Smart search capabilities in a process control system

An edge-facing computing device for providing search results in response to a process plant search query comprising:

• one or more processors;
• a communication unit;
• and
• one or more non-transitory computer-readable media coupled to the one or more processors and to the communication unit, the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the edge-facing computing device to:
• generate a duplicate of process plant-related data included in a field-facing component of a process plant, wherein the field-facing component interacts directly with data generated within the process plant, so that user interface devices that do not have authorized access to communicate with the process plant are able to obtain at least a subset of the duplicate process-plant related data generated by the edge-facing computing device which does not directly interact with the process plant-related data generated within the process plant, and wherein the duplicate process plant-related data includes run-time data;
• organize the duplicate process plant-related data that describes attributes of process plant entities in a knowledge repository according to semantic relations between the process plant-related data and the process plant entities;
• receive a process plant search query in a natural language format from a user related to one or more process plant entities within the process plant;
• interpret the process plant search query;
• obtain a data set responsive to the interpreted process plant search query from the duplicate process plant-related data in the knowledge repository;
• and
• provide, via the communication unit, a set of search results to a remote user interface device of the user based on the obtained data set responsive to the interpreted process plant search query, wherein the remote user interface device does not have authorized access to directly communicate with the process plant, thereby allowing the remote user interface device to perform a search regarding data in the process plant of the duplicate process plant-related data so that the remote user interface device does not directly interact with the process plant-related data in the field-facing component, and allowing the remote user interface device which does not have authorized access to directly communicate with the process plant to receive the duplicate process plant-related data representing activity in the process plant in a highly secure manner without impacting performance of the process plant.

A process control system comprising:

• one or more devices corresponding to a process plant entity disposed in a process plant and performing a physical function to control an industrial process;
• a data diode communicatively connecting the one or more devices to an edge-facing computing device, the data diode configured to prevent two-way communications between a network of the process plant and the edge-facing computing device;
• and
• the edge-facing computing device comprising:
• one or more processors;
• a communication unit;
• and
• one or more non-transitory computer-readable media coupled to the one or more processors and to the communication unit, the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the edge-facing computing device to:
• receive, via the data diode and the communication unit, a duplicate of process plant-related data generated by the one or more devices of the process plant while the process plant is on-line, the duplicate process plant-related data secured for transmission from the one or more devices to the edge-facing computing device via the data diode, so that user interface devices that do not have authorized access to communicate with the process plant are able to obtain at least a subset of the duplicate process-plant related data received at the edge-facing computing device which does not directly interact with the process plant-related data generated by the one or more devices of the process plant while the process plant is on-line;
• store the duplicate of the process plant-related data in a knowledge repository in which the process plant-related data that describes attributes of the process plant entities is organized according to semantic relations between the process plant-related data and the process plant entities, wherein the knowledge repository includes duplicates of the process plant-related data generated within the process plant and the edge-facing computing device does not directly interact with the process plant-related data generated within the process plant;
• and
• provide at least some of the data from the duplicate process plant-related data in the knowledge repository as search results in response to a process plant search query in a natural language format to a remote user interface device that does not have authorized access to directly communicate with the process plant, thereby allowing the remote user interface device to perform a search regarding data in the process plant of the duplicate process plant-related data so that the remote user interface device does not directly interact with the process plant-related data, and allowing the remote user interface device which does not have authorized access to directly communicate with the process plant to receive the duplicate process plant-related data representing activity in the process plant in a highly secure manner without impacting performance of the process plant.