JP7598280B2 - Operation support device, operation support method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an operation support device, an operation support method, and a program.

In order for a plant to continue to operate safely and stably, it is necessary to operate each piece of equipment in the plant appropriately. For example, Patent Document 1 describes how the repair priority of highly deteriorated equipment that makes up the plant is increased, and a maintenance plan is presented that minimizes the life cycle costs for future equipment updates and repairs.

In recent years, automatic control circuits have been incorporated into many of the equipment that makes up the facilities, and automation has progressed to the point where fully automated plants have also appeared. Even in such automated plants, for example, if the control of equipment by the automatic control circuits no longer works properly, workers may need to manually control the equipment (i.e., manually intervene).

JP 2003-67042 A

In such automated plants that also allow manual intervention, there is a demand for appropriate support for plant operations.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide an analysis device, an analysis method, and a program that can appropriately support plant operations.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the operation support device disclosed herein is a plant operation support device that operates by automatically setting a plurality of control parameters and can also operate by manually setting the control parameters by an operator, and includes a manual setting timing acquisition unit that acquires, for each control parameter, information on the manual setting timing, which is the timing at which the manual setting was performed during a specified period in the past; a manual control time calculation unit that calculates, for each control parameter, a manual control time, which is the time required for the manual setting during the specified period based on the manual setting timing; and a manual control information generation unit that generates manual control information indicating the manual control time.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the operation support method disclosed herein is a plant operation support method that operates by automatically setting a plurality of control parameters and can also operate by manually setting the control parameters by an operator, and includes the steps of: acquiring, for each control parameter, information on the manual setting timing, which is the timing at which the manual setting was performed during a predetermined past period; calculating, for each control parameter, a manual control time, which is the time required for the manual setting during the predetermined period, based on the manual setting timing; and generating manual control information indicating the manual control time.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the program disclosed herein is a program that causes a computer to execute a plant operation support method that operates by automatically setting multiple control parameters and can also operate by manually setting the control parameters by an operator, and causes the computer to execute the steps of: acquiring, for each control parameter, information on the manual setting timing, which is the timing at which the manual setting was performed during a specified period of the past; calculating, for each control parameter, a manual control time, which is the time required for the manual setting during the specified period, based on the manual setting timing; and generating manual control information indicating the manual control time.

The present invention can provide appropriate support for plant operations.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a plant according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a chart showing an example of information relating to manual control. FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of the operation support device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example for explaining the manual control time. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the manual control information. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the manual control information. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the manual control information. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the process flow of the operation support device.

Below, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below.

(plant)
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a plant according to the present embodiment. An operation support device 10 according to the present embodiment supports the operation of a plant 100. The plant 100 is a fully automated plant that operates automatically, and also operates by manual control (manual intervention) by an operator. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the plant 100 includes a device 102, an automatic control circuit 104, a manual control receiving unit 106, and a manual control information acquiring unit 108. The plant 100 is, for example, a sludge incineration facility, but is not limited thereto and may be any facility.

The equipment 102 refers to equipment provided in the plant 100, and for example, in the case where the plant 100 is a sludge incineration facility, it refers to an incinerator or the like. The plant 100 is provided with multiple pieces of equipment 102, but the number and types of equipment 102 provided in the plant 100 are arbitrary and are determined appropriately depending on the type of the plant 100.

The automatic control circuit 104 is a control circuit that automatically controls the equipment 102. The automatic control circuit 104 controls the equipment of the plant 100 so that the control parameter P of the equipment 102 becomes a set target value. The control parameter P refers to the parameter to be controlled. For example, if the equipment 102 is an incinerator, the control parameter P refers to the outlet temperature of the incinerator, the amount of sludge put into the incinerator, the amount of fuel, the amount of air, etc. Note that the number (types) of control parameters P for one equipment 102 may be one or more. In other words, the types and number of control parameters P are arbitrary and are determined appropriately according to the type of plant 100.

During automatic control, the automatic control circuit 104 also automatically sets a target value for the control parameter P and controls the device 102 so that the control parameter P reaches the automatically set target value.

In FIG. 1, one automatic control circuit 104 is configured to control multiple devices 102, but this is not limited thereto, and an automatic control circuit 104 may be provided for each device 102. The configuration of the automatic control circuit 104 may also be arbitrary.

