Abstract:
A method includes obtaining at least first, second and third data corresponding to an industrial plant, wherein the first data is indicative of a performance of equipment of the industrial plant, the second data is indicative of a process of the industrial plant, and third data is indicative of a reliability of the industrial plant, analyzing the first, second and third data with respect to predetermined metrics of the industrial plant, and generating a signal indicative of a recommendation for at least one of use of the equipment or implementation of the process based on a result of the analyzing.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The following generally relates to industrial plant process automation optimization and is described with particular application to a mineral plant; however, the following is also amenable to other industrial plants. 
         [0002]    Mining, generally, is the extraction of a material from the earth. Examples of materials that are mined from the earth include, but are not limited to, metal such as copper, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock salt, potash, petroleum, natural gas, water, and/or other material. Such materials may be contained in an orebody, lode, vein, seam or reef, which forms the mineralized horizon. Copper mining will be discussed next in more detail as an example of a mining process. 
         [0003]    Copper mining includes extracting copper ore from the earth and then extracting the copper from the ore. This conversion consists of a series of chemical, physical, and electrochemical processes. For example, the ore is first crushed. Then it is roasted to convert sulfides to oxides, which are smelted to produce matte. Finally, it undergoes various refining processes, the final one being electrolysis. For economic and environmental reasons, many of the byproducts of extraction are reclaimed. 
         [0004]    More specifically, copper ores are often obtained from large open-pit mines by drilling and blasting with explosives. The material located above the ore is first removed to expose the buried ore deposit. The copper ore is removed and loaded into a transportation vehicle, called a haul truck, and is transported up and out of the pit. The copper typically contains a large amount of dirt, clay, and a variety of non-copper bearing minerals. 
         [0005]    From the literature, the first step to extracting the copper is to remove some of the non-copper material. Examples of approaches for doing so include, but at not limited to, crushing the copper ore with a series of cone crushers, which consists of an interior grinding cone that rotates on an eccentric vertical axis inside a fixed outer cone. As the ore is fed into the top of the crusher, it is squeezed between the two cones and broken into smaller pieces. 
         [0006]    The crushed ore is then ground even smaller by a series of mills. First, it is mixed with water and placed in a rod mill, which consists of a large cylindrical container filled with numerous short lengths of steel rod. As the cylinder rotates on its horizontal axis, the steel rods tumble and break up the ore into smaller pieces. The mixture of ore and water is further broken up in two ball mills. The slurry of finely ground ore that emerges from the final ball mill contains particles about 0.01 in (0.25 mm) in diameter. 
         [0007]    The slurry is mixed with various chemical reagents, which coat the copper particles. A frother (e.g., pine oil or long-chain alcohol) are added, and the mixture is pumped into rectangular tanks where air is injected into the slurry through the bottom of the tanks. The chemical reagents make the copper particles cling to the bubbles as they rise to the surface. The frother forms a thick layer of bubbles, which overflows the tanks and is collected in troughs. The bubbles are allowed to condense and the water is drained 
         [0008]    The copper concentrate is fed into an oxygen-enriched flash furnace along with a silica material flux. Iron chemically combines with the flux to form a slag and is skimmed off, and sulfur combines with the oxygen and is exhausted. Generally, this process is repeated and the resulting molten material contains a higher concentration of copper by weight. The molten material is then refined and cast into ingots, cakes, billets, or rods depending on the final application. 
         [0009]    However, the mining process is confronted with various challenges. Such challenges include maximizing output, which includes ending up with a predetermined threshold concentration of copper in the refined final product considering the initial ore may include less than 1.0% of the material of interest. Other challenges include mitigating environmental, health and/or safety concerns, minimizing down time, reducing energy cost, optimizing allocation of recourses, getting properly trained individuals to remotely located mines, etc. Thus, there is an unresolved need for improving the mining process. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0010]    Aspects of the present application address these matters, and others. 
         [0011]    According to one aspect, a method includes obtaining at least first, second and third data corresponding to an industrial plant, wherein the first data is indicative of a performance of equipment of the industrial plant, the second data is indicative of a process of the industrial plant, and third data is indicative of a reliability of the industrial plant, analyzing the first, second and third data with respect to predetermined metrics of the industrial plant, and generating a signal indicative of a recommendation for at least one of use of the equipment or implementation of the process based on a result of the analyzing. 
