OmegaLand

Application

OmegaLand provides an Integrated Environment applicable to various situations of plant operation with dynamic simulators. There are a variety of them as described below.

Process Analysis and Examination
Steady-state simulators have been applied to analyzing and designing of processes, while dynamic simulators are used for analyzing and verifying plant operation.
The Visual Modeler or the OmegaLand/Trainer is useful.
Education
A dynamic simulator applied to a teaching system of chemical engineering.
Various educational packages are provided as the OmegaLand/Educator.
Operator Training
The operator training simulator is an application of a virtual plant. Trainees can practice operation on a virtual plant with a realistic behavior of an actual plant.
Built on OmegaLand/Trainer.
Control Assistant
Before you apply the DCS and the control assistant package to an actual plant, you can verify the performance by connecting them to the OmegaLand which supplies a virtual plant.
Optimization
Synchronizing the process data to a dynamic simulation model can be applied to operation assistant and optimization.

Process Analysis and Examination

A steady-state simulator has been used for process analysis and designing, whereas a dynamic simulator is being used for plant operation analysis and verification.
On a virtual plant configured in a dynamic simulator, it is possible to perform many kinds of examinations and verification of problems, which would be impossible at a real plant in operation due to the concerns for safety and external disturbance. It is also possible to predict problems which might occur in a new plant to be built.
The followings are available in the environment which is similar to real operation.

  • To prepare and verify procedures for startup and shutdown of a newly-built plant.
  • To verify limitations and capacities of a plant prior to remodeling.
  • To check the capability of equipment at abnormal or emergency situations of a plant.
    (e.g. capacity and response rate of a safety valve and capacity of a buffer tank)
  • To verify operating conditions prior to changes.
    (e.g. changes in feed composition, operation load, and equipment)
  • To evaluate in advance the changes to control systems and parameters.

For processes analysis and verification, the Visual Modeler is useful, or the OmegaLand/Trainer in which the Visual Modeler connected with graphic or other functions is suitable.
In the OmegaLand, the interface for data exchange has been exported; therefore, you can get simulation data or put values only by coding a brief macro (VBA) by Excel. It is also easy to get simulation results in real-time to process them.


Education

The educational simulator is a dynamic simulator applied to teaching chemical engineering. Students will have opportunities to understand the principles of today's complicated plants and train themselves to master unit operations through simulations on a virtual plant. Such experiences would be impossible to obtain from desk study. Eventually, they will be able to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for analyzing and handling a variety of situations efficiently.

Objectives of the Educational Simulator

Taking the initiative in using simulators, the students can learn and expand skills and knowledge quickly, and will achieve the following objectives.

  • To understand the principles of the process engineering
  • To understand the principles and performance of each equipment and unit operation, and become able to handle various situations appropriately by extensive experience
  • To understand the control operation and behaviors on the process, and learn the fundamentals of control operation
  • To acquire the knowledge necessary for process operation

We offer various educational simulation application as our OmegaLand/Educator.


Operator Training

As an application of a virtual plant, we can mention the plant operator training system. Since the virtual plant is used for a trainee to practice operating a plant, the simulator is expected to reproduce the behavior of the plant in real-time with complete fidelity. The Visual Modeler is one of the few dynamic simulators that can satisfy all the requirements. The operator training simulator can be configured on the OmegaLand/Trainer which provides the operator training simulation environment.


Operator Training Function

In addition to the basic functions of a dynamic simulator such as execution control (run and freeze), snapshot save and load, and changing time scales, the operator training functions are required. They are, for example, functions for execution of malfunctions, automatic operation, simulation of field operation, logging and replay, and evaluation of trainee's performance

Execution Control Function

In addition to the execution control which runs and freezes the operation of the whole system including the direct connect DCS, there are various functions: the snapshot save function which temporarily stores a condition during the training, the snapshot load function to recover the stored condition to restart the training, and the time-scale-changing function which accelerates or delays the execution rate by two or four times.