The manual control acceptance unit 106 is an input device (user interface) that accepts operations by an operator. When performing manual control, the operator manually inputs (manually sets) the target value of the control parameter P into the manual control acceptance unit 106. This causes the plant 100 to switch from automatic control to manual control, and the automatic control circuit 104 controls the equipment 102 so that the control parameter P reaches the target value input into the manual control acceptance unit 106.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of information related to manual control. The manual control information acquisition unit 108 is a data logger (computer) that acquires and records information related to manual control. When the target value of the control parameter P by the worker is input to the manual control reception unit 106, the manual control information acquisition unit 108 detects information related to manual control and records it in the memory unit. The manual control information acquisition unit 108 acquires, as information related to manual control, information on the manually set control parameter P (information indicating the control parameter P whose target value was manually set) and the manual setting timing, which is the timing when it was manually set. Note that the information related to manual control may also include information indicating the target value of the manually set control parameter P. The manual control information acquisition unit 108 acquires information related to manual control every time the target value of the control parameter P is set by the worker. FIG. 2 shows that the manual control information acquisition unit 108 has acquired, as information related to manual control, the following information: the target value of the control parameter PB was manually set to X1 at 22:01:05 on October 1, 2020 (manual setting timing); the target value of the control parameter PA was manually set to Y1 at 22:05:00; the target value of the control parameter PA was manually set to Y2 at 22:08:00; the target value of the control parameter PA was manually set to Y3 at 22:15:00; and the target value of the control parameter PB was manually set to X2 at 22:16:00. However, the description in FIG. 3 is an example.

The manual control information acquisition unit 108 is separate hardware from the operation support device 10 described below, but is not limited to this, and the operation support device 10 may have the functions of the manual control information acquisition unit 108.

(Operational Support Device)
3 is a schematic block diagram of an operation support device according to the present embodiment. The operation support device 10 can be said to be a computer, and includes an input unit 20, an output unit 22, a communication unit 24, a storage unit 26, and a control unit 28, as shown in FIG.

The input unit 20 is a mechanism (user interface) that accepts operations by a user, and may be, for example, a mouse or a keyboard. The output unit 22 is a device that outputs information, and may be, for example, a display that displays images.

The communication unit 24 is a communication module that communicates with an external device, such as an antenna. The operational support device 10 communicates with an external device via wireless communication, but wired communication may also be used, and the communication method may be any method.

The storage unit 26 is a memory that stores various information such as the calculation contents and programs of the control unit 28, and includes at least one of a main storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and an external storage device such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The program for the control unit 28 stored in the storage unit 26 may be stored in a recording medium that is readable by the operation support device 10.

The control unit 28 is a calculation device and includes a calculation circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 28 includes a manual setting timing acquisition unit 30, a manual control time calculation unit 32, and a manual control information generation unit 34. The control unit 28 realizes the manual setting timing acquisition unit 30, the manual control time calculation unit 32, and the manual control information generation unit 34 by reading and executing a program (software) from the storage unit 26, and executes these processes. The control unit 28 may execute these processes using one CPU, or may be provided with multiple CPUs and execute the processes using these multiple CPUs. At least a part of the processes of the manual setting timing acquisition unit 30, the manual control time calculation unit 32, and the manual control information generation unit 34 may be realized by a hardware circuit.

(Manual setting timing acquisition unit)
The manual setting timing acquisition unit 30 acquires information on the manual setting timing in a predetermined period in the past for each control parameter P for the plant 100. That is, the manual setting timing acquisition unit 30 acquires information indicating the timing manually set for each control parameter P within the predetermined period in the past. In this embodiment, the manual setting timing acquisition unit 30 acquires information on the manual setting timing from the manual control information acquisition unit 108 via the communication unit 24. In the example of FIG. 2, the manual setting timing acquisition unit 30 acquires, as information on the manual setting timing for the control parameter PA, information indicating that the manual setting timing of the manual control parameter PA is 22:05:00, 22:08:00, and 22:08:00 on October 1, 2020, and information indicating that the manual setting timing of the manual control parameter PB is 22:01:05, and 22:16:00 on October 1, 2020. Note that the predetermined period in the past may be set arbitrarily.

(Manual control time calculation unit)
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example for explaining the manual control time. The manual control time calculation unit 32 calculates the manual control time, which is the time required for manual control in a predetermined period, for each control parameter P based on the manual setting timing. In this embodiment, the manual control time calculation unit 32 calculates the manual control time based on the operation constraint time L, which is the time during which the same control parameter P is continuously manually set. The operation constraint time L can also be said to be the time during which the operator is constrained to manually control the control parameter P. Hereinafter, the operation constraint time L will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 illustrates an example in which the control parameter PB is manually set at the manual setting timing t1, the control parameter PA is manually set at the manual setting timings t2, t3, t4, t5, and t6, the control parameter PB is manually set at the manual setting timings t7, t8, and t9, and the control parameter PA is manually set at the manual setting timing t10. Between manual setting timings adjacent to each other in the chronological order (between t1 and t2, between t2 and t3, ..., and between t9 and t10), no manual setting of the control parameter P is performed. That is, for example, the manual setting timing t2 can be said to be the timing at which the control parameter is manually set immediately after the manual setting timing t1.

