Combining operations documentation and data to diagnose procedure execution

Established control room systems in processing industry are prone to overload operators during severe plant upsets. Automatic diagnostic assistants can assist operators in high load situations, but the system needs to be aware of configuration changes. Standard Operating Procedures detail when and how the plant configuration is to be changed.

Tracking the correct execution of a procedure is relevant to both, detecting errors during procedure execution and adapting diagnostic models. However, plant operators tend to deviate from the prescribed procedures. Therefore, the reference for correct procedure execution needs to be established from the procedure documentation but also capturing operator habits.

We describe methods for representing documented procedures and validating the procedures against log files of the control system. We propose a fast approach of detecting procedure executions and action sets associated with procedure steps. The presented methods are demonstrated in an industrial case study of a filtration system.