Enhanced smart search for batch provisioning, scheduling, and control

An industrial process control system controlling a batch process in an operating process plant, the system comprising:

• one or more process controllers executing a batch control algorithm for producing a product in the process plant;
• a plurality of process control field devices operating according to the batch control algorithm executed by the one or more controllers to produce the product;
• a knowledge repository storing (i) process configuration data related to the batch process and (ii) a graph database storing contexts associated with the process configuration data;
• one or more computing devices, communicatively coupled to the knowledge repository and to the one or more process controllers, the one or more computing devices configured to:
• obtain a data set from the knowledge repository related to the batch process;
• store, in a database, a set of time-series data generated during execution of one or more batches;
• query the obtained data set and the set of time-series data, to determine (i) a state of one or more pieces of equipment, and (ii) a schedule, the state including an indication of how long a piece of equipment has been in use, an indication of what the piece of equipment is being used for, or an amount of downtime for cleaning and/or other maintenance in between operations for the piece of equipment;
• receive a set of query results indicating state and schedule information for different sets of equipment corresponding to each type of equipment for performing a batch procedure, unit procedure, operation, and/or phase of a batch control recipe;
• and
• determine a set of equipment to use for the batch procedure, unit procedure, operation, and/or phase of the batch control recipe that includes one piece of equipment from each of the different sets, and a schedule associated with the batch procedure, unit procedure, operation, and/or phase of the batch control recipe based on the set of query results indicating the state and schedule information for the different sets of equipment.

A computing device for executing a batch control algorithm to control a batch process in a process plant, the computing device comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• a non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to:
• obtain a data set from a knowledge repository storing process data related to the batch process and contexts associated with the process data;
• store, in a database, a set of time-series data generated during execution of one or more batches;
• query the obtained data set and the set of time-series data, to determine (i) a state of one or more pieces of equipment, and (ii) a schedule, the state including an indication of how long a piece of equipment has been in use, an indication of what the piece of equipment is being used for, or an amount of downtime for cleaning and/or other maintenance in between operations for the piece of equipment;
• receive a set of query results indicating state and schedule information for different sets of equipment corresponding to each type of equipment for performing a batch procedure, unit procedure, operation, and/or phase of a batch control recipe;
• and
• determine a set of equipment to use for the batch procedure, unit procedure, operation, and/or phase of the batch control recipe that includes one piece of equipment from each of the different sets, and a schedule associated with the batch procedure, unit procedure, operation, and/or phase of the batch control recipe based on the set of query results indicating the state and schedule information for the different sets of equipment.