# US 12,181,864 B2 · Digital model based plant operation and optimization

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,181,864 B2
- Document ID: US12181864B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/623,229
- Filed: 2024-04-01
- Published: 2024-07-25
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2021-11-12
- Assignees: Pani Energy Inc
- Applicants: Pani Energy Inc
- Inventors: Ben Wolfe; Devesh Bharadwaj
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181864B2

## CPC

- G05B 19/41885: {characterised by modeling, simulation of the manufacturing system}
- G05B 23/024: {Quantitative history assessment, e.g. mathematical relationships between available data; Functions therefor; Principal component analysis [PCA]; Partial least square [PLS]; Statistical classifiers, e.g. Bayesian networks, linear regression or correlation analysis; Neural networks}
- G05B 19/4184: {characterised by fault tolerance, reliability of production system}
- G05B 23/0243: {model based detection method, e.g. first-principles knowledge model}
- G05B 23/0283: {Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] (preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06)}
- G06F 3/0482: Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
- G06F 3/04842: Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence)
- G05B 2219/31455: Monitor process status
- G05B 2219/32234: Maintenance planning
- G05B 2219/37537: Virtual sensor
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

A digital twin model based plant operation and optimization is provided. Systems and methods of the solution can receive data on assets of a plant, the assets' topology, connectivity and flow and deployed physical instruments along with the measurements of the physical instruments. The solution generate a model having a plurality of layers based on the received data and provide one or more virtual instruments in the model. The solution can determine, based on a set of relationships for interactions between assets and the received measurements input into the model, one or more virtual measurement for the one or more virtual instruments and generate, responsive to a comparison with a threshold, a notification to service at least one of the assets at the plant.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system of modeling a plant, comprising:
a data processing system having at least one processor and coupled with memory, to:
receive one or more measurements from a first physical instrument of one or more physical instruments located at the plant comprising a plurality of assets that perform one or more functions at the plant, the first physical instrument located at or within a threshold distance of a first asset of the plurality of assets;
identify a virtual instrument for a location at the plant that lacks a physical instrument at the location;
determine, based on a set of relationships for interactions between the plurality of assets, and based on the one or more measurements input into a model constructed with a plurality of layers corresponding to: i) the plurality of assets at the plant; ii) a topology of the plurality of assets; iii) connections and flow direction of the plurality of assets; and iv) the one or more physical instruments at the plant, a virtual measurement for the virtual instrument;
determine, based on the set of relationships and the one or more measurements input into the model, the virtual measurement for the virtual instrument located at or within the threshold distance from a second asset of the plurality of assets;
generate, responsive to a comparison of the virtual measurement with a threshold value, a notification to service the second asset of the plurality of assets based on the determination of the virtual measurement for the virtual instrument located at or within the threshold distance from the second asset.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, comprising the data processing system to:
perform a simulation of the plant based on the set of relationships applied to the plurality of assets in the model, the one or more measurements and the virtual measurement; and
generate the notification in response to the simulation.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, comprising:
the data processing system to determine the threshold value based on an estimate of utilization of a resource from continued performance of at least the first asset of the plurality of assets without servicing the first asset.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the notification to service the second asset is a first notification, comprising the data processing system to:
receive the one or more measurements from the first physical instrument of the one or more physical instruments located at a first location at or within the threshold distance from the first asset of the plurality of assets;
determine, based on the set of relationships and the one or more measurements input into the model, the virtual measurement for the virtual instrument located at a second location at or within the threshold distance from the first asset; and
generate a second notification to service the first asset.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, comprising the data processing system to:
receive the one or more measurements from the first physical instrument of the one or more physical instruments located at a first location at or within the threshold distance from the first asset of the plurality of assets; and
determine, based on the set of relationships and the one or more measurements input into the model, the virtual measurement for the virtual instrument located at a second location at or within the threshold distance from the first asset.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, comprising the data processing system to:
construct at least one layer of the plurality of layers.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, comprising the data processing system to:
receive the one or more measurements of at least one of a flow rate of fluid, a salinity of fluid or a fluid temperature at or within the threshold distance from the first asset of the plurality of assets; and
determine, based on the set of relationships and the one or more measurements input into the model, the virtual measurement of at least one of the flow rate of fluid, the salinity of fluid or the fluid temperature at or within the threshold distance from the first asset or at or within the threshold distance from the second asset of the plurality of assets.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, comprising the data processing system to:
perform a simulation of a fluid processing plant based on the model, the set of relationships, the one or more measurements and the virtual measurement; and
generate, responsive to the simulation, the notification on efficiency of performance of the first asset of the plurality of assets or the second asset of the plurality of assets.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, comprising the data processing system to:
receive, second one or more measurements for a second one or more physical instruments located at a second plant comprising a second plurality of assets; and
determine, based on a second set of relationships on interactions between the second plurality of assets, a second virtual measurement for a virtual sensor located at the second plant.

