Graphical process variable trend monitoring, predictive analytics and fault detection in a process control system

A method of generating and displaying a process variable pane for identifying trends and predictions of a process variable in a process control system of a process control plant, the method comprising:

• generating, using an update of a process variable value from an element in the process control system, process variable data that indicates one or more process variable attributes, the process variable data including process variable trend data that indicates one or more process variable trend attributes, and process variable projected state data that indicates one or more process variable projected state attributes;
• generating, using the process variable trend data, one or more graphic trend elements, each graphic trend element associated with a corresponding one of the process variable trend attributes including a current trend of the process variable;
• generating, using the process variable projected state data, one or more projected state graphic trend elements, each projected state graphic trend element associated with a corresponding one of the process variable projected state attributes including a predicted value of future deviation from a target value of the process variable wherein the predicted value of future deviation from the target value of the process variable includes one of:
• (i) a prediction towards a desired value, (ii) a prediction away from the desired value, or (iii) a prediction of no movement relative to the desired value, wherein the desired value is one or more of:
• below a high limit value for the process variable or above a low limit value for the process variable;
• and
• displaying, within a fixed and bounded area, the process variable pane including a graphic trend symbol on a user interface, the graphic trend symbol including at least one generated graphic trend element and at least one generated projected state graphic trend element, the at least one generated graphic trend element and the at least one generated projected state graphic trend element not occluding each other.

A method of generating and displaying a graphical trend symbol of a process variable in a process control system of a process control plant, the method comprising:

• generating, using an update of a process variable value from an element in the process control system, process variable data that indicates one or more process variable attributes, the process variable data including process variable trend data that indicates one or more process variable trend attributes;
• generating, using the process variable data, one or more graphic elements, each graphic element associated with a corresponding one of the process variable attributes;
• generating, using the process variable trend data, one or more graphic trend elements, each graphic trend element associated with a corresponding one of the process variable trend attributes;
• generating, using the process variable trend data, one or more graphic timeline elements, each graphic timeline element associated with a corresponding one of the process variable trend attributes;
• and
• displaying, within a fixed and bounded area, a process variable pane simultaneously including the graphic trend symbol and a graphic trend graph on a user interface, the graphic trend symbol including at least one generated graphic trend element and at least one generated graphic element, the at least one generated graphic trend element, the at least one generated graphic element, and the graphic trend graph not occluding each other, and the graphic trend graph including at least one generated graphic timeline element.