Distributed big data in a process control system

A method of supporting distributed big data using a field device that is (i) communicatively coupled to a first communications network of a process plant, (ii) operating, based on control signals delivered via the first communications network, to control a process in real-time in the process plant, and (iii) configured to perform a physical function to control at least a pre-determined portion of the process in real-time, the method comprising, at the field device:

• at least one of:
• receiving, at the field device, data via the first communications network and using the received data to perform the physical function to control at least the pre-determined portion of the process in real-time, or
• generating, by the field device, data as a result of performing the physical function and transmitting the generated data via the first communications network to control at least the pre-determined portion of the process in real-time;
• collecting data at the field device, the data including at least one of:
• (i) the data that is generated by the field device as a result of performing the physical function, (ii) data that is created by the field device, or (iii) the data that is received at the field device and used by the field device to perform the physical function;
• locally storing, in an embedded big data apparatus included in the field device, the collected data;
• performing, by the embedded big data apparatus included in the field device, a learning analysis on at least a portion of the locally stored data;
• generating, by the embedded big data apparatus, learned knowledge indicative of a result of the learning analysis, the learned knowledge including at least one of a time relationship or a causal relationship between process variables having values included in the locally stored process data, and wherein the learned knowledge is included in the data that is created by the field device;
• locally storing the generated learned knowledge in the embedded big data apparatus included in the field device;
• modifying, based on a first at least a portion of the locally stored learned knowledge, an operation of the field device to control the process in real-time;
• and
• distributing, via a process control big data network that is different than the first communications network, the first at least a portion of the locally stored learned knowledge or a second at least a portion of the learned knowledge to another device, the another device including a respective embedded big data apparatus.

A system for supporting distributed big data in a process plant, the system comprising:

• a process control big data network having a plurality of nodes, the plurality of nodes including a first node that is a field device configured to at least one of:
• (i) perform a physical function to control at least a pre-determined portion of the process executing in the process plant, generate first real-time data corresponding to the performed physical function, and transmit, via a communications network within the process plant that is different than the process control big data network, the first real-time data to another process control device operating to control the at least the pre-determined portion of the process, or
• (ii) receive second real-time data from the another process control device via the communications network, and perform the physical function based on the second real-time data;
• and
• each of the plurality of nodes is configured to:
• collect respective data generated in real-time resulting from control of a process executing in the process plant;
• locally store the collected respective data at a respective embedded big data apparatus included in the each of the plurality of nodes;
• and
• perform, by the respective embedded big data apparatus included in the each of the plurality of nodes, a respective learning analysis on at least a portion of the locally stored data, thereby generating respective learned knowledge;
• locally store the generated respective learned knowledge at the respective embedded big data apparatus included in the each of the plurality of nodes;
• and
• wherein the field device is further configured to cause at least a portion of the respective learned knowledge that is locally stored at the embedded big data apparatus included in the field device and that is indicative of a result of a performance of the respective learning analysis of the field device to be distributed, via the process control big data network, to a second node included in the plurality of nodes for use in the respective learning analysis of the second node or in another respective learning analysis of the second node, the at least the portion of the respective learned knowledge that is locally stored at the field device including at least one of a time relationship or a causal relationship between process variables having values included in the locally stored process data.