In the example of FIG. 4, the control parameter PA is manually set continuously from the manual setting timing t2 to the manual setting timing t6. That is, the manual setting timing t2 is the timing when the series of manual settings of the control parameter PA is started (or resumed). In other words, the manual setting timing t2 is the timing when the control parameter PA is manually set, and the control parameter manually set at the manual setting timing t1 immediately before is a control parameter (here, the control parameter PB) different from the control parameter PA. The manual control time calculation unit 32 sets the manual setting timing t2 when the manual setting of the control parameter PA is started (or resumed) as the start timing of the operation constraint time L for the control parameter PA. Note that even if there is no manual setting timing immediately before the manual setting timing t2 (i.e., when the control parameter PA is manually set for the first time in a predetermined period), the manual setting timing t2 may be treated as the start timing of the operation constraint time L.

In the example of FIG. 4, the manual setting timing t6 is the last manual setting timing of the series of manual setting timings of the control parameter PA. In other words, the manual setting timing t6 is the timing at which the control parameter PA is manually set consecutively from the manual setting timing t2 (i.e., no control parameters other than the control parameter PA are manually set between the manual setting timing t2 and the manual setting timing t6), and the control parameter manually set at the manual setting timing t7 immediately thereafter is a control parameter other than the control parameter PA (here, the control parameter PB). In this way, the manual control time calculation unit 32 sets the last manual setting timing t6 of the consecutive manual setting timings as the end timing of the operation constraint time L for the control parameter PA. Note that even if there is no manual setting timing immediately after the manual setting timing t6 (i.e., the last manual setting in a predetermined period), the manual setting timing t6 may be treated as the last manual setting timing of the operation constraint time L.

In the example of FIG. 4, the manual control time calculation unit 32 calculates the time from manual setting timing t2, when the continuous setting of the control parameter PA is started, to the final manual setting timing t6 of the continuous setting of the control parameter PA, as the operation constraint time L for the control parameter PA. Similarly, in the example of FIG. 4, the control parameter PB is manually set continuously from manual setting timing t7 to manual setting timing t9, so the manual control time calculation unit 32 calculates the time from manual setting timing t7 to manual setting timing t9 as the operation constraint time L for the control parameter PB.

Note that, after manual setting of a control parameter PA is completed, another control parameter PB may be manually set, and then the control parameter PA may be manually set again, so that there may be multiple operation constraint times L for the same control parameter PA in different time periods. Therefore, the manual control time calculation unit 32 calculates the operation constraint time L for each control parameter P over the entire period of the specified period, and calculates the total value of the operation constraint times L for the control parameter PA within the specified period as the manual control time for that control parameter PA.

(Manual control information generating unit)
The manual control information generating unit 34 generates manual control information indicating a manual control time. The manual control information generating unit 34 generates information indicating a manual control time for each control parameter P at a predetermined time as manual control information. The manual control information generating unit 34 outputs the generated manual control information. The manual control information generating unit 34 may output the manual control information to the output unit 22, or may output (transmit) the manual control information to another device. By generating manual control information indicating the manual control time in this manner, the manual control time for each control parameter P can be compared to appropriately support the operation of the plant 100.