         [0012]    According to another aspect, a system includes a data collector that obtains at least first, second and third data corresponding to an industrial plant, wherein the first data is indicative of a performance of equipment of the industrial plant, the second data is indicative of a process of the industrial plant, and third data is indicative of a reliability of the industrial plant, a data analyzer that analyzes the first, second and third data with respect to predetermined metrics of the industrial plant, and a recommender that generates a signal indicative of a recommendation for at least one of use of the equipment or implementation of the process based on a result of the analyzing. 
         [0013]    According to another aspect, a computer readable storage medium is encoded with one or more computer executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor of a computing system, causes the processor to: obtain at least first, second and third data corresponding to an industrial plant, wherein the first data is indicative of a performance of equipment of the industrial plant, the second data is indicative of a process of the industrial plant, and third data is indicative of a reliability of the industrial plant, analyze the first, second and third data with respect to predetermined metrics of the industrial plant, and generate a signal indicative of a recommendation for at least one of use of the equipment or implementation of the process based on a result of the analyzing. 
         [0014]    Those skilled in the art will appreciate still other aspects of the present application upon reading and understanding the attached figures and description. 
     
    
     
       FIGURES 
         [0015]    The present application is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements and in which: 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  illustrates an example industrial plant in connection with an industrial plant optimization system. 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  illustrates example index profile spider charts for a particular control system. 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  illustrates example index profile spider charts for control performance assessment. 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  illustrates an overall equipment effectiveness chart. 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  illustrates an industrial plant process automation method for optimizing an industrial plant process. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    The following relates to industrial plant process automation optimization and is described in connection with a minerals plant. However, the following is not limited to minerals plants but is also amenable to other plants in other industries such as pulp &amp; paper, oil &amp; gas, chemical, metal, petrochemical, power utilities, water utilities, and renewable energy and/or other industries. The optimization, in one instance, allows for maximizing equipment life, optimizing processes, and/or improving reliability. 
         [0022]    Initially referring to  FIG. 1 , an example minerals plant  100  is illustrated. It is to be understood that this particular example is not limiting and other configuration are also contemplated herein. Power for the plant  100 , in the illustrated example, is supplied from overhead power lines  102 . Power therefrom is received by high voltage switchers  104 , which supplies power to a power transformer  106 . Power from the power transformer  106  is fed to a mega-voltage switcher  108 , which supplies power to various chains of the plant  100 . 
         [0023]    A first chain  110  includes a distribution transformer  112  that supplies power to one or more low voltage motors  114  via a motor control center  116  and/or one or more low voltage variable speed drives  118 . One or more valves  120  of the first chain  110  are controlled by a computer based control station  122 . A second chain  124  includes a contained electrical room  126 . A third chain  128  includes a power factor corrector  130 . A further chain  132  includes a drive transformer  134 , a megavolt variable speed drive  136 , and one or more megavolt motors  138 . 
         [0024]    The plant  100  includes a console  140  that can communicate with one or more of the components of the plant  100 . The console  140  can also communicate with one or more of the devices external to the plant  100 . Such communication can be through wired and/or wireless approaches. In addition, the console  140  includes an input device(s) such as a mouse, keyboard, etc. and an output device(s) such as a display monitor, a printer, etc. which allows for user interaction with the console  140 . 
         [0025]    An optimization system  141  includes a data collector (DC)  142  that collects information about the plant  100 . Such information includes equipment based information, production process based information and reliability information, and, optionally, energy, safety, environmental, etc. information. In one instance, this includes conveying a query in an electronic format such as an electronic document or the like to the console  140  and receiving a result in an electronic format. The query can be electronically conveyed to the plant  100  and/or the result can be electronically conveyed to the data collector  142  via a network, a cable, portable memory, etc. 
         [0026]    In a variation, this data is obtained through a series of questions of a questionnaire, which may include a predetermined set of possible answers which to choose from. The questions may pertain to how well is equipment being maintained in a certain area, how well is the equipment being maintained, safety, training of people, etc., how well is the control performance, how well can they perform on their strategy, etc. The output can be used to define customer strengths and weaknesses and recommendation for improvement. 
