Equipment condition and performance monitoring using comprehensive process model based upon mass and energy conservation

A method for controlling a plurality of units of equipment used to effect a process involving one or more resource flows, said method comprising:

• measuring flow rates of at least first and second of said resource flows in order to generate respective first and second measured resource flows, wherein the flow rates comprise operational characteristics of the plurality of units of equipment;
• formulating a comprehensive model of said process based upon conservation of a process parameter characterizing the at least first and second of said resource flows, said comprehensive model reflecting mass and energy balance throughout the process in its entirety and including a plurality of nonlinear equipment models corresponding to said plurality of units of equipment wherein at least a first of said nonlinear equipment models includes a first maintenance parameter, the first maintenance parameter being indicative of the operational soundness of a first unit of equipment of the plurality corresponding to the first nonlinear equipment model and indicative of the capability of the first unit of equipment to conduct mass and energy within the process in accordance with the mass and energy balance reflected by the model;
• adjusting a value of at least said first maintenance parameter such that predictions of said flow rates are reconciled with said first and second measured resource flows;
• monitoring changes in said value of said first maintenance parameter over time in order to enable detection of changes in condition of at least the first unit of equipment;
• and
• adjusting values of the operational characteristics of the plurality of units of equipment to adjust at least one of the first and second of said resource flows in response to detected changes in condition of the at least one of said plurality of units of equipment to maintain the process in a desired state.

A computer-based system for controlling one or more resource flows between two or more units of equipment used to effect a process, said system comprising:

• a first sensor for measuring a flow rate of a first resource flow of said resource flows in order to generate a first measured resource flow signal;
• a second sensor for measuring a flow rate of a second resource flow of said resource flows in order to generate a second measured resource flow signal, wherein the flow rates of the one or more resource flows comprise operational variables of the two or more units of equipment;
• a model generation module operative to formulate a model of said process based upon conservation of a process parameter characterizing said first and second resource flows, said model reflecting mass and energy balance throughout the process in its entirety and comprising at least a first maintenance parameter, said first maintenance parameter related to operation of a first unit of equipment of the two or more units of equipment and indicative of the capability of the first unit of equipment to conduct mass and energy within the process in accordance with the mass and energy balance reflected by the model;
• an adjustment module operative to adjust a value of at least the first maintenance parameter such that predictions of said flow rates are reconciled with said first and second measured resource flows;
• a monitoring module operative to monitor changes in said value of said first maintenance parameter over time in order to enable detection of changes in condition of at least the first unit of equipment;
• and
• a process controller operative to adjust, via one or more regulation devices, at least one operational variable of at least the first unit of equipment in response to detected changes in condition thereof to maintain the process in a desired state by regulating at least one of the flow rate of the first resource flow and the flow rate of the second resource flow.