5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of manual control information. In this embodiment, the manual control information generating unit 34 generates image data indicating the manual control time for each control parameter P as the manual control information. In the example of FIG. 5, the manual control information generating unit 34 generates image data displaying the manual control time for each control parameter P in a predetermined period as a bar graph as the manual control information. In this case, the manual control information generating unit 34 may display the image data generated as the manual control information on the output unit 22. When the manual control information is image data, it is preferable that the manual control information generating unit 34 generates the manual control information so that the manual control time for each control parameter P can be displayed on one screen. By displaying the manual control time for each control parameter P on one screen, it becomes easy to compare the manual control time for each control parameter P, and the operation of the plant 100 can be more appropriately supported. Note that the manual control information is not limited to image data as shown in FIG. 5, and may be any information indicating the manual control time for each control parameter P.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the manual control information. As shown in FIG. 6, the manual control information generating unit 34 may generate information indicating the manual control time for each worker and control parameter P as the manual control information. In this case, the manual setting timing acquiring unit 30 also acquires information on the worker who performed the manual setting, and the manual control time calculating unit 32 calculates the manual control time for each worker and control parameter P. That is, the manual control time calculating unit 32 classifies the manual control time for each control parameter P for each worker who performed the manual setting of the control parameter P, and calculates the manual control time for each control parameter P for each worker. Then, the manual control information generating unit 34 generates, for example, image data indicating the manual control time for each control parameter P for each worker as the manual control information. By indicating the manual control time for each worker in this way, for example, the proficiency level of the worker can be grasped, and the operation of the plant 100 can be more appropriately supported.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing another example of manual control information. As shown in FIG. 7, the manual control information generating unit 34 may generate information indicating the relationship between the manually set target value and the operation constraint time L as the manual control information. That is, in this case, the manual setting timing acquiring unit 30 also acquires information on the target value of the manually set control parameter P. For each operation constraint time L, the manual control information generating unit 34 acquires information on the target value set at the last manual setting timing (manual setting timing t6 in the example of FIG. 4) among the successive manual setting timings. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the manual control information generating unit 34 generates image data indicating the operation constraint time L for each target value at the last manual setting timing (target values S1, S2, S3, S4 in the example of FIG. 7) as the manual control information. That is, for example, the operation constraint time L for the target value S1 can be said to be the time required for the control parameter P to reach the target value S1. In this way, by classifying the operation constraint time L according to the target value at the last manual setting timing, it is possible to confirm which target value results in a longer operation constraint time L, thereby more appropriately supporting the operation of the plant 100. In this case, if there are multiple operation constraint times L with the same target value at the last manual setting timing, the manual control information generating unit 34 may sum up these operation constraint times L to determine the operation constraint time L for that target value.

(Processing flow)
The process flow of the operation support device 10 described above will be described. Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the process flow of the operation support device. As shown in Fig. 8, the operation support device 10 acquires information on the manual setting timing in a predetermined period in the past for each control parameter P by the manual setting timing acquisition unit 30 (step S10), calculates the manual control time for each control parameter P based on the manual setting timing by the manual control time calculation unit 32 (step S12), and generates manual control information indicating the manual control time based on the manual control time by the manual control information generation unit 34 (step S14).

(effect)
As described above, the operation support device 10 according to this embodiment is a device that supports the operation of the plant 100, which can operate by automatically setting a plurality of control parameters P, and can also operate by manually setting the control parameters P by an operator, and includes a manual setting timing acquisition unit 30, a manual control time calculation unit 32, and a manual control information generation unit 34. The manual setting timing acquisition unit 30 acquires information on the manual setting timing, which is the timing at which manual setting was performed during a predetermined period in the past, for each control parameter P. The manual control time calculation unit 32 calculates, based on the manual setting timing, the manual control time, which is the time required for manual setting during a predetermined period, for each control parameter P. The manual control information generation unit 34 generates manual control information indicating the manual control time.

Here, in the plant 100 that is automatically controlled but also accepts manual intervention, when the automatically set control parameter P becomes incompatible (i.e., when the automatically set control parameter P does not match the target value), manual intervention is required to manually set the control parameter P in order to operate the plant 100 appropriately. Although manual intervention does not impede the continued operation of the plant 100, the manual setting that would have been unnecessary if the automatic control could have continued is performed, so the workload of the workers increases and the cost increases accordingly. Therefore, in order to operate such a plant 100 appropriately, it is required to reduce the degree of manual intervention while operating the plant 100 appropriately. In response to this, the operation support device 10 according to this embodiment calculates the manual control time required for manual setting (manual intervention) in the past and generates manual control information indicating the manual control time. Therefore, by referring to the manual control information when operating the plant 100 in the future, for example, an operation policy for reducing the degree of manual intervention while operating the plant 100 appropriately can be considered, and therefore the operation of the plant 100 can be appropriately supported while taking into consideration the aspect of interruption of automatic operation due to manual operation intervention. That is, for example, by referring to the manual control time for each control parameter P, it is possible to select the devices and control parameters P for which manual setting is to be prioritized (i.e., prioritizing manual intervention), and to appropriately operate the plant 100. Also, in this embodiment, the manual control time for a predetermined period of time is shown, so that it is possible to analyze by dividing it into, for example, 8:00 to 18:00 (day shift) and 18:00 to 8:00 (night shift), and use this to consider ways to compensate for labor shortages, such as by assigning experienced personnel during the day and automating or reducing the number of personnel at night.