         [0027]    The industrial plant  100  answers the questions and returns them to the data collector  142 . The query and/or the questionnaire can be tailored to a specific piece of equipment and/or process, equipment and/or processes in general, and/or a particular industrial plant. 
         [0028]    Examples of equipment based information include, but are not limited to, information about uptime, speed, efficiency, hardware components, software revisions, spare parts compliment, life cycle status, etc. Examples of production process based information include, but are not limited to, information about overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), down time, control loop goodness, process interrupts, etc. Examples of reliability based information include, but is not limited to, information about work practices, organization, culture, etc. 
         [0029]    Examples of data requested include, but are not limited to, data related to preventive strategy, emergency strategy, proactive strategy, life cycle strategy, hardware, software, training, availability and support, personnel, variability, data availability, data quality, etc. For example, for prevention strategy for a piece of equipment, the requested data may correspond to the last inspection was performed, the preventive maintenance schedule, the ratio of preventive maintenance to un-schedule corrective maintenance, replacement parts, etc. 
         [0030]    The optimization system  141  further includes a data analyzer (DA)  144  that analyzes the results of the query and/or questionnaire. The results can be analyzed by themselves and/or in connection with results of previous queries to the same plant  100  and/or one or more other plants, including a same type of plant and/or a different type of plant. The results may also be analyzed in connection with industry standards, plant specific standards, standards of a particular plant, etc. The data analysis can also be considered as benchmarking based on the data collected for equipment, process, and reliability. 
         [0031]    The optimization system  141  further includes a recommender (R)  146  generates a recommendation based on the analysis. The recommendation can be in the form of an electronic document and include a report detailing and/or summarizing the information collected, the information analyzed, and the basis for the recommendation. The report may include information identifying opportunities for maximizing equipment lifecycle, optimizing process performance, and/or delivering reliability improvements. 
         [0032]    The report may also compare candidate recommendations in view of the current state of the process. As example comparison is shown in the spider chart  200  of  FIG. 2 . Note that the illustrated spider chart  200  is for a control system and includes generic indices (e.g., emergency strategy, prevention strategy, life cycle strategy, personnel) as well as control system specific indices (e.g., I/O, network/controller, human system interface (HSI)). Spider charts for other systems may include similar and/or different indices. 
         [0033]    The spider chart  200  shows a first profile  202 , which corresponds to the current state of the control system. In this example, the index for the first profile  202  is  280 . A second profile  204  corresponds to a primary recommendation, which has an index of  543 . As shown, the primary recommendation is projected to improve all indices. A third profile  206  corresponds to a secondary recommendation, which has an index of  357 . As shown, the secondary recommendation is projected to improve the human system interface index. 
         [0034]    Indexes such as preventive maintenance strategy, emergency maintenance strategy, training, predictive maintenance strategy index, support availability index, life cycle strategy index etc. can be presented per equipment class for a plant. Indexes can also be presented per Index type (e.g., preventive maintenance strategy, etc.) between equipment classes for a plant. 
         [0035]    Indexes such as preventive maintenance strategy, emergency maintenance strategy, training, predictive maintenance strategy index, support availability index, life cycle strategy index etc. can also be presented per equipment class for multiple plants for a single or multiple customers. Indexes can also be presented per Index type (e.g., preventive maintenance strategy, etc.) between equipment classes for multiple plants for a single or multiple customers. 
         [0036]    Specific product specific technology indices includes, but are not limited to, Gearless Mill Drive, which includes at least the following specific technology indices: Ring Motor, Converter, Switchgear&amp;Transformer, E-House, Motor Control Center, and Automation. It is to be appreciated the above is just an example, as these can vary for each product. 
         [0037]    The indexing approach is based on unique equipment specific data collection techniques and kpi&#39;s. This includes adapting approaches used for other systems such as control systems. In addition, using this unique, repeatable approach may provide the capability to collect “like” information from multiple plants, enabling findings such as benchmarking capabilities between plants, regions, industries, etc. 
