Method for analyzing effects of operator actions in industrial plants
A method for determining an interdependency between a plurality of elements in an industrial processing system includes: providing a process flow diagram (PFD) of a topology of the processing system; transforming the PFD into a directed graph, each element of the plurality of elements being transformed into a node and each relation between the plurality of elements being transformed into a directed edge; selecting one node of the plurality of nodes as a starting node; and constructing a subgraph, the subgraph including all the nodes that are forward-connected from the starting node so as to show at least one interdependency between the plurality of elements in the subgraph.
1. A computer-implemented method for determining an interdependency between a plurality of elements in an industrial processing system, the elements comprising actuators and sensors of the industrial processing system, the method comprising:
providing a process flow diagram (PFD) of a topology of the processing system, the PFD being a piping and instrumentation (P&ID) diagram;
transforming the PFD into a directed graph, each element of the plurality of elements being transformed into a node and each relation between the plurality of elements being transformed into a directed edge, the relation between the plurality of elements representing a material flow and/or an energy flow;
selecting one node of the plurality of nodes as a starting node;
constructing a subgraph, the subgraph comprising all the nodes that are forward-connected from the starting node so as to show at least one interdependency between the plurality of elements in the subgraph;
for the subgraph, outputting all nodes and all relations of the subgraph;
searching, in the subgraph, for a cyclic interdependency; and
outputting affected elements and detected cycles as a visualization of a cause and effect relationship inside the industrial processing system.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the directed edges comprise attributed edges.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein at least one edge of a subset of attributed edges has a fuzzy attribute.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the starting node comprises a node with only outgoing edges.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the visualization comprises a dynamically created process graphic or a cause-and-effect matrix.
6. One or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums having processor-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed, facilitate the method according to claim 1 .
7. An industrial plant or a processing system, comprising:
a computer, on which instructions are stored and which, when the instructions are executed by the computer, cause the computer, the industrial plant, and/or the processing system to carry out the method according to claim 1 .