Functions for Loading and Saving Initial Conditions

Training starts from a steady-state of a plant that has been setup in advance. Such a condition can be kept beforehand in a file as an initial condition.

Malfunctions

These functions are used to cause an abnormal state or an equipment failure deliberately. Operators are trained to be able to cope with such situations. To activate malfunctions, there are two methods. One of them is to select from the list of the execution control panel. Another is to prepare a panel dedicated to malfunctions on a graphic window and instruct the execution by a button.

Automatic Operation Functions

The automatic operation module is useful for carrying out training based on a series of procedures having a story (a scenario function) or the procedures that take place intentionally excluding an operator's part (a 'karaoke' function). This automatic operation function is utilized even for the execution of malfunctions if plural operations are accompanied; variables are handled over a long period of time; or processing is selected depending on conditions.

Replay Functions

The functions to reproduce the performance after a training session as it has taken place. This reproduction is used for the instructor to review the performance with the trainee and give guidance.

Logging Functions

It is possible to store training performance and events in a log file to keep them as a record or to evaluate the performance. Events recorded with time stamp can be used for replay.

Trainee's Performance Evaluating Functions

This function outputs logged data to Excel for the instructor to count the number of DCS operations and alarms and also makes graphs of trend data to evaluate trainee's performance.

DCS Connecting Functions

For the DCS direct connect type, DCS must be connected. For the operator training system, however, it must be noted that FCS simulator takes the part of FCS (Field Control Station) of DCS. The FCS simulator does not require the hardware that is the same model used for actual plant control, but its function is the same as the actual FCS.

Two Types for Realization

There are two methods to realize the operator training simulator: DCS direct connect type and DCS emulation type. The former requires a function to connect with DCS, whereas the latter requires a function to emulate DCS.


DCS Direct Connect Type
  • Configuration parameters of the control system at site that can be used in the actual plant control.
  • Exactly the same operation console of an actual plant control is used; therefore, the operator can experience the same operation at a real operating system.

* This is an example of DCS CENTUM VP manufactured by Yokogawa Electric Corporation, used as the actual DCS.



DCS Emulation Type
  • This is a comparatively compact and inexpensive type because operation console function of DCS is simulated on a graphic window and the logic of control equipment is executed by the Visual Modeler.

Control Assistant

In recent years, great technological progress has been made with plant operation and control. In addition to the control system of the conventional DCS, more advanced plant operation system connected with DCS host system has been demanded such as advanced control packages including multivariable model prediction control and neural prediction control, and operation assistant packages for automatic operation of startup, shutdown, and changing grades.
Prior to actual application of these control assistant packages to a real plant, preparatory verification and tuning are available by connecting them to the virtual plant, OmegaLand.
Since a dynamic simulation allows verification of the influence by the control logic and operation of these packages, the control assistant simulator will be particularly useful for changing the control logic accompanied with the process improvement and for preparing complicated operation procedures to improve operation efficiency.

Examples of Configuration of Control Assistant Simulator

* Exapilot manufactured by Yokogawa Electric Corporation is used as the control assistant package and CENTUM VP by the same as the DCS.

- DCS Emulation Type

A control assistant package and a standard interface OPC (OLE for Process Control) are connected directly.
The OPC server is prepared on the OmegaLand side and the control assistant package is connected as the OPC client. In place of DCS, a control model is created on Visual Modeler to simulate.

- DCS Direct Connect Type

The actual DCS is connected. The OPC server provided on DCS is connected with OmegaLand and a control assistant package as OPC client.


Optimization

This type of simulator can be applied to the following operation support and optimization by synchronizing imported process data with a dynamic simulation model.

  • To predict future operation by executing a simulation faster than in real-time.
  • To select the shortest transferring path that will not be affected by a plant condition at changing grades.
  • To perform economic optimization in the present circumstances and search for the most appropriate operation to move there.

This simulator technology targeting the optimization of plant operation from now on is being watched with keen interest by many industries.