         [0038]      FIG. 3  shows a spider chart  300  for control performance assessment. The indices in the chart  300  include settings, maintenance, personnel, network and sigma. A first profile  302  shows the current state, and a second profile  304  shows a recommendation, which includes improvement to all of the indices. Again, the spider charts discussed herein are not limiting and are provided for explanatory purposes.  FIG. 4  shows an OEE report  400 , which shows an itemized list or breakdown of total time. 
         [0039]    Returning to  FIG. 1 , the recommendations generally include recommendations for maintenance improvement recommendations for at least one of equipment, process performance, or reliability. Examples of equipment recommendations include a recommendation for at least one of training, support, preventive maintenance, etc. Examples of process performance recommendations include a recommendation for at least one of control effectiveness, rate, or downtime. Examples of reliability recommendations include a recommendations for at least one of maintenance process or maintenance strategy. 
         [0040]    The recommendation can be conveyed, via a signal and/or hardcopy, from the recommender  146  to the console  140  of the plant  100 , which can visually present the report via a display monitor (or print the report to hard copy) for user observation by a technician and/or other authorized personnel and/or automatically control one or more components of the plant  100  based thereon. Where the report is visually displayed, the technician and/or robot can effectuate control one or more components of the plant  100  based thereon. 
         [0041]    The plant  100  can either implement the recommendations (in part or in full) by themselves or with third party involvement, or not. It is to be appreciated that the recommendations may provide one or more of: raise production availability (e.g., 5% or more), extend equipment life at a cost lower than that of new equipment (e.g., 1/10 th  the cost), optimize process performance, improve productivity (e.g., by 5% or more), cut energy costs (e.g., by 5% or more), increase overall equipment effectiveness (e.g., by 2-5%). 
         [0042]    The optimization system  141  further includes a data scanner  148  that scans the plant  100  based on a predetermined schedule (e.g., each quarter, each month, etc.) and/or on demand. The resulting data can be conveyed to the data collector  142  and processed as described above and/or compared with the recommendation to determine whether a recommended action has been implemented and/or implemented properly. Memory device  150  stores collected data, analysis results, recommendations, scanned data, and/or other information. 
         [0043]    The outcome of the analysis and/or monitoring may include maximizing output, ensuring compliance with environmental, health and/or safety standards, mitigating over-allocating of resources, ensuring proper personnel and utilization thereof, minimizing downtime, reducing energy cost, etc. 
         [0044]    It is to be appreciated that one or more of the components  142 ,  144 ,  146  and/or  148  can be implemented via one or more processors that execute one or more computer readable instructions encoded, embedded, stored, etc. on computer readable storage medium such as physical memory and/or other non-transitory memory. Additionally or alternatively, at least one of the computer readable instructions may be carried by a signal, carrier wave and/or other transitory medium. 
         [0045]      FIG. 5  illustrates an industrial process automation method. 
         [0046]    It is to be appreciated that the ordering of the acts in the methods described herein is not limiting. As such, other orderings are contemplated herein. In addition, one or more acts may be omitted and/or one or more additional acts may be included. 
         [0047]    At  502 , at least first data indicative of a performance of equipment of the industrial plant is obtained. 
         [0048]    At  504 , at least second data indicative of a process of the industrial plant is obtained. 
         [0049]    At  506 , at least third data indicative of a reliability of the industrial plant is obtained. 
         [0050]    Optionally, data indicative energy usage of the industrial plant, an environmental characteristic of the industrial plant, a safety characteristic of the industrial plant, and/or other information about the plant. 
         [0051]    At  508 , the first, second and third data (and/or the optional data) are analyzed with respect to a predetermined metric of the industrial plant. 
         [0052]    At  510 , a signal indicative of a recommendation for at least one of use of the equipment or implementation of the process is generated based on a result of the analysis. 
         [0053]    At  512 , the recommendation is implemented for the industrial plant. 
         [0054]    At  514 , the industrial plant is monitored and further recommendations are provided as needed. 
         [0055]    The above may be implemented by way of computer readable instructions, which when executed by a computer processor(s), cause the processor(s) to carry out the described techniques. In such a case, the instructions are stored in a computer readable storage medium associated with or otherwise accessible to the relevant computer. 
         [0056]    Of course, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding description. It is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.