The manual control time calculation unit 32 calculates the manual control time of the first control parameter (control parameter PA in the example of FIG. 4) based on the operation constraint time L, which is the time between the first timing (manual setting timing t2 in the example of FIG. 4) and the second timing (manual setting timing t6 in the example of FIG. 4). The first timing is the timing when the first control parameter (control parameter PA in the example of FIG. 4) is manually set, and the control parameter P manually set immediately before that becomes a control parameter other than the first control parameter (control parameter PB in the example of FIG. 4). The second timing is the timing when the first control parameter is manually set consecutively from the first timing, and the control parameter P manually set immediately after that becomes a control parameter P other than the first control parameter (control parameter PB in the example of FIG. 4). The burden on the worker due to manual intervention is influenced by, for example, the number of times manual setting is performed, but the inventor has found, as a result of intensive research, that the operation constraint time L has a large effect on the burden on the worker. Therefore, by calculating the manual control time based on the operation constraint time L, it is possible to visualize the burden on workers due to manual intervention, thereby appropriately supporting the operation of the plant 100.

In addition, when there are multiple operation constraint times L within a specified period, the manual control time calculation unit 32 calculates the total value of the operation constraint times L as the manual control time. By calculating the total value of the operation constraint times L as the manual control time, the operation support device 10 can more appropriately visualize the burden on workers due to manual intervention for each control parameter P, and appropriately support the operation of the plant 100.

The manual setting timing acquisition unit 30 also acquires information about the worker who performed the manual setting, and the manual control time calculation unit 32 calculates the manual control time for each worker and control parameter P. By calculating the manual control time for each worker, for example, the proficiency level of the worker can be extracted, and the operation of the plant 100 can be appropriately supported.

The manual control information generating unit 34 also generates image data indicating the manual control time for each control parameter P as manual control information. By generating image data indicating the manual control time, it becomes possible to consider the operation of the plant 100 while referring to the image, thereby appropriately supporting the operation of the plant 100.

Manual setting is a control that sets a target value for the control parameter P. In other words, a so-called SV (Set Variable) value is manually set. The operation support device 10 can appropriately support the operation of the plant 100 by indicating the manual control time for the plant 100 in which the SV value is manually set in this manner.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments are not limited to the contents of these embodiments. The above-mentioned components include those that a person skilled in the art can easily imagine, those that are substantially the same, and those that are within the so-called equivalent range. Furthermore, the above-mentioned components can be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the components can be made without departing from the spirit of the above-mentioned embodiments.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Operation support device 30 Manual setting timing acquisition unit 32 Manual control time calculation unit 34 Manual control information generation unit 100 Plant 102 Equipment P Control parameter

Claims (7)

1. A plant operation support device that automatically sets target values of a plurality of control parameters of a plurality of devices, automatically controls the devices so that the control parameters of the devices become the automatically set target values, and allows an operator to manually change the set target values,
a manual setting timing acquisition unit that acquires information on a manual setting timing, which is a timing at which the manual setting was performed during a predetermined period in the past, for each of the control parameters related to a manually set target value;
a manual control time calculation unit that calculates a manual control time, which is a time required for the manual setting within the predetermined period, for each of the control parameters related to a manually set target value based on the manual setting timing;
a manual control information generating unit that generates manual control information indicating the manual control time for each of the control parameters related to a manually set target value;
4. An operational support device comprising: The operation support device according to claim 1, wherein the manual control time calculation unit calculates the manual control time of the first control parameter based on an operation constraint time, which is the time between a first timing at which the first control parameter is manually set and the control parameter manually set immediately before that is a control parameter other than the first control parameter, and a second timing at which the first control parameter is manually set consecutively from the first timing and the control parameter manually set immediately after that is a control parameter other than the first control parameter. The operation support device according to claim 2, wherein, when there are multiple operation constraint times within the predetermined period, the manual control time calculation unit calculates the total value of the operation constraint times as the manual control time. The manual setting timing acquisition unit also acquires information about the worker who performed the manual setting,
The operation support device according to claim 1 , wherein the manual control time calculation unit calculates the manual control time for each of the workers and the control parameters. The operation support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the manual control information generating unit generates image data indicating the manual control time for each of the control parameters as the manual control information. The operation support device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the manual setting is a control that sets a target value for the control parameter. A program for causing a computer to execute a plant operation support method in which target values of a plurality of control parameters of a plurality of devices are automatically set, the devices are automatically controlled so that the plurality of control parameters of the devices become the automatically set target values, and the set target values can be changed by an operator through manual setting,
acquiring information on a manual setting timing, which is a timing at which the manual setting was performed during a predetermined period in the past, for each of the control parameters related to a manually set target value;
calculating a manual control time, which is a time required for the manual setting within the predetermined period, for each of the control parameters related to a manually set target value based on the manual setting timing;
generating manual control information indicating the manual control time for each of the control parameters related to a manually set target value;
The computer executes the
program.

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