### Claim 10

A method of modeling a plant, comprising:
receiving, by a data processing system having at least one processor and coupled with memory, one or measurements from a first physical instrument of one or more physical instruments located at the plant comprising a plurality of assets that perform one or more functions at the plant, the first physical instrument located at or within a threshold distance from a first asset of the plurality of assets;
identifying, by the data processing system, a virtual instrument for a location at the plant that lacks a physical instrument at the location;
determining, by the data processing system, based on a set of relationships on interactions between the plurality of assets and the one or more measurements input into a model constructed with a plurality of layers corresponding to: i) the plurality of assets at the plant; ii) a topology of the plurality of assets; iii) connections and flow path of the plurality of assets; and iv) the one or more physical instruments at the plant, a virtual measurement for the virtual instrument;
determining, by the data processing system based on the set of relationships and the one or more measurements input into the model, the virtual measurement for the virtual instrument located at or within the threshold distance from a second asset of the plurality of assets
generating, by the data processing system responsive to a comparison of the virtual measurement with a threshold value, a notification to service the second asset of the plurality of assets based on the determination of the virtual measurement for the virtual instrument located at or within the threshold distance from the second asset.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, comprising:
performing, by the data processing system, a simulation of the plant based on the set of relationships applied to the plurality of assets in the model, the one or more measurements and the virtual measurement; and
generating, by the data processing system, the notification in response to the simulation.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, comprising:
determining, by the data processing system, the threshold value based on an estimate of utilization of a resource from continued performance of at least the first asset of the plurality of assets.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the notification to service the second asset is a first notification, comprising:
receiving, by the data processing system, the one or more measurements from the first physical instrument of the one or more physical instruments located at a first location at or within the threshold distance from the first asset of the plurality of assets;
determining, by the data processing system based on the set of relationships and the one or more measurements input into the model, the virtual measurement for the virtual instrument located at a second location at or within the threshold distance from the first asset; and
generating, by the data processing system, a second notification to service the first asset.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, comprising:
receiving, by the data processing system, the one or more measurements from the first physical instrument of the one or more physical instruments located at a first location at or within the threshold distance from the first asset of the plurality of assets; and
determining, by the data processing system based on the set of relationships and the one or more measurements input into the model, the virtual measurement for the virtual instrument located at a second location at or within the threshold distance the first asset.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, comprising:
constructing, by the data processing system, at least one layer of the plurality of layers; and
generating, by the data processing system, a display of the model comprising the at least one layer of the plurality of layers.

### Claim 16 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, comprising:
receiving, by the data processing system, the one or more measurements of at least one of a flow rate of fluid, a salinity of fluid or a fluid temperature at or within the threshold distance from the first asset of the plurality of assets; and
determining, by the data processing system based on the set of relationships and the one or more measurements input into the model, the virtual measurement of at least one of the flow rate of fluid, the salinity of fluid or the fluid temperature at or within the threshold distance from the first asset or at or within the threshold distance from the second asset of the plurality of assets.

### Claim 17 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, comprising:
performing, by the data processing system, a simulation of a fluid processing plant based on at least one of the model, the set of relationships, the one or more measurements and the virtual measurement; and
generating, by the data processing system responsive to the simulation, the notification on efficiency of performance of at least one of the plurality of assets.

### Claim 18 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, comprising:
receiving, by the data processing system, second one or more measurements for a second one or more physical instruments located at a second plant comprising a second plurality of assets; and
determining, by the data processing system based on a second set of relationships on interactions between the second plurality of assets, a second virtual measurement for a virtual sensor located at the second plant.