ProOnline Brochure

Introduction

Online Plant performance monitoring is an invaluable tool that allows companies to continuously improve their plant by sending their plant data via DCS/SCADA or historian to a steady state simulation model of that plant. Data is reconciled and the invalid data is filtered out. The useful data is sent to the simulation engine and after solving, the results are sent to Pro-Online for comparison with plant data. Data can be sent every 30 seconds or every hour depending on the convenience and need.

Pro-Online is a powerful online plant performance monitoring tool designed for the process industry. This tool provides a two-way communication and enables applications to retrieve data and calculated values from Process simulator Streams and Unit Operations, as well as run the models through the OPC Interface.

The data collected from the simulation model and the plant can be compared to monitor the performance of key equipment in the plant and determine if the process variables such as temperature, pressure etc are optimum. This tool allows the user to determine the appropriate time to take the heat exchanger off-line or replace the catalyst etc. Instrument loops can be reduced and overall performance of the plant can be dramatically improved using this tool.


Schematic for Distillation Column Monitoring

Applications

  • Fouling factor monitoring

  • Equipment performance

  • Plan vs. Actual comparison

  • What-if scenarios

  • Production cost monitoring

  • Remote plant management

  • Energy and process integration

  • Soft Controllers

User Interface

Pro-Online provides a very user-friendly interface that allows plant data to be compared with reconciled simulation data. Parameters such as fouling factors, catalyst deactivation, column degradation, drifting values, etc can be easily compared and monitored on a continuous basis. Furthermore, user can compare simulated values with calculated values and determine actual production cost of the plant thereby alerting the operators about cost overruns and opportunity savings.

This tool will also allow messages and alerts to be sent to operators and managers if some operating parameters go out of range. This coupled with the alarm management features allows very efficient operation of the plant while keeping production cost at a minimum.

Key Software Features

  • Supports OPC DA (Data Access) 1.0a and 2.0

  • Browsable Namespace

  • Namespace automatically reconfigured when a new model is loaded.

  • Permits read and write access to all simulator’s Stream and Unit Operations.

  • Steady State and Dynamic simulator models can be run from the OPC Clients.

  • Steady State model features: Run Step, Write Data to simulator and Run Continuously at a cycle time specified by the user.

  • Dynamic model features: Run Step, Load Initial Conditions, and Run continuously at a cycle time specified by the user.

  • Heat and Material Balance: Pro-Online allows you to view the entire Heat and Mass balance for the complete model on the graphic itself. This can be exported to Excel or any other database. User can define what variables he wants to see in the table. In a way, Pro-Online can be used to generate a real time PFD of the process.
  • Error Table: For all the values that are monitored, Pro-Online displays a comparison table for plant versus model values. The difference is displayed in absolute numbers and also in percentage. Thus it is easy to have a quick look at the operating state of the plant and its deviation from ideality. The user can configure the limits for deviation of each variable independently. This is useful for activating an alarm. For example, flow rate of cooling water can vary 10% of normal values but the reactor outlet temperature should not deviate by more than 5%
  • Graphical Output: Pro-Online displays the result in a graphical format if desired by the user. In the above picture, the distribution of the feed crude into the various products is shown. This graph is updated each time the plant values change and the model values are updated.
  • HTML Reports: Pro-Online allows exporting all the repots to HTML format which can be directly printed, saved or emailed. The export option is also available to standard software like Excel.
  • Optimization: The Optimization routine in process simulators allow you to maximize or minimize a stream or unit operation variable (Objective Function) given certain independent variables and constraints. Pro-Online allows you to run the Optimization function from its interface.
  • Data Reconciliation: Frequently, as the process conditions change, the model has to be fine-tuned so that it matches with the process. Doing this manually may be time consuming and error prone. Pro-Online allows you to run data reconciliation utility that might be present in the simulator program. The independent parameters in the model are tuned to match the plant data within user defined constraints
  • Run Step Time: Pro-Online allows you to set a step time interval at which the model is run automatically. In the case displayed, the model will run every thirty seconds and the various results will be updated based on the data from the model.
  • Column Profiles: Pro-Online helps you to view data in an elegant user defined format. Tray temperatures, pressures and flow of each component in Vapor and Liquid phases leaving that tray can be displayed. This also helps in inferential sensing. It might not be always possible to install sensors for a particular point you want to look at. Pro-Online can help you do that by displaying the required variables from the model.
 
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