Expert view: The automation knowledge crisis

Automation systems are an integral part of the power sector.
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By Lee Swindler

Automation systems today have become remarkable warehouses of knowledge and information. Beyond just system configuration, many years of effort is inevitably invested in these systems by not only control engineers, but operations, process, maintenance, business, and management personnel as well.

In fact, over the life of an automation system the total intellectual investment will come to exceed the initial hardware and software cost many times over.

This paper will discuss some of the factors contributing to the impending process industry automation knowledge crisis, present real-life industry examples, and provide a proven solution to mitigate the problems.

Essential Facts about Automation Systems

What is unique about automation system knowledge? Why is it so critical that it be captured? Consider the following facts about automation systems:

1. Automation systems are critical to operations. They are the heart (or more accurately the brain) of the plant. You cannot run a plant without them. They are also platforms for continuous improvement and change, evolving continually to embody much of what we learn about our process on a daily basis. Because they evolve continually, there is ample opportunity for the introduction of errors that can result in compromised unit operations, plant shutdowns, or possibly even an
accident.

2. Automation systems are highly interdependent. They are a collection of components from a number of suppliers integrated together to provide desired functionality. Typically these systems integrate a variety of disparate subsystems, each with unique data structures, and employing multiple interface techniques. In modern plant automation systems, a tremendous amount of data is exchanged, and interoperability between and among the subsystems increases daily. These different components need to work together seamlessly for the automation system to function properly.

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3. Automation systems contain vast amounts of information. They have embodied within them knowledge from a variety of sources that have been added and refined over a period of years. This knowledge represents the collective intelligence of an accomplished group of individuals, many of whom have most likely spent a significant part of their career optimizing the functionality of that particular system and process.

Automation systems documentation capabilities are limited. Although there is a large amount of critical information contained in them, the self-documentation functionalities of even the latest versions from the leading suppliers lack the capability to really capture their inherent complexity.

Furthermore, each automation supplier provides tools that manage only their specific system, providing no understanding of the relationships and levels of interoperability between it and the various systems it is connected to. Thus, users are left with an incomplete understanding of their installed automation, forcing them to rely upon outdated, manually generated documentation, or individual recall to understand the system.

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