to manage the process unveiled by Yokogawa

Do you have experience and expertise with the topics mentioned in this content? You should consider contributing to our CFE Media editorial team and getting the recognition you and your company deserve. Click here to start this process.