On-line multivariate analysis in a distributed process control system

A system for monitoring a process in a process plant, the system comprising:

• a data collection tool adapted to collect real-time, on-line process data from a process control system within the process plant, wherein the collected on-line process data is representative of a normal operation of the process when the process is on-line and operating normally and wherein the collected on-line process data comprises a plurality of observations of a plurality of process variables and wherein the plurality of observations of a set of collected on-line process data comprises a first data space having a plurality of dimensions;
• and
• an analysis tool comprising a multivariate statistical analysis engine adapted to represent the normal operation of the process based on a set of collected real-time, on-line process data comprising a measure of the normal operation of the process when the process is on-line and operating normally within a second data space having fewer dimensions than the first data space, and wherein the analysis tool is adapted to represent a real-time on-line operation of the process using monitored on-line process data as an input to a multivariate representation of the normal operation of the process within the second data space, wherein the monitored on-line process data comprises a measure of a real-time operation of the process when the process is on-line.