• Sumitava Sengupta

• General Manager-Power & Water

• Yokogawa Middle East & Africa

• Bahrain

A paradigm shift: Using technology as

an enabler for skills development and

retention

Agenda

• Introduction

• Operators’ Training Simulator (OTS)

• Procedural Automation of Plant’s Manual

Operations, integrated with Plant’s

Control System (DCS)

Introduction • Industry faces challenges in Skills development and retention of

knowledge of best Operators

• It is more profound in Power Generation Industry, because:

Now, focus is more on Efficiency and Optimization and not on mere Availability or Plant Load Factor

Market economy and competitive environment can punish severely a non performing Power Generation company

• Historically , this has been a mere Human Resource Issue

• Training and Development : effectiveness was a challenge !

• A paradigm shift….

Technology becomes a real enabler for effectiveness of training : A Hi-fidelity , exact replica Training Simulator of your plant is the solution

Knowledge Repository can be created to retain the best operation practices – to train & guide the new / less efficient operators. This is achieved by Procedural Automation of Plant’s Manual Operations .This should be integrated into Plant Control System (DCS)

OTS: The Basic Concept

Promodel

IO Process

Shared

Memory

Instructor

(GUI)

Coslog

Executive

FDT

DCSClient

DCSClient

DCSClient

Test Function

CSServer

Station

Quanitity as

required

Test Function

CSServer

Test Function

CSServer

Test Function

CSServer

Test Function

CSServer

Typical FCS

emulation

Instance

Typical Operator

Station

Main Simulation

Computer

Simulated Vnet

SFC load/save

SFC load/save

SFC load/save

SFC load/save

SFC load/save

Trainee’s Stations: exactly same as Real Plant DCS HMI

DCS Control, Stimulated + Other control systems (e.g. GT/ ST control systems), Emulated in in DCS Virtual Controller

Hi-fidelity Model of Real plant, based on First Principles

OTS: Typical Architecture

HIS01361 HIS01362 HIS01363

TFPC1 TFPC2 TFPC3 TFPC4 TFPC5

EWS Instructor

File Server Model Server

HIS01361 HIS01362 HIS01363

Instructor/EWS

ESXi

TFPC1

TFPC2

TFPC3

TFPC4

TFPC5

Centum File Server

Model Server

Instructor's Terminal

OTS Server: 1. Plant Model Server 2. DCS Virtual Controllers 3. DCS Engineering Server

Trainees’ Terminals

Virtualization reduces the foot-print

OTS: The Concept of “Stimulation”

Operators’ Training Simulators (OTS)

A High fidelity plant simulator :

Replicates all of the functions

& processes of your plant

Has a high degree of fidelity

and accuracy

Is more than just a static

simulator

Is “Unit 0” of your power station

ISA77.20 describes Fossil Simulators Functional Requirements

OTS: What is Hi fidelity ?

High Fidelity:

Uses highly developed process models, based on principles of

energy and mass conservation.

Accurately re-creates the detailed interaction between each

piece of equipment in the plant, based on plant design data.

Can be used for high level process and control design and

optimization.

Much higher value over the lifecycle of the plant.

Final fidelity is a product of the quality of the data received

Performance Criteria: Steady State & Dynamic Accuracy

OTS: Plant Model Building

OTS: Benefits

• Reduction of Plant Start up time by training the operators before hand on virtual plant and its control system based on actual plant

• Training of New Operators and DCS Maintenance Engineers

• Retraining of Operators to enhance their skills for Plant Operation towards higher efficiency and Optimization

• Enhance Plant malfunction analysis capabilities

• Tools to enhance training using OTS:

– Predefined Malfunctions

– Easy creation of Plant Snapshots / Initial Conditions

• Integrated Training Exercises and Reports for Trainees

• Platform for validation of control strategies/ modifications

Malfunctions: An Important Tool in OTS

for Training

The Instructor System provides the facility to introduce

simulated equipment malfunctions.

These malfunctions and their descriptions are pre-created

and provided with the simulator.

A Malfunction is a mechanism used to selectively introduce

abnormal behaviour into the simulator models.

A malfunction can be activated at anytime from the Instructor

Station.

When a malfunction is activated, the simulator status

information will indicate MALFUNCTIONS ACTIVE and an

icon will appear in the icon status bar.

Malfunctions are prepared as physical simulations and

therefore reflect true physical laws.

OTS: Training Exercises and Evaluation

The training exercise allows Trainers to load a series of ICs

and apply malfunctions, malfunction scenarios, as well as

force any signal in the simulator database. The trainer is also

able to monitor a wide range of variables in order to assess

trainees’ performance.

At the end of each training exercise, a report of the exercise

undertaken and the trainee performance is stored in the

simulator database.

The reporting of trainee performance is determined through

the variation of variables selected by the trainer throughout

the exercise. The trainee score is determined by how much a

selected variable deviates outside the acceptable limits set

by the trainer.

OTS: Training Exercises and Evaluation

Screen shots from real OTS

The Instructor’s Terminals have access to these

OTS: Successful References

Case Studies are excluded to avoid branding

Procedural Automation An automation program can be created as flow chart diagram

including a veteran operator’s/engineer’s know-how

Standardize operation know-how

– Plant startup/shutdown procedure

– Switchover operation

– Load change operation

– Fault diagnosis

– Trouble shooting

– Efficient manual control

Automate heuristics operations

– Safer and more cost-effective operation with minimum operator intervention

Navigate junior operators

– Prevent incorrect actions

– Prevent miss steps

Procedural Automation- Example

<Condition icon> Check LI100.PV>=50

<Block mode setting icon> P101.MODE to AUTO

<Condition icon> Check P101.PV = 2

<Output to DCS icon> P101.CSV to 2 (Start)

<Confirmation icon> HV100 Open

<Guidance message icon> P101 start finished

<Output to DCS icon> P101.CSV to 0 (Stop)

<Pause icon> Pause this sequence

<Alarm message icon> Preparation error

<Output to DCS icon> FIC100.SV to 20t/h

<Timer icon> Wait 10 minutes

Know-how

(1) Check base tank level LI100.PV >= 50% (2) Start pump P-101 (3) Check answer back flag (4) open field hand valve HV100

Typical paper SOP (too much simplified)

If tank level is lower than 50%, announce it and open inlet valve of base tank (FIC100.SV = 20t/h), and wait for 10 minutes. If answerback is not ‘2’ and alarm status (P101.ALRM) is not “NR”, stop pump (P101.CSV = 0), announce it, and pause operation till field operator solves the problem.

Operation know-how of veteran operator/engineer

Typical paper SOP

YES YES

NO NO

NO YES

Procedural Automation- Benefits

Improved operating stability

Greater Operating Efficiency

Succession to Skilled Operators’ Expertise, particularly for

Unusual Operation

High-skilled operation know-how are shared and unified

Better Operating Information & Operator Understanding

Improve Alarm Management during Start-up and Shutdown

Operation

Extend equipment life

Procedural Automation- Benefits

Safety improvement

Prevention of miss-operation

Prevention of hazardous situation by the early detection of

process abnormality

Productivity improvement

Improvement of product quality

Decrease of production losses by shortening of start-up time

Reduction of transient (off-specification)

Cost saving

Utility saving (steam, fuel gas, electricity, instrumentation air)

Procedural Automation- Benefits Continuous /Full-time monitoring with Operator notification

Quick access: Relevant checklist or documents can

be attached to Operator Messages for fast reference

Procedural Automation- Benefits

Forces confirmation and tracks all events. Procedures

step acknowledgements are electronically saved.

Procedural Automation- Case Study (Boiler)

Procedural Automation- Boiler

The following Sub procedures are built up for Boiler startup

1. Drum Water Fill-up

2. Fan Startup

3. Furnace Purge

4. Fuel System Startup

5. Fuel system Leakage

Check

6. Burner Ignition

7. Drum Pressure Increase

8. Turbine startup

Procedural Automation- Boiler (Case Study)

Procedural Automation- Integration in DCS

This Applications are Integrated into DCS screens

Q & A